New Riders of The Purple Sage Tour History May 1969>April 1970 (NRPS Itinerary I)

The December 2019 release by the Owsley Stanley Foundation of the 5cd box set Dawn Of The New Riders of The Purple Sage opened up new vistas in Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia history

The recent release by the Owsley Stanley Foundation of the 5cd box set Dawn Of The New Riders Of The Purple Sage was a revelation. Not only was a new window opened wide onto the music of the early New Riders, but the intricate evolution of the music of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir played with the Grateful Dead could be woven into the tapestry of both bands.

The Owsley box shed some light in the much larger role played by Weir in the formative New Riders. Since May 1970 would bring forth "An Evening With The Grateful Dead," where the band would do sets as the "Acoustic Dead," then the New Riders of The Purple Sage and finally the full electric Dead, the reaffirmation of country and folk music for Garcia and Weir in 1969 informs the music in the following year. I made the case, perhaps somewhat too affirmatively, that what would become the Acoustic Dead was originally conceived of as a country revue called Bobby Ace And The Cards Off The Bottom.

You can read my argument for yourself and decide to what extent the Cards Off The Bottom were an inside joke or a serious proposition. But now, thanks to Hawk of the Owsley Stanley Foundation, we have a lot of new information here, beyond what was just in the box set. Again, everybody gets to decide for themselves what it all means, but Hawk was kind enough to include all the available setlists from the Foundation tapes.

Combined with other information that I have gathered, here is a new and improved concert chronology for the New Riders of The Purple Sage from 1969 through Spring 1970. For the bigger picture of the New Riders genesis, and how Garcia and Dawson connected in the first place, see the prior post.

For songs that I haven't heard, I have made reasonable guesses as to what they were. I identified the most famous performer associated with the songs, rather than seeking out the publishing details, which are easily googlable in any case. I am trying to guess which versions Garcia, Weir and Dawson might have heard, rather than pursuing the vinyl details. Even a cursory glance shows the prevalence of George Jones and Buck Owens songs, even if most of them dropped away in subsequent years. Tracks released on Dawn Of The New Riders are in bold. Please note inaccuracies in the Comments.

Insights, corrections, additions, speculation eagerly welcomed in the Comment section. Thanks again to Hawk for the new information.

Gilded Palace Of Sin, the first album by The Flying Burrito Brothers, was released on A&M Records in 1969. Sneaky Pete Kleinow played pedal steel guitar

April 4-6, 1969 Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, CA: Grateful Dead/Flying Burrito Brothers/AUM/Sanpaku
Jerry Garcia hears Sneaky Pete Kleinow playing pedal steel guitar on Owsley's sound system. The next week he bought his second pedal steel guitar, a Zane Beck Double 10. He had owned and sold a Fender pedal steel around 1967, but it had been too hard to tune.

The site of Don Edwards' Guitar City in Lakewood, CO, a famous steel guitar emporium (I think the photo is actually from the later 1970s). Jerry Garcia bought his ZB10 pedal steel here on April 13 or 14, 1969.

April 13 or 14, 1969 Don Edwards Guitar City, Lakewood, CO
Jerry Garcia buys a pedal steel guitar from a well-known steel shop in Colorado.

May 7, 1969 The Underground, Menlo Park, CA: John Dawson
This was probably the first Wednesday night that Garcia sat in with Dawson. At the time, Dawson was alternating sets with a Flamenco guitarist named Daniel Crisman. If this was the first night, and Crisman was still on the bill, I wonder how it felt when Dawson got on stage with a genuine rock star?

The Menlo Hub restaurant, at 1029 El Camino Real in Menlo Park, as it appeared in 2012. It was probably the site of The Underground hofbrau, where Jerry Garcia first performed with John Dawson in May, 1969. Next door at 1035 El Camino (Su Hong) was the location of Guitars Unlimited, where Garcia and Bob Weir worked briefly in late 1965.

May 14, 1969 The Underground, Menlo Park, CA: John Dawson
Dawson and Garcia played, for certain, because the Owsley Foundation has a tape. Nelson had not yet joined. There are three reels of tape, so it's reasonable to assume the duo played at least three sets.

1. A-11 (Buck Owens-1964)
2. If You Hear Me When I'm Leaving
3. Whatcha Gonna Do
4. To Have the Hurting End
5. The Lady Came From Baltimore (written Tim Hardin, released Bobby Darin-1967, later recorded by Joan Baez-1967)
6. I've Got a Tiger By the Tail (Buck Owens-1965)
7. Together Again (Buck Owens-1964--per Peter Grant, Tom Brumley's pedal steel ride on this song inspired both Grant and Garcia to want to play the instrument)
8. Six Days On the Road
9. I Shall Be Released (Dylan/The Band-1969)
10. Crossover
11. Hello Trouble (Buck Owens-1964)
12. Garden of Eden
13. Whatcha Gonna Do
14. Sweet Lovin' One
15. Superman
16. Hey Melinda
17. Just Like a Fool
18. Jailbait (per Hawk, this appears to be a John Dawson original about being careful about underage women, sometimes called "Jailbait Gets You Busted." Unsettling as this sounds, there wais a California country tradition of songs like "San Quentin Quail" which never get covered anymore)
19. Don't Take Any Chances
20. Delilah
21. I Still Miss Someone (Johnny Cash-1958)
22. All I Ever Wanted
23. I Don't Know You
24. The Weight (The Band-1968)
25. I'll Be Your Baby Tonight (Bob Dylan, from John Wesley Harding-1968)
26. Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line (Waylon Jennings-1968)
27. Long Black Veil (Lefty Frizzel-1959)

The Country Gentlemen's 1960 debut album Country Songs Old & New. The Gentlemen were from Washington, DC, not the Appalachians, and their approach to bluegrass was hugely influential on the likes of Jerry Garcia

Marmaduke & Jerry, Rehearsal, "Home" May 17, 1969
The tape box (per Hawk) apparently says "Home." Whose home? Jerry's? Owsley's? I'm more inclined to think it was Owsley's, at 6024 Ascot Drive in the Oakland Hills, but of course it's hard to be sure. 

