Biography
Cary Hudson was born around 1963 in Sumrall, Mississippi, a small town in the Piney Woods region roughly fifteen miles from Hattiesburg. He grew up doing agricultural work on his grandfather's farm, and his earliest musical education came through church — absorbing gospel, blues, and country from his rural surroundings. He later attended Ole Miss (University of Mississippi) for graduate school but left before completing his degree to pursue music, co-founding the Oxford-based band The Hilltops with John Stirratt (who would go on to become Wilco's longtime bassist) and Stirratt's twin sister Laurie, who became Hudson's wife and musical partner.
In 1991, Hudson and Laurie Stirratt formed Blue Mountain in Oxford, Mississippi, and over the next decade built a reputation as one of the most important — if underselling — bands in the emerging alt-country movement. The band appeared on the cover of the second-ever issue of No Depression magazine, was signed to Roadrunner Records (an unlikely home best known for heavy metal), and released defining albums including Dog Days (1995) and Home Grown (1997). Their sound wove together Mississippi Delta blues, Southern folk, roots rock, and country, anchored by Hudson's distinctive slide guitar, harmonica, and plain-spoken songwriting. After he and Laurie divorced, the band dissolved in 2001; they reunited from 2007–2013, releasing Midnight in Mississippi (2008) and touring extensively. Hudson continued as a prolific solo artist through the 2000s and 2010s, and in 2024 recorded Ole Blue at the storied Malaco Studios in Jackson, MS — a record inspired by the vintage soul and R&B gear in the building.
Hudson is widely regarded by critics as a "songwriter's songwriter" and a musician's musician — a pioneering figure of the Americana and alt-country movements whose influence circulates through the community more than through public declarations. He was named Gibson's Top 10 Alt-Country Guitarists in 2008 and 2023 Music Artist of the Year by The Southland Music Line. A multi-instrumentalist comfortable on electric and acoustic guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, mandolin, banjo, piano, and fiddle, he continues to perform with his ensemble Hud and the Hurricane, featuring fiddler Katrina Miller and his daughter Anna Hudson.
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Fun Facts
- Blue Mountain was signed to Roadrunner Records — a label primarily known for heavy metal acts like Slipknot and Sepultura — making them a notable outlier in the roster.
- Hudson appeared on the cover of No Depression magazine's second-ever issue, cementing Blue Mountain's status as a founding act of the alt-country movement before the genre even had a name.
- Hudson makes crystal jewelry daily as a form of meditation and collects rocks and arrowheads while canoeing rivers in Arkansas and Georgia — a hobby that mirrors his deep connection to the Southern landscape that informs his songwriting.
- His 2024 album Ole Blue was recorded at Malaco Studios in Jackson, Mississippi — the same storied facility where classic soul and R&B recordings were made — and was inspired by the studio's vintage gear and musical heritage.
Associated Acts
- Blue Mountain
- The Hilltops
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- R.L. Burnside - Mississippi Delta blues legend; personal friend and formative influence on Hudson's guitar style and blues sensibility [1980s–1990s]
- Junior Kimbrough - Mississippi blues artist; personal acquaintance and key influence on Hudson's deep roots in Delta blues [1980s–1990s]
Key Collaborators
- Laurie Stirratt - Co-founder and musical partner in Blue Mountain; also Hudson's former wife and longtime creative partner (Blue Mountain (1993), Dog Days (1995), Home Grown (1997), Midnight in Mississippi (2008)) [1991–2013]
- John Stirratt - Co-founded The Hilltops with Hudson at Ole Miss; Laurie Stirratt's twin brother, later bassist of Wilco (The Hilltops) [Late 1980s]
- Bobby Rush - Mississippi blues legend; Hudson has performed as guitarist for Rush [2000s–present]
- Shannon MacNally - Roots/Americana singer-songwriter; touring and performance collaborator [2000s]
- Anna Hudson - Hudson's daughter and vocalist in his current ensemble Hud and the Hurricane [2010s–present]
Connection Network
External Links
References
Heard on WWOZ
Cary Hudson has been played 2 times on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.