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Garth Hudson, Last Surviving Member of the Band, Dies at 87
Garth Hudson, the innovative multi-instrumental and last surviving member of the Band, has died. He was 87.
Retiring and seldom interviewed, Hudson was the quiet man in the group that began life as the Hawks, Arkansas-born rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins’ backup band, who in 1966 graduated to supporting Bob Dylan on his tumultuous first tour as a rock ‘n’ roll performer. After an abortive attempt at a reunion, a good deal of highly public acrimony between Robertson and the other members of the Band – especially drummer Levon Helm, who had served as the Hawks’ first musical director – and the 1986 suicide of pianist-vocalist Richard Manuel, the act regrouped in 1993 for the album “Jericho,” with Jim Weider replacing the guitarist. At Capitol and on the Band’s three reunion albums, Hudson distinguished himself as a do-anything player; his instrumental arsenal included tenor, baritone, and soprano saxophones, piccolo, accordion, synthesizer, clavinet, slide trumpet and occasional piano.
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