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lthough Mr. Hubbard never counted himself as a professional musician in the strictest sense, his musical accomplishments are by no means insignificant. A radio balladeer in the 1930s, he once held a slot that Arthur Godfrey would later fill, and continued to compose and perform through the remainder of his life.
In the 1970s, he organized, trained and orchestrated several performing groups and from this work comes a number of key observations, including his analysis of country western, flamenco, traditional Oriental and even rock music (which he correctly remarked was growing increasingly primitive). Notable among his own compositions through the period are his innovative blends of modern jazz, reggae and calypso, as well as his modern utilization of traditional Spanish and Oriental forms. Also highly innovative is his delineation of what he termed “the Laws of Proportionate Sound,” wherein similar instruments of slightly different timbre were employed to overcome the long troublesome problem of instrumental cancellation, i.e., the sound of one instrument “wiping out” another regardless of volume. Although professionals have devised various remedies, Mr. Hubbard was factually the first to both dissect the problem and define its solution.
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