With the passing of Garth Hudson, the final chapter of The Band’s legendary story has officially come to a close. Hudson, the last surviving member of the group that reshaped rock and Americana, died on January 21, 2025, at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York. He was 87.
Born in Ontario, Canada, in 1937, Hudson’s musical journey kicked off when he joined Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks in 1961. Hawkins agreed to buy Hudson a Lowrey organ. This move not only sealed the deal but also defined the band’s hauntingly unique sound. That same sound became synonymous with the deeply emotive and soulful music of The Band.
By 1963, Hawkins was out, but Hudson and his bandmates—Richard Manuel, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, and Robbie Robertson carried on as The Hawks. Their lives changed forever when they linked up with Bob Dylan in 1965. Together, they recorded Blonde on Blonde. Later, they retreated to a pink house in Woodstock. This was where they laid down the foundations of The Basement Tapes and their own debut, Music from Big Pink. It was there that The Hawks evolved into The Band, and the rest became rock history.
Hudson’s Lowrey organ and accordion playing weren’t just background textures. They truly were the soul of tracks like Bob Dylan’s “When I Paint My Masterpiece” and the driving force behind The Band’s signature sound. From “The Weight” to “Chest Fever,” his playing turned every song into something transcendent.
The Band officially called it quits in 1976 with their farewell concert The Last Waltz, a night of pure magic immortalised by Martin Scorsese’s documentary. But the decades after brought heartbreak as one by one, his bandmates passed: Manuel in 1986, Danko in 1999, Helm in 2012, and Robertson in 2023.
Even as the lineup faded, Hudson kept creating. He later played with Roger Waters at the Berlin The Wall show. He also recorded with his former bandmates and released his own album, The Sea of the North, in 2001.
Now, with Hudson gone, The Band’s story feels truly complete. But, as it is with all artists, their music will live on forever.
MORE IN Music
