Happy Birthday…
When they were piecing together The Band, they had to convince Garth Hudson’s parents to let him join a rock and roll band. He gave the other members lessons to give an air of respectability to the enterprise and gain his parents OK.
When you think of The Band, it’s hard not to think of wild looking Garth Hudson, a whisp of hair falling over his face, long mountain-man beard. The organ in Chest Fever, the Jews harp in Cripple Creek, as much a part of the band’s sound as Levon Helm’s scratchy vocals or Robbie Robertsons understated guitar playing.
Garth Hudson, from nearby Stratford Ontario, a significant force in what is arguably one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and possibly the greatest Canadian band, turns an unbelievable 70 today.
Happy Birthday Garth Hudson.
The Band = Good, almost great. But not The Greatest. Smarten up.
Yes, Edward Bear and Harlequin are probably better. But luminaries such as Eric Clapton and George Harrison have cited The Band through the years as a great band. They have had an effect in the music world that no other Canadian band can lay claim to, so an argument can be made…
Which Canadian band was/is better? Rush? Max Webster? BTO? Not on this blog they ain’t.