The music world is mourning the passing of Garth Hudson, the eccentric and talented multi-instrumentalist who was the last surviving original member of The Band. Hudson passed away peacefully on January 21 at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York. He was 87.
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Hudson played various keyboards, most notably the Lowery organ, as well as accordion and saxophones on The Band’s many recordings, delivering a panoply of sonic textures that helped define the influential Americana group’s sound.
[RELATED: Garth Hudson, Last Living Member of The Band, Dead at 87]
Garth also was an in-demand session musician who lent his talents to a wide variety of artists.
Hudson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Band in 1994.
In commemoration of Hudson’s passing, here are four songs by different Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees that feature Garth:
“Dry Your Eyes” – Neil Diamond (1976)
Neil Diamond’s 1976 studio album, Beautiful Noise, was produced by The Band’s lead guitarist and main songwriter, Robbie Robertson. Hudson played keyboards on two songs on the record, including “Dry Your Eyes,” which Diamond co-wrote with Robertson.
Beautiful Noise peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.
Diamond sang “Dry Your Eyes” at The Band’s historic and star-studded 1976 farewell concert, “The Last Waltz.” Neil’s performance of the majestic ballad can be seen in the classic Martin Scorsese-directed concert film of the same name.
“Kingdom Hall” – Van Morrison (1978)
Van Morrison also was one of the artists who performed at The Last Waltz” concert. Hudson played various instruments on three tracks featured on Morrison’s 1978 studio effort, Wavelength.
One of those songs was “Kingdom Hall,” an uplifting and soulful rock tune that includes a synthesizer solo by Hudson. Van wrote the song about the times during his childhood when he’d accompany his mother to spiritual and music-filled Jehovah’s Witness gatherings.
“The Gypsy’s Wife” – Leonard Cohen (1979)
Hudson was featured on two tracks of fellow Canadian artist Leonard Cohen’s 1979 album, Recent Songs. One of those tunes, the melancholy folk song “The Gypsy’s Wife,” features Garth playing serene accordion lines.
“The Best of Everything” – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1985)
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ sixth studio album, Southern Accents, was released in 1985. The album’s final track “The Best of Everything” was a soaring, multi-textured ballad that was produced by Robertson.
Hudson played keyboards on the song and fellow Band member Richard Manual contributed harmony vocals. Not surprisingly, the song itself sounded like it could have been lifted from one of The Band’s classic albums.
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