Eric Garth Hudson was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada on 2 August 1937 of Canadian ancestry. He is probably best known as the organist and lead keyboardist of “The Band”, which toured extensively with Bob Dylan in the 1960s before they debuted with albums of their own.
A respected musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist, how rich is Garth Hudson? Sources estimate that Garth’s net worth is over $1 million, accumulated during his career in the music industry which began in the 1960s. His assets include a house in Orange Park, Florida, and several musical instruments.
Garth Hudson Net Worth $1 million
Garth Hudson was born to parents Fred Hudson and Olive Pentland, both musicians. He grew up in Ontario, Canada and was classically trained in piano and music theory, but from 11 years old however, he began experimenting with Rock ‘n’ Roll. He attended Broughdale Public School and Medway High School before undergoing formal music training at the University of Western Ontario for a year.
However, he got tired of the stiffness of classical music, and decided to go the Rock ‘n’ Roll route. At 24 years of age, Garth joined the Hawks, the backing band for Ronnie Hawkins; to hide this from his parents, Garth joined on the condition that he be given the title “Music Consultant” and that they pay him a weekly salary for music lessons. He also got a Lowrey organ as part of the deal. This was where his trademark sound started developing, as well as his net worth.
The Hawks became quite well known; they recorded two singles and played in venues such as bars and clubs. but the band split from Hawkins in 1963. Garth and the band’s biggest break was when they were introduced to Bob Dylan in the August of 1965. They recorded in 1966 what would later turn into Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde” album, then Dylan recruited the band to go with him on his 1966 “electric” tour across 3 continents. Moving on from Dylan, The Band recorded its debut album in 1968, “Music from Big Pink.” Garth’s improvisational skill and innovative approach turned heads and gave The Band their distinctive sound, which was later copied by many funk musicians. Many albums followed, up until The Band’s reformation in the 90s. Garth was inducted into the Juno Hall of Fame and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. He launched a career as a solo artist in 2001, and has numerous projects on the side. As of early 2017, Garth is still playing well and is focused on “The Last Waltz 40 Tour” which will include several states across the US.
In his personal life, Garth is married to ‘Sister’ Maud Hudson, who is also a musician and vocalist. They met at a Sundance Film Festival charity event. The Hudsons are active in various charities and causes, such as the Global Aid Initiatives, Savor the Sound fundraiser, and other causes which give back to the music community.