1. If you Hear Me When I'm Leaving (take 1)
2. If you Hear Me When I'm Leaving (take 2)  
3. Delilah (take 1)
4. Delilah (take 2)
5. The Lady Came From Baltimore
6. I Still Miss Someone
7. Sweet Lovin' One
8. Roving Gambler (Country Gentlemen-1960))
9. Whatcha Gonna Do
10. All I Ever Wanted
11. To Have the Hurting End
12. Handsome Molly (this folk song goes back to the 19th century, but it was a well-known bluegrass song played by the Country Gentleman and many others)
13. Unknown J. Dawson original 
14. Superman
15. Don't Take Any Chances
16. Hey Melinda
17. Crossover
18. Somebody Loves You 
19. The Next In Line (presumably Johnny Cash-1957)
20. Jailbait

In summer 1969, Owsley Stanley lived in a house in the Oakland Hills at 6024 Ascot Drive (shown here in a 21st century real estate listing)

Marmaduke, Jerry, & Mickey, "Home" May 18, 1969

1. Roving Gambler
2. Stagger Lee (I wonder which version?)
3. Fair Chance to Know
4. Garden of Eden
5. Whatcha Gonna Do
6. Sweet Lovin' One
7. The Next In Line
8. Hey Melinda
9. Crossover
10. The Lady Came From Baltimore
11. Truck Drivin' Man (Terry Fell-1954, a hit again for Buck Owens-1965)
12. If You Hear Me When I'm Leaving

An SF Chronicle listing from January 6, 1969, advertising Peter Albin and David Getz hosting a "Jam" at Monday night at the Matrix. David Nelson played this gig, along with a few others, in anticipation of a reformed Big Brother and The Holding Company. Peter Albin and Nelson had been best friends in Carlmont High in Belmont, and Peter's older brother Rodney has introduced Nelson to both bluegrass and Jerry Garcia.

May 21, 1969 The Underground, Menlo Park, CA: John Dawson
Likely another night that Garcia backed Dawson (the Dead were booked May 28), without Nelson.

(update: JGMF reminds us that Jerry Garcia and Friends were booked at The Matrix on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 20-21). I had forgot about this. But as my own comments on the post say, I'm pretty sure I have an eyewitness. (To recap: Jerry Garcia and Friends/Sanpaku played Matrix Tues/Wed May 20-21. Sanpaku's road manager told a story about playing in front of Owsley and Garcia and trying to impress them and melting down, thanks to--ahem--Mr. Owsley). I'm assuming that to have been Tuesday May 20. Garcia and Dawson could have had a Menlo Park Hofbrau gig on Wednesday (May 21) and Garcia still could have made the Wednesday Matrix show. Presumably, Garcia and Friends was some sort of Hartbeats jam thing, but that remains mysterious (and my eyewitness can't help, of course).

Also, there is another twist to the David Nelson story, namely that he was more or less a member of Big Brother and The Holding Company at this time. During at least some of May, he was (per himself, via Gans) recording in Los Angeles with Sam Andrews and others, probably Peter Albin, drummer Dave Getz and singer Kathi McDonald. So Nelson may not have even been in town when Dawson and Garcia played together the first few times.

Another scholar spoke with Peter Albin of Big Brother about that band's timeline. Around Christmas 1968, Albin asked Nelson to join a reformed Big Brother. At the time, Nelson was staying in Big Brother's rehearsal warehouse in San Francisco. Albin and Nelson were close friends from their days going to school together at Carlmont High in San Carlos, just south of San Francisco. Indeed, Peter's older brother Rodney had introduced Nelson to both bluegrass and Jerry Garcia.

Although the putative Big Brother played at least one gig at the Matrix (Jan 6 '69), plans for a reactivation were put on hold when Albin and Getz toured with Country Joe and The Fish throughout Europe in March and April of that year. The recording started in May (for the album which would become the underrated Be A Brother), but Big Brother didn't have much going on. Per Peter Albin, Nelson took the opportunity to join the New Riders instead, because they had more momentum. Still, we don't know when Nelson joined Garcia and Dawson, and I'm starting to think it wasn't until June.
May 1969 GD/Garcia Tour Itinerary

June 3 or 4 (?), 1969 Peninsula School, Menlo Park, CA: unbilled benefit
Although undetermined, the most likely date for the gig described in Blair Jackson's book is during this week. The lineup was apparently Dawson, Garcia, David Nelson and Phil Lesh (per Jackson). So Nelson must finally have been involved, and somehow Lesh had gotten in the picture as well.

