when Hudson was first approached by Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm to join their band, then called the Hawks. Though he initially declined, by December of that year Hudson was lured into the group ...

The opportunity came in 1961, when Ronnie Hawkins and Levon Helm approached him about joining Hawkins’ backing band, the Hawks. After initially refusing, Hudson joined the band on the condition ...

Once Hudson joined, Helm wrote in his memoir, This Wheel’s on Fire, “We really thought we were the best band in the world.” The Hawks soon parted ways with Hawkins, who was a strict ...