Garth Hudson, the band’s multi-instrumentalist, has died at the age of 87

He grew up listening to county hoedowns on the radio, learning Bach preludes and fugues and studying music theory, harmony and contrast. He played publicly at the Anglican Church of St. Luke and at his uncle’s funeral home, and then began a musical career that took him, from 1961 to 1963, with Ronnie Hawkins and the Hawks, a rockabilly and rhythm- and-blues that make noise. Including the other four members who will become the Band, three of them are Canadian. Mr. is from Arkansas. Helm.

According to Mr. Helm and others, Mr. Hudson kept refusing pleas to join the Hawks until he was offered a new organ, an extra $10 a week to give music lessons to others and the title of “music consultant” – all for the better. his parents to their talented son just playing rock ‘n’ roll.

After leaving Mr. Hawkins, the former members of the Hawks toured on their own, and then with Mr. Dylan, who took them on a folk-rock tour in 1965 and 1966. After ‘then they lived near Woodstock, where working with Mr. Dylan became something new in rock. (The locals know them simply as “the band”, so the five decided to give it a name.)

The Band recorded its first album, “Music From Big Pink,” in 1968. With the release of its follow-up, “The Band,” in 1969, the fusion of rock, r&b and country became a phenomenon. .

Songs such as “The Weight,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “Up on Cripple Creek” offered a rich and seamless take on a variety of American music, with echoes of the War. home and the rural past. Mr. Hudson was the wizard behind the scenes adding a pastoral touch to the group’s sounds from Aaron Copland or Charles Ives.

His dark beard and slurred speech made him look somewhere between an Old Testament prophet and an Old Testament prophet, making him seem like a serious craftsman lost in his music rather than a star. the wonderful rock. His musical influence was enhanced by his playing of the Lowrey organ, which has a richer tone than the Hammond used by most rock organists. Most of his work is to add contrast and rich texture to the music while the singing and playing of the other members are more prominent.