Peninsula School was a "progressive" K-8 school for the Ban The Bomb crowd in the South Bay, located at 925 Peninsula Way in Menlo Park, near Willow Road. Bob Weir and Bob Matthews had attended, as had John Dawson. Future GDTS operator Steve Marcus had grown up nearby, and probably attended this show. Jerry Garcia had a long history of playing at the school. His daughter Heather was probably a student, and his ex-wife Sara may have been a music instructor at the time. It's likely that the proceeds from the show offset Heather's tuition (as the New Riders would play the next few years as well).

My general theory, unproven, is that Garcia played the Peninsula date on the afternoon that he had a date at the Underground.

June 4, 1969 The Underground, Menlo Park, CA: John Dawson
I have indirect confirmation of this date. It's plausible to think that the Peninsula School gig was in the afternoon, and the club in the evening. There was a Bay Area rock group called Southern Comfort who had a show at Palo Alto's only real rock club, The Poppycock. The band's drummer, Bob Jones (who played with John Kahn, Mike Bloomfield and many others) told me in an email that he recalled that he had heard that members of the Dead were playing nearby, so they left the club prior to going on stage. They were immediately busted by the Palo Alto police, who took their weed but did not arrest them, which--I assure you--is very Palo Alto. Jones didn't recall the exact date or where they were heading, exactly. but the pieces fit.

June 11, 1969 California Hall, San Francisco, CA: Bobby Ace and The Cards Off The Bottom Of The Deck
Recently I posted a lengthy theory that Garcia and the Grateful Dead were considering expanding the performing Dead into a sort of revue, like a touring C&W band. Your mileage may vary with regards to my proposal. The New Riders of The Purple Sage would have been one leg, and an ensemble called Bobby Ace And The Cards Off The Bottom might have been the other. The "Bobby Ace" name had not been applied to Weir prior to June 1969, even casually.

The Cards Off The Bottom name was only used a few times, and this June 11, 1969 benefit seems to have been a sort of experiment (ignore the Scientology Benefit side-story, which is tangential).Thanks to McNally (p.321), we know the band consisted of Garcia, Weir, TC, Phil, Hart, Peter Grant, Nelson and Dawson.

The only other time that Bobby Ace And The Cards Off The Bottom name was used again on a bill was when the band debuted the "acoustic Dead" in April 1970. The "Revue" idea seems to have been reduced somewhat, but the band toured while playing up to 4 sets of music with three different ensembles. McNally also found a setlist (not a tape), which consists of the typical covers performed by the "Acoustic Dead" in 1970. A tantalizing clue to any future plans, whatever you choose to make of it.

Set One

1. Let It Be Me (Everly Brothers-1960)
2. Silver Threads and Golden Needles (Wanda Jackson-1956, and numerous other recordings)
3. Mama Tried (Merle Haggard-1968)
4. Cathy's Clown (Everly Brothers 1960)
5. Me and My Uncle (John Phillips via Jim Stalarow-1964)
6. Slewfoot (Johnny Horton '61, Porter Wagoner '68)
7. Dire Wolf
8. Games People Play (Joe South-1968)
9. The Race Is On (George Jones-1965)
10. Green Green Grass Of Home (Porter Wagoner-1968)

Set Two

1. Tiger By The Tail
2. I've Just Seen A Face (Beatles, from Rubber Soul-1965)
3. All I Have To Do Is Dream (Everly Brothers-1958)
4. Wabash Cannonball (Trad, Roy Acuff-1936 and Carter Family-1932 made famous)
5. Railroading Across The Great Divide (Carter Family ca. 1932)

June 18, 1969 The Underground, Menlo Park, CA: John Dawson
Impossible so far to confirm, but presumably the trio played the Underground this Wednesday as well.

June 25, 1969 The Underground, Menlo Park, CA: John Dawson
Fascinatingly, McNally uncovered a setlist from Judy Dawson (no relation to John), a serious fan who kept such things. Until the Owsley foundation released the May 14 setlist (above), this was our only insight into what the trio played in Menlo Park:

1. Tiger By The Tail
2. Fair Chance To Know
3. Mama Tried 
4. The Next In Line
5. I'm In Love With You
6. Stagger Lee
7. Coat Of Many Colors (not sure of this one--the Dolly Parton song was released in April 1971)
8. Whatcha Gonna Do
9. Truck Drivin' Man
10. If You Hear Me When I'm Leaving
11. The Race Is On (George Jones-1964)
12. Six Days On The Road (Dave Dudley-1963)
13. Jailbait Gets You Busted
14. Close Up The Honky Tonks (Buck Owens-1964)
15. Last Lonely Eagle
16. For What It's Worth (Buffalo Springfield-1966)
17. I Still Miss Someone
18. Together Again 
19. Superman
20. Lay Lady Lay (Bob Dylan, from Nashville Skyline-1969)
21. If You Want To Run (not sure if this was a Dawson original or not)
22. Buckaroo (Buck Owens instrumental-1965, regularly played live by Clarence White and The Byrds)
23. Long Black Veil
24. Me & My Uncle
25. Delilah

June 1969 GD/Garcia Tour Itinerary

June 27-28, 1969 Veterans Memorial Hall, Santa Rosa, CA: Grateful Dead/Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady and Joey Covington/Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band
The Grateful Dead played Friday and Saturday nights in Santa Rosa, supported by a proto-version of electric Hot Tuna and the Berkeley group Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band. CGSB had originally been a sort of hip skiffle band--essentially New Orleans string band music--but had electrified somewhat and were now a sort of swinging country band with a drummer.

