Old And In The Way/Muleskinner/Great American String Band personnel 1973-74

The cover of the Old And In The Way album, recorded in October 1973, but not released until February 1975

There has been so much interesting information uncovered about the matrix of bluegrass bands featuring David Grisman, Jerry Garcia and others in the 1973-74 period that I have found it hard to keep track of. This post is intended as a research aide, primarily for me. There is almost no new information here, but I have tried to sort it in a useful way. This post lists the different lineups of Old And In The Way, "Muleskinner" and the Great American String Band, with first and last performance dates for each. I am only sketching out the barest of prosopographical information for each lineup, or else the post would be unreadable. Readers who are interested in a specific twist or turn in the story can follow the links to the appropriate source. The naming conventions and the numbering system is arbitrary, and only intended to facilitate dialogue about the post. Anyone with corrections, additions, insights or interesting speculation is encouraged to post them in the Comments.

OLD AND IN THE WAY prototype
First show- March 2, 1973 The Record Plant, Sausalito, CA  

Peter Rowan-guitar, vocals
David Grisman-mandolin, vocals
Jerry Garcia-banjo, vocals
John Kahn-bass

Peter Rowan and David Grisman started to play bluegrass with Jerry Garcia at each other's houses in late 1972. Garcia recruited John Kahn to play bass, and these four were the core of Old And In The Way throughout its brief existence. It's not impossible that the band played the occasional club show as a quartet, when a fiddler was not available (Update: A Commenter reports that the first several shows of Old And In The Way were as a quartet)

OLD AND IN THE WAY #1
First show-late March 1973
Last show-May 25, 1973 Bimbo's 365 Club, San Francisco

Peter Rowan-guitar, vocals
David Grisman-mandolin, vocals
Richard Greene-fiddle
Jerry Garcia-banjo, vocals
John Kahn-bass

Richard Greene initially joined Old And In The Way as the fiddler. He had other obligations, however, and may not have even been based in Northern California at the time. John Hartford (see OAITW #2) below took over at some point, but its ambiguous as to exactly when. The last confirmed show with Greene was April 21, 1973. I don't actually know who played fiddle on May 25, but I feel confident that Hartford didn't, and it's possible that no one did, 

The cover of the 'Mulekinner' album, released in 1974

"MULESKINNER" 
First show-February 13, 1973 KCET-TV studios, Los Angeles
Last show-March 27, 1973 The Ash Grove, Los Angeles

Clarence White-lead guitar, vocals
Peter Rowan-guitar, vocals
Richard Greene-fiddle
David Grisman-mandolin, vocals
Bill Keith-banjo, vocals
Stuart Schulman-bass

This group was never known as 'Muleskinner' during its brief lifetime, but everyone calls it that retroactively so I have maintained the convention. Briefly, Bill Monroe was supposed to do a live Los Angeles public television special on February 13, 1973, and a one-off band of long-haired bluegrass musicians was put together to provide some sort of "old-and-new" contrast for the TV show. Monroe's bus broke down, and the band ended up doing the entire hour. The results were so good, the members--all old friends--decided to perform for a week at The Ash Grove the next month. There is some ambiguity as to whether Keith played any or all of the Ash Grove shows (the original TV broadcast was ultimately released as a cd).

With Jerry Garcia on tour with the Grateful Dead, Rowan and Grisman led the band for the March 23-27 engagement at the Ash Grove, apparently billed as The Bluegrass Dropouts. Again pleased with the results, they invited John Kahn down South and recorded an album from March 27-April 14. The sound was a sort of electrified bluegrass hybrid, not at all a purist record. I have always thought that Rowan and Grisman were looking to create a band that could function when Old And In The Way could not tour due to Garcia's obligations. Sadly, Clarence White was run over by a drunk driver in Palmdale, CA on July 15, 1973. The Muleskinner-A Potpourri Of Bluegrass Jam album was released a year later, but any enthusiasm for the project seems to ended with Clarence White's death.

OLD AND IN THE WAY #2
Probably late April 1973

Peter Rowan-guitar, vocals
David Grisman-mandolin, vocals
John Hartford-fiddle
Jerry Garcia-banjo, vocals
John Kahn-bass

John Hartford was definitely a member of Old And In The Way, according to both David Grisman and Richard Loren (Jerry Garcia's manager), but as to exactly when remains a mystery. I have argued that Hartford played some shows in April, but I have not been able to confirm anything. 

