Garth Hudson
| Garth Hudson | |
|---|---|
Hudson performing with the Band, Hamburg, Germany, May 1971
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Eric Garth Hudson |
| Born |
August 2, 1937 Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1949–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
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| Website | garthhudson |
| Notable instruments | |
| Lowrey organ | |
Eric Garth Hudson (born August 2, 1937) is a Canadian multi-instrumentalist. As the organist, keyboardist and saxophonist for Canadian-American rock group the Band, he was a principal architect of the group's unique sound. Hudson has been called "the most brilliant organist in the rock world" by Keyboard magazine. As of 2017, Hudson and fellow musician Robbie Robertson are the last original members of The Band who are still alive.
A master of the Lowrey organ, Hudson's orchestral tone sense and style anticipated many of the sonic advances of the polyphonic synthesizer. His other primary instruments are piano, electronic keyboards, saxophone (alto, tenor, soprano, baritone, bass), and accordion. He has been a much-in-demand and respected session musician, performing with dozens of artists and earning the accolades of many, including Elton John, who has cited him as an early influence.
Hudson was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. His parents, Fred James Hudson and Olive Louella Pentland, were musicians. His mother played piano and accordion and sang. His father, a farm inspector who had fought as a fighter pilot in World War I, played drums, C melody saxophone, clarinet, flute and piano. Hudson moved with his family to London, Ontario, around 1940. Classically trained in piano, music theory, harmony and counterpoint, Hudson wrote his first song at the age of eleven and first played professionally with dance bands in 1949 at the age of twelve. He attended Broughdale Public School and Medway High School before studying music (primarily Bach's chorales and The Well-Tempered Clavier) at the University of Western Ontario for one year; nevertheless, he grew increasingly frustrated with the rigidity of the classical repertoire. In 1958, he joined a rock and roll band, the Capers. He was reported to have said that he also gained some performance experience from playing at his uncle's funeral parlor. In December 1961, the 24-year-old Hudson joined the Hawks, the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins, which already consisted of 21-year-old Levon Helm on drums, 18-year-old Robbie Robertson on guitar, 18-year-old Rick Danko on bass and 18-year-old Richard Manuel on piano.
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