On the first night, Mickey Hart was late, and CGSB drummer Tom Ralston was invited to sit in for him. Obviously, Kreutzmann could have handled it, so I assume the band was just poking Mickey, hinting that he could be replaced by someone else. Ralston played the first six songs or so, before Hart showed up.

On the second night (Saturday, June 28), as a "thank you" or just for fun, Jerry Garcia sat in on pedal steel guitar. Hawk reports that Owsley taped Garcia joining CGSB on Buck Owens' "A11," a regular number for CGSB. He may have played on a few other numbers, but I'm not sure. The band certainly recalled the weekend clearly, in any case.

Also on Saturday, for "Me And My Uncle," Peter Grant played electrified banjo, and John Dawson sang along with Weir. This adds another data point for my theory, however speculative, that Garcia and the Dead were at least considering some kind of expanded country ensemble.

June 29, 1969 The Barn, Rio Nido, CA: Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady/Jerry Garcia and Friends
The Owsley Foundation release of Jorma Kaukonen/Jack Casady/Joey Covington Before We Were Them was recorded on June 28, At the end, the announcer mentions a "jam" at Rio Nido and says that "Jerry Garcia and a friend" will be playing. This is all but certainly Garcia and Dawson, most likely with David Nelson as well.
June 1969 GD/Garcia Tour Itinerary

The cover of Holly Harman's photomemoir, Inside A Hippie Commune, from 2013

Summer 1969 Pacific High Recorders, San Francisco, CA: Cloud Brothers session "Strange Way"
Perhaps the most obscure release featuring Jerry Garcia was a cd called Inside A Hippie Commune: Music Soundtrack. Author Holly Harman wrote a sort of coffee table book about her 60s Santa Cruz Mountains commune, called Inside A Hippie Commune. She also created a DVD documentary from some surviving footage. Her husband Eric Levin did the soundtrack music. It was released privately, but officially, on cd in 2015, as Inside A Hippie Commune: Music Soundtrack.

Here's the short version, and it's not even short:  Eric Levin was a Santa Cruz hippie guitarist in a band called Spirits (whom you'll see on ancient Bay Area posters). His wife (then girlfriend) Holly Harman was and is an extremely interesting source for Santa Cruz Bay Area hippiedom, as she was a teenager back then. She's one of my principal and best sources on The Barn, the core text for my research. Harman was full of other interesting details, too--she's the one who tipped me to the fact that the Curly Jim who taught Bob Weir "Me And My Uncle" wasn't Curly Cooke of the Steve Miller Band (and she even emailed Curly Cooke, whom she knew, to confirm it--a researcher's dream). There's lots more to say about Harman, but leave that aside for now.

Most of the tracks were recorded by Eric Levin around 2009, with his bar band, who played a local Sonoma brewpub. Their music is okay, and some tracks include the bass player for Blue Cheer (Dickie Petersen) in the band. However, there are a few tracks from 1969 by The Cloud Brothers, recorded at Pacific High Recorders. The Cloud Brothers were Levin and a guy named David Russek on guitars and vocals. On one track, "Strange Way" Curly Jim Stalarow plays rhythm guitar, and Jerry Garcia plays pedal steel. This was in mid-69, sometime, and per Holly Harman, Garcia did the session in return for weed. I assume the engineer was Dan Healy, but that information is uncertain. This may have been Garcia's first session as a steel player.

Garcia basically plays a scale, as far as I can tell. But whatever. It's Garcia's first pedal steel studio session, and he plays with the guy who taught Bob "Me And My Uncle."

A flyer for a Hells Angels Benefit at Longshoreman's Hall in San Francisco on Wednesday, July 16, 1969. Besides the Grateful Dead, Cleveland Wrecking Company and Ice, the future New Riders made their debut with a brief, messy set.

July 16, 1969 Longshoreman's Hall, San Francisco, CA: Grateful Dead/Cleveland Wrecking Company/Ice Hell's Angels Benefit
Unbilled, the soon-to-be Riders opened for the Dead. They came on late, due to equipment problems apparently caused by Owsley. The band played briefly, and per Blair Jackson's eyewitnesses, shambollically. Presumably Matthews and Hart debuted. Given that the Dead had toured much of early July, there can't have been much rehearsal.

Albert "Ice Man" Collins legendary 1965 album The Cool Sound of Albert Collins was re-released by Blue Thumb Records in 1969 as Truckin' ith Albert Collins

July 24-29 (?), 1969 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Albert Collins 
As part of the research into Big Brother history, Peter Albin mentioned that he backed blues guitarist Albert "The Iceman" Collins for a week at The Matrix and then a weekend at the Family Dog. Remarkably, the band was Albin (presumably on guitar), Big Brother drummer Dave Getz, David Nelson, and most surprisingly, Dave Torbert. Torbert was based in Hawaii at the time, but his parents still lived in Redwood City, so he could have been visiting them.

Bookings advertised at The Matrix for the week were

Wed July 22 -Lonnie Mack/Marvin Gardens (probably Tues-Thurs July 21-23)

Sat 25 July-Southern Comfort/Dementia (theater troupe) (probably Sat July 24 as well)

Wed 29 July-Linn County /Terry Dolan (probably Thurs Jul 30 as well)

Matrix bookings weren't set in stone, and Albert Collins could have been added or substituted to any of the nights. The shows were probably like rehearsals, setting them up for the weekend gig. Thanks to Bob Hite of Canned Heat, Collins had just been signed in 1968 by Imperial Records, and he had moved to Palo Alto (of all places) by November 1968. We'll have to guess which days Collins may have played at the Matrix. Collins famous 1965 album (The Cool Sound Of Albert Collins) had been re-released as Truckin' With Albert Collins in 1969.

