Garth Hudson, the last living member of The Band, passed away today at age 87.

Eric Garth Hudson (August 2, 1937 – January 21, 2025) was a Canadian multi-instrumentalist best known as the keyboardist and occasional saxophonist for the rock band The Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. 

He was a principal architect of the group's sound and was described as "the most brilliant organist in the rock world" by Keyboard magazine. Hudson was the last living original member of the Band.

A master of the Lowrey organ, Hudson's other primary instruments were piano, accordion, electronic keyboards, and saxophones (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass). He was a much-in-demand and respected session musician, performing with dozens of artists, including Elton John, who has cited him as an early influence.

The Band consisted of Garth Hudson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson.

In August 1965, The Band were introduced to Bob Dylan. In January 1966, they recorded material with Dylan for what would turn into the Blonde on Blonde album. Dylan recruited the band to accompany him on his controversial 1966 "electric" tour of the United States, Australia and Europe. Subsequent to Bob Dylan's motorcycle accident in July 1966, the group settled in a pink house in West Saugerties, New York, near Woodstock. Dylan was a frequent visitor, and Hudson's recordings of their collaborations resulted in The Basement Tapes.

By 1968, the group recorded its debut album, Music from Big Pink. The album was recorded in Los Angeles and New York. The album includes Hudson's organ showcase, "Chest Fever", a song that in the Band's live shows would be vastly expanded by a solo organ introduction, entitled "The Genetic Method", an improvisational work that would be played differently at each performance. 

The initial iteration of the Band made its final bow as a touring band with a lavish final concert on Thanksgiving Day 1976 at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, an all-star tribute concert documented in The Last Waltz.

JMH shift early.