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Hudson was just as crucial to the very different sounds made in the Basement the year afterwards: especially since in large part it was Garth who tape-recorded those unique, informal sessions, and had the sense to look after, afterwards, all the dozens of unknown-about extra ones beyond those of immediate interest to Dylan’s music publisher, and which only began to circulate decades later.
~Michael Gray (The Bob Dylan Encyclopedia)

It’s Garth Hudson’s 77th birthday today.

Here is a nice interview with Hudson from youtube (prismfilms) where he’s talking about the conception of “The Basement Tapes” (all the wonderful music Bob Dylan & The Band made in June-October 1967 in the basement of Big Pink)

From Wikipedia:

At some point between March and June 1967, Dylan and the four Hawks began a series of informal recording sessions, initially at the so-called Red Room of Dylan’s house, Hi Lo Ha, in the Byrdcliffe area of Woodstock. In June, the recording sessions moved to the basement of Big Pink. Hudson set up a recording unit, using two stereo mixers and a tape recorder borrowed from Grossman, as well as a set of microphones on loan from folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Dylan would later tell Jann Wenner, “That’s really the way to do a recording—in a peaceful, relaxed setting—in somebody’s basement. With the windows open … and a dog lying on the floor.”

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Also check out:

• Jacques Levy talking about his collaboration with Bob Dylan, 47min Interview from May 2004 (videos)

-Egil