The Berkeley Barb listed "Jerry Garcia backing Marmaduke" at the Bear's Lair. $1.50, two shows.

August 1, 1969 Bear's Lair, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA: Jerry Garcia and Marmaduke
The band plays two sets, starting at 10:30pm, at the tiny, newly-opened beer joint on the Berkeley campus. Confusingly, the Dead were booked at the Family Dog this night, but did not play. A union of light show workers were striking, and Garcia--union-born through his mother--would never cross a picket line. It's telling that in a non-confrontational Garcia move, he simply booked another gig and clearly had no intention of participating in any dramatic showdown at the Family Dog event.

Garcia did eventually turn up, later that night, when some of the dust had settled. The strike fizzled out, since Graham had correctly sussed out that rock fans weren't really paying to see light shows.

Set 1

1. The Next In Line
2. Truck Drivin' Man
3. A-11
4. I Don't Know You
5. Garden of Eden
6. Hello Trouble
7. Mama Tried
8. Superman
9. Big Fool of the Year
10. The Weight
11. Last Lonely Eagle
12. Whatcha Gonna Do

Set 2:

    1.    Six Days On The Road
    2.    Henry
    3.    What Made Milwaukee Famous (Jerry Lee Lewis-1968)
    4.    I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail
    5.    Don’t Take Any Chances
    6.    Connection
    7.    Delilah
    8.    Zebra Dun (Traditional) (this may have been the start of the 3rd set)
    9.    [Jerry explains his instrument]
    10.    Kaw-Liga (Hank Williams-1953)
    11.    Sweet Lovin' One
    12.    Fair Chance To Know
    13.    Long Black Limousine (Glen Campbell-1964, Elvis Presley-1969, among many)
    14.    All I Ever Wanted
    15.    Truck Drivin' Man
    16.    The Lady Came From Baltimore
    17.    Games People Play
    18.    [introducing the "Murdering Punks"]
    19.    To Have the Hurting End
    20.    I Am Your Man
    21.    Henry 

Note that "Henry" was played twice in the second set--there may have been three sets.

August 1-2-3 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Grateful Dead/Albert Collins/Ballet Afro-Haiti
These shows have been written about at great length. Most famously, the Light Show artists were unionizing and striking, and Bill Graham was dead-set against them. Chet Helms was trying to thread the needle, and there was a picket line at the Friday night (Aug 1) Family Dog show. Negotiations stalled the show, and the Dead never played, although a few members probably jammed. Decide for yourself if Garcia booked a conflicting gig on this night on purpose, or not. He ceratainly never did this again, in any case.

The interesting tidbits here are that it seems that David Nelson had a gig as well, with Albert Collins, and he too missed the action. More interestingly, Nelson seems to have sat in with the Dead on both Saturday (August 2) and Sunday (August 3). At least it sure sounds like Nelson and his distinctive "B-Bender" on "Mama Tried" both nights. It makes a lot more sense if Nelson was already at the show, with his guitar and amp.

The New Riders of The Purple Sage name first appeared in print in Ralph J Gleason's column in the San Francisco Chronicle on August 6, 1969. The listing announced the band's appearance at The Matrix "tonight and tomorrow" (Aug 6 and 7)

 August 6-9, 1969 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: New Riders of The Purple Sage
The New Riders of The Purple Sage name first appears in print in the San Francisco Chronicle, when the band plays Wednesday thru Saturday night at The Matrix in the Marina District. We have a tape from Thursday (August 7, sometimes dated differently). For decades, this was one of only two existing live 1969 New Riders tapes (September 18 was the other).

NRPS August 7, 1969-The Matrix

1. Kaw-liga
2. If You Hear Me When I'm Leaving
3. Superman
4. Mama Tried
5. Games People Play
6. Truck Drivin' Man
7. Me & My Uncle
8. Delilah
9. Long Black Veil
10. All I Ever Wanted
11. Henry
12. Don't Take Chances
13. Last Lonely Eagle
14. Six Days On The Road

August 12 or 13, 1969  Family Dog On The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: New Lost City Ramblers/New Riders of The Purple Sage "Hoe Down"
This hitherto unknown show was mentioned in the Berkeley Tribe newspaper (August 22-29).

It appears that old South Bay pal Pete Grant sat in with the New Riders on banjo for a few numbers. Not surprisingly, Garcia and Nelson were very excited to play on the same bill with the New Lost City Ramblers, and at the end of the show members of both bands played a few tunes together.

As a side note, it appears that either the Grateful Dead or Mickey and The Harbeats played at the Family Dog on Thursday, August 14 (1969). The diary of (New Lost City Rambler) John Cohen  mentions his attendance. Cohen wouldn't have known or cared about the difference, but it suggests that there were more Thursday night Family Dog "jam shows" than we thought.

