PORT TOWNSEND — Garth Hudson, the iconic organist for The Band — the seminal band that propelled first Bob Dylan and then itself into international fame in the 1960s and ‘70s — will headline a benefit concert in Port Townsend next Wednesday.
The show will begin at 8 p.m. at The Upstage Restaurant and Bistro at 923 Washington St.
Ticket are $25 and are available by phoning 360-385-2216.
The show by Hudson, 74, will benefit Savor the Music, a Seattle-based nonprofit that subsidizes music programs in schools that have been cut back because of declining budgets.
“He’s in his 70s, but he’s still developing and playing new stuff,” said guitarist Eric Fredrich, director of Savor the Music, who will play with Hudson onstage.
“He is a real inspiration.”
Hudson, the multi-instrumentalist and co-founder of the legendary rock group The Band, was a principal architect of group’s unique sound.
The Band had a 16-year run from 1960 to 1976, eight of those years playing bars around the country and filling huge halls around the world while creating some of the era’s most memorable music.
Aside from its own identity, the group was famous for its support of Dylan, both live and in the studio.
Hudson was the only member of The Band who did not sing. Instead, he provided the organ, saxophone and other instruments that colored the group’s sound.
Known for his mastery of the Lowrey organ, he also performs on the piano, electronic keyboards, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone and accordion.
His compositions can be heard in such films as “Raging Bull” and “The Right Stuff.”
In addition to Dylan, he has recorded or performed with Leonard Cohen, Marianne Faithful and Eric Clapton, among many others.
Hudson released a solo album, “The Sea to the North,” in 2001.
Hudson, who lives in Woodstock, N.Y., is in a duo with his wife, Maud, and has a 12-piece band, The Best!
He has been inducted into the Juno Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has won a Grammy lifetime achievement award, in addition to other awards.
The news that Hudson will perform has energized local musicians who want a chance to see a legend up close, said Upstage owner Mark Cole.
Cole hopes the performance demonstrates the value of the club to the community and will prompt residents to support the club through hard times.
Hudson’s appearance is a benefit, so the club won’t see any profits from ticket sales, but anytime the 125-seat venue sells out, patrons buy enough food and drinks to keep it open for a while longer, Cole said.
Cole has run the club for 13 years, presenting blues and rock along with some more “international” fare.
Over the past month, Cole has brought in performers from Eastern Europe, Africa and even Russia, with a rowdy Aug. 17 show by the Red Elvises.
He said the club isn’t in danger of closing, but he gets discouraged a few times a year whenever several shows in a particular month fail to draw a crowd.
For this reason, he has held one fundraiser for the club and has planned two more, one tentatively scheduled for Sept. 4 and another Sept. 7.
Details for these shows are yet to be announced.
During these shows, the bands will donate their time, and the cover charge will be “voluntary,” suggested as $10.
Cole also is exploring other “imaginative” ideas for the club, such as subscriptions and plaques.
One person has already “purchased” a bar stool for $500 but did so anonymously.
Cole has been inspired by the response to his fundraising efforts so far, though it doesn’t feel quite right to him.
“When you are in business, you can make money or lose money,” he said.
“It’s odd to be asking for money.”
In addition to his Wednesday performance in Port Townsend, Hudson will appear at the Port Gamble Rock ’n’ Blues Festival on Sunday.
Tickets for the Port Gamble event are available at http://tinyurl.com/3tpkf43.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
