RJ Hudson

Who is RJ Hudson?

Ralph "RJ" Hudson is originally from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. Raised on the great music of the 50's, 60's, and 70s (think Elvis, The Beatles, Waylon Jennings, ABBA, etc.), RJ developed a love for the "bad-asses" of rock and country. His mother bought him his first guitar when he was 13 and he promptly joined local band, Crucafix, learning basic chords in basements and garages.

Switching to a much larger high school in the early 80s opened up new genres and styles for RJ, with hard rock and 80's hair metal dominating the local band scene. Joining local cover band The Resistance as front man at 16, RJ put the guitar down to focus on becoming part of a working rock group, playing local parties. Led Zeppelin, Sabbath, The Cars, Hendrix, the Stones, STYX, Steve Miller and many others were the driving influences at the time. What an amazing era in hard rock!

At 18 RJ studied jazz guitar at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario. Canada's largest city has a vibrant rock-scape, and the 80s was WILD! Experiencing LIVE incredible global talents like Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, and countless other major artists stoked RJ's desire to create. Alas, money was extremely scarce until he found himself working at a Toronto production studio where TV shows such as Fraggle Rock, King of Kensington, and Hangin' In were filmed. Music superstars like Gordon Lightfoot, and rock group Toronto recorded chart-topping hits at Yorkville Studios.

Then Western Canada beckoned! The Canadian Rockies in the early 90's was a busy time, performing with The Crows at venues like Banff's Silver City Saloon, RJ continued to hone his onstage presence as front man and rhythm guitarist. During the late 90's and early 2000's, RJ expanded his artistic experience on theatre stages in musicals such as the 1999 Central Alberta Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar, and as Sgt. Trotter in the longest running stage play in the English language, Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap, produced by CAT.

Returning to Atlantic Canada, RJ found himself as Stage Designer at the Carrefour Theatre for the original Acorn production of Garrett. RJ also performed in the ACT production of Wit at the famed MacKenzie Theater in Charlottetown. Finally performing in the ACT production of The Littlest Angel at one of Canada's best known theatres, the Confederation Centre for the Arts in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. During this time, RJ began to focus on family and joined the Royal Canadian Navy, which opened up entirely new worlds of culture, music and performance! From South America, Africa, and the Middle East, to Europe, the Americas, and the Far North, RJ continues to perform with many talented musicians in collective groups; such as The Quarantigers and Dewolf Pack. The theatre is still alive for RJ, and even film arts! Please enjoy the filmed-in-Nova-Scotia-Canada movie Dawn, Her Dad, and the Tractor with Rob Wells and Maya Henry. RJ was proud to have served in the production's Art Department. Even in his mid-50's RJ continues to share his love of performing live and online, and has enjoyed writing and recording with Tizzy Lane, an original Canadian hard-rock group. Join RJ Hudson LIVE performing at Wicked Awesome Studio!