August 19, 1969 Family Dog At The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: New Riders Of The Purple Sage
Although this date had been listed in the Berkeley Barb, I had doubted the likelihood of it actually having been played. This was a Tuesday night, and the Grateful Dead set at Woodstock had ended Saturday midnight, and they had to be in Seattle on Wednesday. Nonetheless, the Owsley Foundation has a tape, so Garcia and Hart got home, and it happened.

1. The Next In Line
2. The Mighty Quinn (Bob Dylan Basement Tapes, via Manfred Mann-1968)
3. Fair Chance to Know
4. Last Lonely Eagle
5. The Lady Came From Baltimore
6. Henry
7. Six Days On the Road
8. All I Ever Wanted
9. Whatcha Gonna Do
10. Truck Drivin' Man

The former site of El Roach Tavern, at 5419 Ballard Avenue in outer Seattle. When the Dead were rained out of the Agua Theaater on August 20, they decamped to the El Roach, which was supposedly a "Biker Bar." They played, too. Musta been some night. By 2010, when seen here, it was a sporting good store called Kavu.

August 20, 1969 El Roach Tavern, Ballard, WA Grateful Dead
The Dead, The New Riders of The Purple Sage and a group called Sanpaku were scheduled to play an outdoor venue in Seattle. They got rained out, so the Dead played a scary biker bar in Seattle called El Roach. I have written about this at length.Possibly the New Riders played as well, or at least joined in the fun.

The Aqua Theater in Seattle was an outdoor performance venue. Led Zeppelin played there on May 11,1969, but the Grateful Dead played the last show there on August 21. The stage was in the lake. The theater was torn down in 1970, but a piece of the grandstand remains, in a park commemorating the venue (5900 W. Green Lake Way N)

August 21, 1969 Aqua Theatre, Seattle, WA Grateful Dead/New Riders of The Purple Sage/Sanpaku
After the rainout, the Dead and their support acts came back and played Seattle's Aquatheatre, joined by Sanpaku flautist Gary Larkey. This was the last performance at the unique outdoor venue, and I have written about it as well. This booking was the first time the New Riders were billed as opening for The Grateful Dead. As a side note, its a relevant point that Bob Matthews was still the bassist, because the NRPS origin myth talks about Phil Lesh going out on the road as their bassist. It never actually happened. What few gigs Phil played were around the Bay Area.

1. Truck Drivin' Man
2. To Have the Hurting End
3. Games People Play
4. Long Black Veil
5. Garden of Eden
6. The Mighty Quinn
7. I Am Your Man
8. The Lady Came From Baltimore
9. Six Days on the Road
10. Last Lonely Eagle
11. The Weight

August 23, 1969 Bullfrog 2 Festival, Pelletier Farm, St Helens, OR Grateful Dead/Taj Mahal/Portland Zoo/Sabatic Goat/River/Sand/Notary Sojac/Searchin Soul/The Weeds/New Colony/Chapter Five/Trilogy/Bill Feldman/Don Ross/Mixed Blood/Ron Bruce
The Grateful Dead headlined a rock festival in Oregon.   This festival was originally scheduled for the Columbia County Fairgrounds in St. Helens, Oregon, about 30 miles North of Portland, but a local judge voided the promoters contract.  The festival was moved to private property nearby.

The festival ran three days (August 21-22-23). I assume Taj Mahal headlined Friday night (Aug 22) and the Dead headlined Saturday. The rest of the groups were Oregon bands. An eyewitness once reported (in a letter to an Oregon newspaper) that the New Riders (and Country Joe) played the show also, and I find that plausible since we know that Nelson, Dawson and their equipment were with the band.

As a side note, I don't believe in biographical criticism as a key to meaning in Art. Comparing the lives of artists with their creative works can be misleading. I, for one, do not think that Johnny Cash shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. But if you do believe in biographical research as a research method, its worth noting that this weekend would be the only one where John Dawson could have met him a Portland woman.

[update: Fellow scholar RunOnGuinness reports an eyewitness account that says the New Riders played on Friday night August 22:

An attendee reports that the New Riders played Bullfrog 2 on Friday 1969-08-22 and the Dead on Saturday 1969-08-23.

Terry Smith "I went to the Bullfrog festival when I was 15 years old. I don't remember ever seeing Taj Mahal. Friday night, the NRPS played on a very dark flat bed trailer. There was only one or two light bulbs for lighting. The next night the Dead played on two flat bed trailers.They started very late and heated up the cold night air. The next morning, they were gone. I walked through they're campground and found an ounce of weed and a sword."

From an OSF 2020-04-13 comment

https://www.facebook.com/OwsleyStanleyFoundation/posts/2847488328667487?__tn__=-R


August 28, 1969 Family Dog at The Great Highway: Mickey and The Hartbeats/New Riders of The Purple Sage
August 29-30, 1969 Family Dog at The Great Highway: Grateful Dead/Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen/New Riders of The Purple Sage/Phoenix (replaced Rubber Duck Company)
Thanks to the Owsley box, we have music from this weekend. The Thursday night "Hartbeats" set was a jam, it's not clear if the Dead proper actually played. The event was promoted via handbill and was probably more like a public rehearsal. Commander Cody's band had only recently relocated from Ann Arbor, MI to Emeryville.
NRPS, August 28, 1969, Family Dog

1. Six Days On The Road
2. I Am Your Man
3. Last Lonely Eagle
4. Whatcha Gonna Do
5. [introducing the famous Bobby Ace]
6. Mama Tried (w/Bob Weir)
7. Cathy's Clown (w/Bob Weir)
8. Old, Old House (w/Bob Weir) (George Jones-1965)
9. Me And My Uncle (w/Bob Weir) 
10. Seasons Of The Heart (w/Bob Weir) (George Jones-1965)
11. Slewfoot (w/Bob Weir)

