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Garth Hudson of The Band poses for a portrait in 1969 in Saugerties, New York.
FYI
International
Obituaries: Canadian Artists Remember Garth Hudson
This week we also acknowledge the passing of famed blues keyboardist Barry Goldberg, Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy guitarist John Sykes and Atlanta rapper and DJ, DJ Unk.
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Garth Hudson, the Canadian keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist whose inventive playing was a crucial feature of the sound of The Band, died on Jan. 21, at age 87, at a nursing home in Woodstock, New York.
Hudson was the last surviving member of Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Band.
A Billboard obituary reports that “along with fellow Canadians Robbie Robertson (guitar/vocals), Rick Danko (bass/vocals) and Richard Manuel (piano/vocals) and lone American member, drummer/singer Levon Helm, Hudson was a key component of the unique sound the band explored during its initial 20-year run.”
He officially began playing with The Band in 1965, after they had served a two-year apprenticeship as The Hawks, the back-up group for rockabilly singer Ronnie Hawkins.”
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Bob Dylan toured with The Band as his backing group in 1966 and they joined him in the studio for a series of 1967 sessions that became The Basement Tapes. The fruit of those sessions recorded at the group’s legendary Saugerties, N.Y. home known as Big Pink, were not officially released until 1975.
Hudson had a major role on that album, as a Globe and Mail obituary reports that "Hudson set up a top-notch home recording rig for Dylan in the basement of the pink house occupied by himself, Danko and Manuel. He sourced microphones from the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary and a tape recorder and two stereo mixers from music manager Albert Grossman."
That home was the inspiration for the title of the Band’s 1968 debut album, Music From Big Pink, which spotlighted Hudson’s churchy organ.
The Band’s self-titled 1969 second album produced a moderate hit in “Cripple Creek,” and was followed by the critically-acclaimed albums 1970s Stage Fright, 1971’s Cahoots, 1973’s cover album Moondog Matinee, 1975’s Northern Lights – Southern Cross and the final LP by the original lineup, 1977’s Islands.
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The Band’s final show was the now legendary The Last Waltz, a star-studded extravaganza that confirmed the peer respect the group enjoyed. Guests included Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison and many others, and the concert was documented by director Martin Scorsese for the live movie/album of the same name.
Hudson returned to The Band when the group reassembled, without Robbie Robertson, in the 1980s, but the three albums released by that lineup failed to have the impact of the original Band.
In 2002, Hudson joined Burrito Deluxe, a quasi-reunion of legendary country-rock group Flying Burrito Brothers, and he recorded two albums with that outfit.
His instrumental virtuosity and versatility kept Hudson in demand as a session player. He had worked on albums by Ronnie Hawkins and John Hammond in his pre-Band days and can be heard on Dylan's classic Blonde on Blonde album. Hudson's later extensive list of credits included albums by Bobby Charles, Ringo Starr, Maria Muldaur, Paul Butterfield, Neko Case, Eric Clapton, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Emmylou Harris, the Lemonheads, Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, The Call, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Marianne Faithfull, Camper Van Beethoven, Daniel Lanois, The Sadies, The Northern Pikes and multiple film soundtracks.
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He released his first solo album, The Sea to the North, in 2001, and it was followed up with 2010’s Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of The Band, one of his most notable projects. Released on Curve Music, it was co-produced by Hudson and the late Peter J. Moore, and featured a cast of notable Canadian artists covering songs by The Band, all selected by Hudson. Contributors included The Sadies, Cowboy Junkies, Bruce Cockburn, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle, Chantal Kreviazuk, Raine Maida, Great Big Sea, Hawksley Workman, Blue Rodeo, The Trews and Ian Thornley, with Hudson contributing "Genetic Method (Anew)." A 10th Anniversary Edition, with two bonus tracks, came out in 2020.
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In his later years, Hudson frequently performed with his wife Maud on vocals, and in 2005 Garth and Maud Hudson released Live at the Wolf, a piano and vocal album recorded at the Wolf Performance Hall in London, Ontario.
