Jerry Of All Trades

Most people associate Jerry Garcia with the Grateful Dead. And rightfully so, they were the longest touring band in Modern American History. And because they have been dubbed a psychedelic rock band that's what many associate with Jerry's guitar style and sound.

However a closer look reveals that Jerry was a curious student who made periodic stops along the way to increase his playing vocabulary. Jam sessions @ the Matrix that  Bluegrass with OAITW and TGAMB, Funky Blues with Merl and Legion of Mary, a return to his gospel and soul roots with his own band and a dip into fusion with Reconstruction. Today we will listen to some of Jerry's peers and musicians  who collaborated with the Fat man outside of the Dead who all contributed to his style and sound.

At the core Jerry Garcia was a bluegrass picker. He was a legend of the California circuit back when Los Angeles was a hotbed of bluegrass activity in the mid sixties. It was an infatuation with the Father of Bluegrass Bill Monroe and the Ash Grove Fiddler Scottie Stoneman that led to this new breed of players who burned. As the great violinist Richard Greene told me "we bowed at the feet of Monroe, he was our Jesus Christ." By March of '74 the Great American Music Band was gigging and having fun. Here is a clip of My interview with David Dawg Grisman about the first time he met Garcia. We'll pick it up with Sweet Georgia Brown....