NRPS, August 29, 1969, Family Dog

1. To Have the Hurting End
2. Games People Play
3. All I ever Wanted
4. Connection (Rolling Stones, from Between The Buttons-1967)
5. Mama Tried (w/Bob Weir)
6. Cathy's Clown (w/Bob Weir...and Mickey on cowbell)
7. Fair Chance to Know
8. Seasons of My Heart (w/Bob Weir)

NRPS, August 30, 1969, Family Dog

1. Superman
2. Henry
3. All I Ever Wanted
4. Last Lonely Eagle
5. Six Days on the Road
6. Saw Mill (w/ Bob Weir) (Buck Owens-1963)
7. Whatcha Gonna Do
8. Cathy's Clown (w/Bob Weir)
9. Mama Tried (w/Bob Weir

September 6, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead (Saturday)
We know about the Dead and Airplane performances only from tapes, but new information has confirmed that there was a New Riders set as well on this date.

The NRPS are mentioned playing at The Inn Of The Begining in Cotati in Ralph Gleason's column in the September 17, 1969 SF Chronicle.

September 18, 1969 Inn Of The Beginning, Cotati, CA: New Riders of The Purple Sage
Bob Matthews last gig as the New Riders bass player (per himself) was at this tiny bar in Sonoma County, which had opened only the year before. Matthews hung his taping rig over a roof beam. The Dead promptly went on tour on the East Coast.

Thanks to the Dawn of The New Riders box, however, we know that Matthews played more gigs with the Riders, since he was on the Mandrake's tape from October. Did that mean his last show was in Cotati, but not this date? Or that he simply misremembered the whole thing? Another interesting thing is that Matthews tape may have circulated over the years, it's about six songs long, but Owsley appears to have taped the whole show.
GD/Garcia tour itinerary September 1969 

1. The Next in Line
2. Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line
3. Superman
4. Me & My Uncle
5. All I Ever Wanted
6. Truck Drivin' Man
7. Zebra Dun
8. What's Made Milwaukee Famous
9. Last Lonely Eagle
10. If You Hear Me When I'm Leaving
11. Whatcha Gonna Do
12. I Don't Know You
13. Garden of Eden
14. Six Days On the Road
15. I Still Miss Someone
16. Jailbait
17. Fair Chance to Know
18. Long Black Limousine
19. Connection
20. To Have the Hurting End
21. Games People Play
22. Hello Trouble
23. Quinn the Eskimo
24. Delilah
25. Death & Destruction (this Dawson song was not released by NRPS until 1972's Gypsy Cowboy)
26. The Lady Came From Baltimore
27. Henry
28. The Weight
29. Mama Tried

Once again, Ralph Gleason's column announces another Thursday show at Cotati's Inn Of The Beginning (Oct 8 '69 SF Chronicle)

October 9, 1969 Inn Of The Beginning, Cotati, CA: New Riders of The Purple Sage
I thought this was Phil Lesh's debut as the New Riders' bass player. But it wasn't, or wasn't likely to have been, since Matthews played with the band at Mandrake's the next week.

The site of Mandrake's, at 1048 University and Tenth Street, as it appeared in 2009.

October 14-16, 1969 Mandrake's, Berkeley, CA New Riders Of The Purple Sage
Some of this material was released on Dawn Of The New Riders of The Purple Sage. Now that he knows the songs, Matthews bass playing has improved considerably. The band was advertised as playing three nights (Tuesday through Thursday). Owsley appears to have only taped the first two.

NRPS, October 14, 1969, Mandrake's (set 1)

1. Death & Destruction
2. The Lady Came From Baltimore
3. Lodi (Creedence Clearwater Revival, single released April 1969)
4. I Am Your Man
5. Henry
6. All I Ever Wanted

NRPS, October 14, 1969, Mandrake's (set 2)

1. Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line
2. Fair Chance To Know
3. Mama Tried
4. I Still Miss Someone
5.  Crossover
6. The Weight

NRPS, October 15, 1969, Mandrake's

1. Next In Line
2. The Mighty Quinn
3. Long Black Limousine
4. Six Days On the Road
5. To Have the Hurting End
6. Henry
7. Superman
8. Whatcha Gonna Do
9. Lodi
10. The Lady Came From Baltimore
11. Me & My Uncle
12. Connection
13. Mama Tried
14. Last Lonely Eagle
15. Garden of Eden
16. Games People Play
17. I Still Miss Someone
18. Long Black Veil
19. I Am Your Man
20. Death & Destruction
21. Fair Chance To Know

A listing for the NRPS show at the (then) San Jose State College Student Ballroom (Gleason column, SF Chronicle Oct 17 '69)

October 17, 1969  Student Union Ballroom, San Jose State College, San Jose,CA New Riders Of The Purple Sage/The Fourth Way
This may have been the very first rock concert at the newly opened ballroom (soon known as The Loma Prieta Room). The Grateful Dead would return to headline two weeks later. The Owsley Foundation has the tape.