Hudson, a Member of the Order of Canada, was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1989 and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. The Band received lifetime achievement awards from the Grammys in 2008.
The influence that Garth Hudson and The Band had on musicians around the globe, including many major stars of the day, has been well-documented. Response to news of his passing confirmed that he had an especially strong impact upon Canadian artists, many of whom testified to that on social media, in interviews and to Billboard Canada. Here are some of those tributes.
Kevin Hearn, Barenaked Ladies keyboardist and former music director for Lou Reed, frequently collaborated with Garth Hudson, and he sent the following affectionate tribute to Billboard Canada: " I always loved The Band, how could you not? But my favourite part of The Band was always the contributions from their master musician Garth Hudson. His ideas always felt exciting, surprising, inventive, and yet perfectly fitting for the song.
“His saxophone playing was another secret weapon In The Band’s arsenal. His sax solo on ‘It makes No Difference’ from The Last Waltz sends shivers up my spine every time. In 1993, I was playing in Look People, the house band on CBC’s The Ralph Benmergui show. The Band were guests on an episode and played two songs. This was the first time I met Garth. I remember seeing him for the first time, walking down the hallway towards the studio where we would all gather before rehearsing the show.
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"Garth appeared like a wild mythical beast from the musical wilderness. We stood by the railing together with Rick Danko as he folded the day’s itinerary into a paper airplane and let it drift into the giant foyer of the CB. Garth then lit up a cigarette. A young man from the CBC rushed over and requested that Garth put the cigarette out. Ralph Benmergui stepped in to intervene and respectfully said 'let him smoke.' This was the start of a long beautiful friendship with Garth.
"He played on my solo records, and I played on his. We played live together, both in the context of my solo work and with BNL at Massey Hall. We did a mini-tour together through California along with my band Thinbuckle and his wife Maude. We would talk for hours on the phone about music. I would listen mostly and take note.
"In 2011, the Junos honoured The Band with a tribute featuring The Sadies and others. Garth had been asked to participate and play a rendition of 'The Genetic Method.' Unable to attend, he requested that I be invited to represent him, and play in his place: the honour of a lifetime . Garth had gifted me a knife he called ‘the peeler.’ On the Junos tribute, you can catch a glimpse of the knife standing straight up, stuck into the top of my Lowrey organ, as a salute to Garth.
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"The last time we spoke was on his birthday, and I played piano for him on a video call. I loved Garth, and will miss him, but I know he is still out there somewhere getting lost in the bliss of music."
In 2008, Hudson produced and performed on a riproaring version of a Bob Dylan tune, "Million Dollar Bash," recruiting Viletones leader and Toronto punk legend Steven Leckie to sing on the cut. Leckie tells Billboard Canada that "To think that Garth wanted me and knew who I was, that sure said a lot about the man. He wasn’t stuck working only with Blue Rodeo types."
Joe Rockman, bassist in The Jeff Healey Band, sent this tribute to Billboard Canada: "Jeff Healey first met Garth Hudson in November 1986, when the early Jeff Healey Band opened Tor the Band (without Robbie Robinson) at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver.
"The Jeff Healey Band had existed only one year and we were scared shitless opening for the Band! We had never performed for an audience of this size and The Band’s audience were truly discerning listeners, not to mention the local press would be there. As such, we felt intense pressure to make a good impression. Backstage before the show, Garth noticed our nervousness and pulled us aside, saying with a smile, 'now don’t you boys worry, you’re gonna do great!' He stood side stage throughout our performance as a reassuring presence. We appreciated his empathy, and he further befriended us by volunteering to give our press kit to some of his contacts, which was a huge boost, considering we were just a startup at that time.
"Jeff would see Garth from time to time over the years through our travels. My personal last encounter was at Jeff’s induction into Canada‘s Walk Of Fame in Toronto.The Band was being inducted as well, and I had the great fortune of sitting at a table with Garth and Robbie Robertson.