The cover of Old And In The Way's cd That High Lonesome Sound, recorded in October 1973 and finally released in 1996

OLD AND IN THE WAY #3
First show-June 5, 1973 Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA
Last show-November 4, 1973 Sonoma State College Gym, Cotati, CA
Encore performance-April 28, 1974, Marin County Fairgrounds

Peter Rowan-guitar, vocals
David Grisman-mandolin, vocals
Vassar Clements-fiddle
Jerry Garcia-banjo, vocals
John Kahn-bass

With an Eastern tour looming and no fiddler, Grisman and Rowan drafted the great Vassar Clements. This lineup played the balance of the Old And In The Way shows, including the October shows at The Boarding House that were recorded by Owsley, and ultimately released. The band was supposed to end in October, but a rain-out in Sonoma had to be made up in November. Since all the members of the band were present at the Golden Stage Bluegrass Festival at the Marin County Fairgrounds in April of 1974, Old And In The Way had a final reunion show.

The Old And In The Way album, recorded in October 1973 at The Boarding House, was not released until February 1975, long after the band had departed. However, the world was finally ready for progressive hippie bluegrass, and the album was profoundly influential. By all accounts, for many years it was the best-selling bluegrass album of all time (no doubt long since eclipsed by Alison Krauss and Ricky Skaggs). The legend was cemented by two more cds from The Boarding House, released on David Grisman's Acoustic Disc label: High Lonesome Sound (1996) and Breakdown (1997). By that time, Grisman and Vassar Clements were legendary too, and Old And In The Way's place in the acoustic music firmament was permanently enshrined.

GREAT AMERICAN STRING BAND #1
First show-March 9, 1974 Great American Music Hall
Last show-June 14, 1974 Keystone Berkeley

David Nichtern-guitar, vocals
David Grisman-mandolin, vocals
Richard Greene-violin
Jerry Garcia-banjo, vocals (did not play March 9--first JG show March 10)
Buell Neudlinger-bass
>Taj Mahal-bass (some shows)
plus Vassar Clements-fiddle (double fiddles on one show only, March 10, 1974 at GAMH)
plus various guests for a song or two at many shows

It appears that like many bluegrass bands, Old And In The Way was only organized around a project, namely some touring and an album. When the band ended in late 1973, it was not as if the band "broke up"--it's time was simply done. However, having revolutionized bluegrass music, Garcia and Grisman seem to have decided to upend all American acoustic music next. Why think small?

Organized by Grisman, the Great American String Band was intended to be an ensemble that played all types of American music on acoustic instruments: bluegrass, old-time, jazz, blues, New Orleans and anything else. From the beginning, it was more high concept than collective. It seems to have been assumed from the beginning that the membership might vary slightly from booking to booking. Their very first show at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco (March 9) did not feature Garcia, but determined research by JGMF has shown for certain that Garcia was present at the second (March 10).

By a coincidence, Vassar Clements was the opening act for the March shows, backed by local musicians (a group called Skunk Cabbage) and Vassar was added to the GASB for the second night as well. As a further link, according to an eyewitness in a blog Comment, Peter Rowan (and Jack Bonus [Stephen Schuster]) made guest appearances at the May 5, 1974 GASB show at Keystone Berkeley, performing "Midnight Moonlight" and "Hobo Song" and thus closing the loop somewhat on Garcia and Grisman's acoustic endeavors in the 70s.

Although Garcia dropped out of the GASB after June of 1974, the band continued on without him, more or less as it was intended to. At times the group used the name Great American Music Band, also appropriately. Ultimately, the concept and musicians evolved into the David Grisman Quintet, which is still expanding boundaries today. Vassar Clements rejoined the Quintet at one point (I saw them--they were great), and later Garcia and Grisman re-activated their partnership in 1990 and made great music along with a couple of members of Grisman's quintet.

After Garcia's death, Old And In The Way had a final reunion at The Warfield on March 24, 1996. The lineup was

Peter Rowan-guitar, vocals
David Grisman-mandolin, vocals
Vassar Clements-fiddle
Herb Pedersen-banjo, vocals
John Kahn-bass

Herb Pedersen was an old Berkeley friend of both Garcia and Grisman. Pedersen had been friends with Garcia since the early 60s, and he had been in a band with David Nelson (The Pine Valley Boys) in 1964. Pedersen had then joined the Smoky Grass Boys (wink wink) with David Grisman and Rick Shubb from 1965-67. They were joined at the Warfield show by Maria Muldaur and John Sebastian (both old pals of Grisman's). Kahn died later that year, and Old And In The Way retired with him. Rowan, Grisman and Vassar continued to tour in subsequent years as Old And In The Gray, playing fine music in the bluegrass tradition they themselves had helped pioneer.