Brett Hudson
The youngest Hudson Brother who rode a wave of 70s TV pop stardom before shaping shows from behind the camera as a writer and producer.
Born 1953 (age 73)·American musician and singer-songwriter·Birthday: January 18·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brett Hudson entered the spotlight as the fresh-faced kid brother in the Hudson Brothers, a pop-rock act that became a fixture of 1970s television variety shows. While the band, formed by his older siblings Mark and Bill, scored hits and hosted their own CBS series, Brett's charm was a key part of their appeal. When the group's momentum slowed, he didn't leave the industry but pivoted into its creative engine room. He built a durable second act as a television writer and producer, applying the lessons learned in front of the camera to crafting entertainment from behind the scenes. His career arc reflects the journey of a performer who evolved into a storyteller, maintaining a lifelong connection to the medium that made him famous.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Brett was born in 1953, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brett Was Born
The biggest hits of 1953
#1 Movie
Peter Pan
Best Picture
From Here to Eternity
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Brett's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1953Born
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1958Started school
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1966Became a teenager
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1969Could drive
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1971Could vote
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Turned 21
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1983Turned 30
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 40
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 50
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 60
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 70
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 73 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Performed as the youngest member of the Hudson Brothers, who had their own national television variety show on CBS in the 1970s.
- Co-wrote and produced television content, contributing to shows like 'The Adventures of Superboy' in the late 1980s.
- Authored a memoir detailing his experiences in the Hudson Brothers and his relationship with his famous family.
Did You Know?
He is the uncle of actors Kate Hudson, Oliver Hudson, and Wyatt Russell.
The Hudson Brothers' show was a direct competitor to 'Saturday Night Live' in its initial time slot.
He was briefly married to actress and model Susan Sullivan in the 1970s.
“I was the kid brother, the one who made the girls scream.”