"Jeff loved Garth‘s uniquely innovative approach to keyboard playing, and believed his understated presence was a huge part of the Band’s music and persona. Garth’s groundbreaking musical contributions are woven into the fabric of Canadian music history. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends”
Veteran Canadian musician (Boys Brigade) and Grammy-winning producer Malcolm Burn (Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois, Junkhouse) offered this homage to Garth Hudson to Billboard Canada: "Garth and I got to know one another pretty well over the last years of his life. I would go over and jam with him at the rest home he was in near me. Mostly old folk songs, Irish ballads and a few hymns and also quite often he’d play something he called ‘the National Anthem Of Scandinavia’ or something like that.
"He also educated me quite a lot about his own early influences in music, from ‘20s jazz all the way through to songs he’d recorded with Richard Manuel, his favourite being Richard's rendition of the song 'You Don’t Know Me,' I think originally recorded by Ray Charles back in the ‘50s. Garth would tear up every time he played that song for me.
"Garth told me about how when he was young, growing up in Stratford, Ontario, he played organ at the local church. He also described what he called the ceremonials that he’d play; for instance the music for the people coming in to the church for a memorial service, and then the processional music as they were leaving to go off to the cemetery. Amazing stuff really.
"His latest project was what he called 'music for the medical appointment waiting room.' His idea was to put together an album of music that would be much better suited to the waiting room environment than the usual junk they often do play."
Veteran Toronto-born, Nashville-based producer and musician Colin Linden played alongside Garth Hudson in the later version of The Band and composed material for their albums. In an interview with The Toronto Star, Linden stated that Hudson "was so incredibly unlike anyone else. And absolutely everything that he said and everything that he played was like nobody else would have or could have. I treasured every bit of time that I spent with him.
“I always found that with all the guys, they all sounded like the Band. When you’d hear Rick Danko play by himself, he sounded like the Band. When you’d hear Levon, he sounded like the Band. Garth really typified that in the deep, deep well of music that went into all of the music they played.”
Canadian music journalist and author Jason Schneider (a former FYI Music News contributor) interviewed Hudson extensively. In his Roots Music Canada obituary, Schneider states that "I’ve said before and will continue to say that Canada gave the world three of the greatest musical minds of the 20th century: Glenn Gould, Oscar Peterson and Garth Hudson.
"But along with his genius, Garth was the sweetest and most humble human being there ever was. To say I’ll miss him is a gross understatement, as he affected my life in ways I’ll never be able to express."
In a Facebook post, Legendary Toronto concert promoter Gary Topp recalled his two interactions with Hudson. "In 1993, I was hired to produce the live musical segments for the second season of Friday Night with Ralph Benmergui. On one episode, The Band, (Jericho-era) performed two songs, Atlantic City and The Weight. Brief encounters with him and Rick Danko were 'sweet'. Nothing much was said but the time saying whatever was said was downright awesome.
"Then in 2003, I presented Garth and his wife Maude at the Top of the Senator jazz club. The shows were so special, Garth's personality really came out in a way that never happened at The Band shows through his choice of eclectic music (some rollicking Tatum-esque someMonk-like, some barrelhouse left-handed New Orleans stride, wrapped into Eastern European folk traditions, polka, heaps of blues and an Ellingtonian elegance) through his funny, quirky "in his own world" manner on stage, and through his incredible playing. It was as if we were flies on the wall, listening to him jam with himself in his private space. sometimes, he would start a piece, stop abruptly and mutter, ‘Wait, I can do that better.’ You either got it or you didn't.
Garth was a beautiful mind.Through his bouts of narcolepsy, we had lovely, soft-spoken conversations about music, musicians, Ontario, winter, our favourite pastimes and things. Mine was shovelling snow. His favourite possession was his axe. REST IN PEACE, wonderful human."
Toronto music industry veteran Brian Hetherman (Curve Music) worked closely with Hudson on the Garth Hudson Presents a Canadian Celebration of The Band project, and he paid tribute to Hudson on Facebook. He termed Hudson "a legend, a musicians' musician an eccentric, but most importantly a beautifully kind man whose kindness and sweetness very much betrayed the years he had spent in the music business and the many hazy characters he must have met in his journey through the music business.
