Garth Hudson, keyboard player and saxophonist in The Band, has died aged 87.
Hudson was the last surviving member of The Band’s definitive line-up that was active in the late ’60s and early ’70s, performing as Bob Dylan’s backing group and recording albums under their own name, notably the classic 1968 debut Music From Big Pink.
According to the Toronto Star, Hudson “passed away peacefully in his sleep” at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York.
The Band originally formed in 1957 as the Hawks, a backing group for Canadian rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins.
In 1966, they backed Dylan on his first and highly controversial tour with a full electric band.
And after changing their name to The Band, they made a huge impact with Music From Big Pink and a self-titled second album released in 1969.
Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters described Music From Big Pink as the second most influential record in the history of rock ’n’ roll - after The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper.
Other famous fans of The Band include George Harrison, Elton John and Eric Clapton.
Hudson, a multi-instrumentalist, was known for his mastery of the Lowrey organ, which he played in the intro for Chest Fever, one of The Band’s most celebrated songs.
In a rare interview in 2003, Hudson summed up his career with remarkable humility.
“It was a job,’ he said. "Play a stadium, play a theatre. My job was to provide arrangements with pads underneath, pads and fills behind good poets. Same poems every night.”
