Her name and face might not be instantly recognizable to many, but no doubt Ola Hudson was a stunning afrobella of note in her day. Check out her style in that vintage Dewars ad. That hair, those earrings. Ola Hudson was a certified show stopper.
She was a popular costume designer who clothed John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Diana Ross, and David Bowie, specifically for The Man Who Fell To Earth. Ola had two sons — Saul and Albion Hudson. Albion’s nickname is Ash, and Saul… well, his nickname is Slash.
From this awesome Rolling Stone interview:
“Slash, whose real name is Saul Hudson, has been a resident of Los Angeles since his parents moved to America from England in the early Seventies. Slash’s mom, a professional costume designer named Ola Hudson, tailored outfits for such acts as John Lennon, Diana Ross and the Pointer Sisters, while his artist father, Anthony Hudson, created album covers for clients that included Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. Raised in the neo-hippie environs of Laurel Canyon — which he still calls home — young Saul’s own creative instincts were nurtured early on. He was an enthusiastic artist and even contributed a series of animal illustrations to The Bestiary, an unpublished book of verse written by Joni Mitchell, who was a neighbor.
“He was drawing from the time he could pick up a pencil,” says Ola Hudson, who adds that he was weaned on her Led Zeppelin albums and raised in a very loving household. “I’ve been shocked at a lot of things I’ve read where it sounds like I left him on somebody’s doorstep in a basket. They make it seem as if he never had a family and grew up on the streets like an urchin, but that’s not true. It’s just part of his image. He’s not all leather and tattoos.”
So there you have it — Slash’s mom was all kinds of awesome, and her style directly influenced rock n roll as we know it. Ola Hudson passed away, succumbing to lung cancer on Friday at age 62. On his Twitter page, Slash confessed that he’s back in the studio, but having trouble concentrating. Thoughts and commiserations to the whole Hudson family. RIP, Ola Hudson.
Click here for one of my favorite G&R videos, Don’t Cry. It seemed fitting to end this post with one of Slash’s most poignant solos, even if YouTube won’t let me embed the video.
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June 9th, 2009 at 1:40 am
Afrobella, you never cease to amaze. Thanks for sharing Ola’s wonderful history.
That photo is beautiful & look at that neck. She has Queen written all over her.
Tafari
June 9th, 2009 at 2:00 am
What a fantastic tribute. Thank you for acknowledging that she was more than Slash’s mom (and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing).
June 9th, 2009 at 6:45 am
Genius and fascinating post. I’m going to link to it this week.
June 9th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Thanks for letting us know about her Afrobella. Its really uplifting to learn about the accomplishments of other sisters.
Beautiful and talented.
June 9th, 2009 at 8:01 am
I love that ad.
Laurel Canyon back in the day must have been an incredible environment to grow up in.
She was talented and beautiful lady.
June 9th, 2009 at 9:22 am
Wow…I think I remember that ad. Actually I remember that neck. Yeah, I’m old…
Did you see Slash in the HBO documentary The Black List?
June 9th, 2009 at 9:40 am
Wow — I am loving that ad — I want to frame it and put it in my living room.
What a fierce lady.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:18 am
Fantastic post Bella! Very intriguing.
June 9th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
I still love the OLD GnR! Great ad! Great article!
June 9th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Wow this is great. So Iman wasn’t the only one with the swan neck, heh? She could’ve been a model. Love those earrings!! And yes there are times I wish I could transport myself in time back to the 70’s so I could go to Studio 54 (thought they played rock and not disco), rent a $100/mo NYC apartment and hang out with Joni Mitchell and the other Ladies of the Canyon…..sweet!
June 9th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Wow. i had no idea a sistah was designing for all those legends!
She was truly stunning. Thanks for the post!
June 9th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
Wow, I had no idea a sistah was Slash’s mom! She was truly fabulous.
June 9th, 2009 at 3:40 pm
Thanks for letting us know, Afrobella. My condolences to Slash’s family. I was an extreme fan of Slash’s back in the GnR days – I had his poster on my walls for years. I even subscribed to Guitar magazine for a year (even though I never touched a guitar) b/c I saw him on the cover.
I knew about his Mom, but I had never seen a picture of her before now. I see the talent and looks run deep. I didn’t know he was on Twitter – maybe I’ll start following (if he’ll let me).
June 10th, 2009 at 8:48 am
I didn’t know Slash’s mom was sick. Sorry to hear that she passed away. I was reading “Slash” by Slash earlier in the year and you could tell how much he loved and respected his mother and his bohemian upbringing. What a talented and beautiful woman. RIP
June 10th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Thanks for this post. I did not know this. She was gorgeous!
June 11th, 2009 at 9:05 am
afrobella as always a well constructed tribute to another beautiful black woman. Thank you for always taking the road less travelled and letting us know about women of all types. RIP Mrs Hudson, condolences to the Hudson fmaily.
June 11th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
wow, that is extremely
sad. I hope he finds a
good way to cope with his
loss.
RIP OLA HUDSON
she sounded like an amazing
woman
June 11th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
She’s lovely.
June 13th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
thank you for this: my condolences to Slash. Lost my Mom of the same thing at the same age: it is much too young…
and yes, Ms. Hudson was gorgeous!
June 14th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
deepest sympathy to Slash & Ms. Hudson’s family. thx for sharing such interesting facts re:her.
June 14th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Truly beautiful.
Thanks for sharing this story and enlightening us readers about another beautiful and talented bella
June 16th, 2009 at 4:17 am
She is so regal! Wow I never realized Slash was bi-racial, wish I would have known that back in high school (G&R hey day)
June 17th, 2009 at 12:32 am
Thank you for dropping that awesome bit of knowledge! Now this lady sounds like someone I wished I had had the chance to meet. What a great spirit!