"In 2008 I was lucky enough to connect with Garth and his wife Maud (courtesy of Dan Lanois) and we hatched a plan to make a tribute record to The Band, that Garth insisted would only be made up of Canadian Artists, reinterpreting his favourite songs by The Band.
"I'd be lying if I said to this day I am still not in awe of this opportunity and the amazing time I got to spend with Garth over the ensuing years to make this masterpiece that ballooned in size, star power and yes ‘budget.’ He was an exceptional person, defiantly eccentric and unwavering in his vision, and despite all of my awe, we still locked horns a few times, but Garth was always the victor...I mean really what could I say but ‘yes,’ he was Garth Hudson!!
“For all the challenges we faced on this project I still have only wonderful and cherished memories of Garth Hudson, listening to his stories of Dylan and The Band days, Woodstock NY, the Pink house, and all of these stories spoken matter of factly as I would talk about the weather. Garth Hudson was a Man among Men, a musical genius, an inspiration to every musician I've ever met, a hero to keyboard players everywhere and one of the kindest and gentle humans I have ever met. Fly free Mr Hudson, you have more than earned your Peace and Wings."
International
Barry Goldberg an American blues and rock keyboardist, songwriter, and record producer known for his work with The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and The Electric Flag, died on Jan. 22, due to complications from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. He was aged 83.
Goldberg co-produced albums by Percy Sledge, Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, and the Textones plus Bob Dylan's version of Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready."
As a teenager in Chicago, Goldberg sat in with Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, and Howlin' Wolf. He played keyboards with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band backing Bob Dylan during his 1965 newly 'electrified' appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, co-founded the short-lived Goldberg-Miller Blues Band with Steve Miller, formed The Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield in 1967, then started his own project, Barry Goldberg Reunion, in 1968.
Goldberg's songs (some co-written with Gerry Goffin) have been recorded by many musicians, including Rod Stewart, Gladys Knight, Joe Cocker, Steve Miller, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Gram Parsons and B. J. Thomas. In 1999, Goldberg both wrote and performed the theme to the Disney Channel original movie Smart House.
InBillboard, Roy Trakin wrote that "Goldberg was a member of The Electric Flag with fellow Chicago blues aficionado Mike Bloomfield when he was introduced to Gerry Goffin."
Goldberg told Trakin that "I had never written with a professional lyricist before. I was always considered more of a musician." He recounts the creation of 'I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,' a song that became a No. 1 national R&B hit for Gladys Knight in 1973.
As a session player, Goldberg contributed to such notable albums as Leonard Cohen's Death of a Ladies' Man, the Ramones' End of the Century, The Flying Burrito Brothers' The Gilded Palace of Sin, and Super Session, which featured Michael Bloomfield, Stephen Stills, and Al Kooper.
As a producer, Goldberg worked on two albums by Percy Sledge, including 1994's Blue Night. Co-produced with Saul Davis, it, was nominated for a Grammy and the WC Handy soul album of the year.
In 1974, he released a self-titled solo album, produced by Bob Dylan and Jerry Wexler. A Variety obituary notes that "his association with Dylan led to an unusual point of trivia: His self-titled album was the only album Dylan ever produced for another artist. The arrangement ultimately went both ways, as 16 years later, Goldberg produced a recording Dylan made of the classic song 'People Get Ready'” which was released on the soundtrack for the 1990 film Flashback.”
In 1992, Goldberg played keyboards with the Carla Olson & Mick Taylor band, which resulted in the live CD Too Hot for Snakes. In 2005–2006, he toured with the Chicago Blues Reunion featuring Nick Gravenites, Harvey Mandel, Tracy Nelson and Corky Siegel. Their debut CD reached No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Chart.
In 2012, Stephen Stills recruited Goldberg in founding a new band dubbed the Rides. A subsequent album was nominated for a 2014 Blues Music Award for Best Rock Blues Album. In 2016, the Rides released their second album, Pierced Arrow.
Goldberg also worked extensively on Born In Chicago, a documentary on Chicago blues that premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in 2013. He also produced and composed additional musical score to the documentary feature film BANG! The Bert Berns Story, which premiered at SXSW in 2016.
Another solo record, the instrumental In the Groove, was released in 2018. It featured Goldberg on Hammond B3 organ, piano and Wurlitzer piano, it had Les McCann as a guest and was produced by Carla Olson.
John Sykes, a British rock guitarist best known for his work with Whitesnake and Thin Lizzy, died on Jan. 2 , of cancer, at age 65.
An official statement noted that "He will be remembered by many as a man with exceptional musical talent but for those who didn’t know him personally, he was a thoughtful, kind and charismatic man whose presence lit up the room. He certainly marched to the beat of his own drum and always pulled for the underdog.
“In his final days, he spoke of his sincere love and gratitude for his fans who stuck by him through all these years. While the impact of his loss is profound and the mood sombre, we hope the light of his memory will extinguish the shadow of his absence.”
Sykes' first band was Streetfighter, and he then joined English metal band Tygers of Pan Tang. After two years, he quit in 1982 to join the Irish band Thin Lizzy. A Guardian obituary notes that "Sykes nudged them towards the metal sound for which they would become widely known and played guitar on final album Thunder and Lightning, released in 1983."
Sykes was then enlisted by singer David Coverdale to join the Whitesnake, and Sykes debuted on their 1984 album Slide It In, which brought them US success.
While he played on their 1987 self-titled album – again pushing them towards a more crowd-pleasing sound – he became distant from Coverdale who subsequently fired Sykes and the rest of the band.
Sykes then formed the band Blue Murder with lauded session musicians Tony Franklin and Carmine Appice. Their 1989 self-titled debut was not successful, nor 1993’s Nothin’ But Trouble, made after Franklin and Appice’s departures. Sykes subsequently pursued a solo career and released four studio albums.
DJ Unk (born Anthony Leonard Platt), the Atlanta rapper and deejay with the 2006 snap smash hit "Walk It Out," has died at age 43, his family shared on social media on Jan. 24. The cause of death has not been publicly revealed
Korey “Big Oomp” Roberson, who signed DJ Unk to his first label deal 25 years ago, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that “DJ Unk was not just a legendary DJ, rapper, and producer, but a true cornerstone of our label, and the imprint that he left globally will be cherished forever“Hit songs such as ‘Walk It Out’ and ‘2 Step’ have left an indelible mark on the industry, and his legacy will continue to inspire artists, DJs, and fans alike for years to come. His energy, creativity, and commitment to the craft will never be forgotten.”
A Billboard obituary states that "DJ Unk joined the DJ crew, the Southern Style DJs, before signing to Big Oomp Records in 2006. His debut single, 'Walk It Out' came out in August 2006, months ahead of his debut album Beat’n Down Yo Block! that reached No. 21 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. 'Walk It Out' hit No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
“I’m glad that it’s good energy and good vibes in the song ’cause they use it as far as work out dances, they use it in church, they use it for anything,” DJ Unk told Billboard while on the red carpet of the 2023 BET Awards. He also praised André 3000’s verse on the “Walk It Out” remix, featuring OutKast and Jim Jones. “I still can’t believe that to this day,” he said. “I never dreamed that he would get on a record like that because he’s so powerful as far as hip-hop and music and everything, so it’s a blessing."
“2Step,” the second single from Beat’n Down Yo Block!, reached No. 24 on the Hot 100 and hit the top 10 of Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. These songs solidified DJ Unk as a leader of the snap subgenre of Southern hip-hop. He released his sophomore album 2econd Season in 2008, which peaked at No. 15 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
GloRilla’s “Hollon” single from her 2024 debut album Glorious samples DJ Unk’s “Hold On Ho” from Beat’n Down Yo Block!.
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