1. Crossover
2. Hello Trouble
3. Long Black Limousine
4. Six Days on the Road
5. Next In Line
6. Games People Play
7. To Have the Hurting End
8. Whatcha Gonna Do
9. The Race Is On (w/Bob Weir)
10. Cathy's Clown (w/Bob Weir)
11. Saw Mill (w/Bob Weir)
12. Mama Tried (w/Bob Weir)
13. Me & My Uncle (w/Bob Weir)
14. Fair Chance to Know

A listing in the October 22, 1969 SF Chronicle Datebook section of the Ecological Ball "Happening" at the Family Dog

October 22, 1969 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: "Ecological Ball" with Lazarus/Garden Of Delights/Heavy Water/New Riders Of The Purple Sage and films
This show had been known from an obscure flyer, but this listing in the Wednesday, October 22 Chronicle sheds slightly more light on the event. Only the Riders and Lazarus were rock bands, as Garden Of Delights and Heavy Water were light shows. The evening sounds like what today would be called a "multi-media" event. The Riders probably played one set.

NRPS Tour Itinerary October 1969

November 3-4, 1969 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA New Riders Of The Purple Sage
The New Riders returned to the Matrix for Monday and Tuesday shows. Maybe this was a sort of rehearsal for the demo sessions, since they hardly would have gotten paid.

Before Time Began, the 1986 Relix Records album by the New Riders, featured four songs recorded in November 1969 at Pacifid High Recorders.

November 1969: Pacific High Recorders, San Francisco, CA New Riders demo
The four-song New Riders demo was taped at Pacific High Recorders in San Francisco sometime in November, with Phil Lesh on bass. Bob Matthews was the engineer. The tracks were later released on the 1986 Relix album Before Time Began. These demos got played on KSAN, on occasion.

1. Henry
2. All I Ever Wanted
3. Last Lonely Eagle
4. Cecilia

The Inn Of The Begining, at 8201 Old Redwood Highway in Cotati, as it appeared in 2010. It was another establishment by then, but the IOTB sign was still there

November 6, 1969 Inn Of The Beginning, Cotati, CA: New Riders Of The Purple Sage
Was Lesh the bass player by this time? There is still no firm evidence one way or the other.

The Poppycock, at 135 University Avenue in Palo Alto, was one of the steady rock clubs around the Bay Area in 1969. This flyer is for November 8, 1969 and following.

November 13, 1969 The Poppycock, Palo Alto, CA: New Riders Of The Purple Sage
The Poppycock, at 135 University Avenue (at High Street) in Palo Alto, was a fish and chips/beer joint that was also Palo Alto's first regular rock venue.

Ads from the Berkeley Barb. The Winterland benefit for The Dog was moved to Fillmore West. Mumble, Fumble, Jumble, Dumble were Big Brother, not ready to go fully public.

November 18, 1969 Family Dog On The Great Highway, San Francisco New Riders Of The Purple Sage/David LaFlamme "Square Dance"
LaFlamme likely sat in with the New Riders.

November 19, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco New Riders Of The Purple Sage/Big Brother and The Holding Company/Barry McGuire & The Doctor Naut Family
A Family Dog benefit was originally advertised for Winterland, but the show was moved to Fillmore West. The Dog was never on firm ground financially after 1967

Gleason column from SF Chronicle (Nov 19 '69)

November 20, 1969 The Poppycock, Palo Alto, CA: New Riders Of The Purple Sage
NRPS played a few Wednesdays in a row at the Poppycock.

November 22-23, 1969 Family Dog On The Great Highway, San Francisco< CA: New Riders Of The Purple Sage/Anonymous Artists Of America/Devil's Kitchen
The second night, and possibly the first night as well, was likely canceled due to a Grateful Dead show in Boston on November 23.

November 26, 1969 The Poppycock, Palo Alto, CA: New Riders of The Purple Sage
JGMF found this listed in the Berkeley Tribe. Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the third week in a row that the Riders were booked at the Poppycock
 
November 27, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway New Riders Of The Purple Sage/Lamb/Cleveland Wrecking Company/Deacon and The Suprelles/Rafael Garrett Circus
This was part of a multi-media extravaganza including stage performers and films (whom I have not listed).Kind of a strange booking for Thanksgiving Thursday. Still, there may have been a lot of hippies far from home with nothing to do.

A clip from Ralph Gleason's SF Chronicle Ad Lib column on Nov 28 '69

November 28-29, 1969 Inn Of The Beginning, Cotati, CA: New Riders Of The Purple Sage
The New Riders returned to Cotati for yet another show, this time apparently for a full weekend. Its possible that the Riders played Friday (28) and that Joy Of Cooking played Saturday (29), but I will take Gleason at his word here, even though his hastily-typed Ad Lib section often had typos or casually elided certain bills.

The IOTB show had to have been Phil Lesh's last show with the New Riders in 1969, and possibly ever.
GD/Jerry Garcia tour itinerary November 1969

January 19, 1970 Pauley Ballroom, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA: New Riders of The Purple Sage Benefit
This benefit show was advertised. It's not clear if it happened, or if the New Riders played at it if it did.

Keep in mind that the Dead had a crazy touring schedule, thanks to Lenny Hart: early January at Fillmore East, Oregon in the middle, then Hawaii. If the Riders played Pauley, it would have been the Monday after a weekend in the Pacific Northwest.

February 7, 1970 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA: Grateful Dead/Taj Mahal/Big Foot
I am no expert on tape lineage, but some old circulating audience tapes had John Dawson singing with the Dead (I think on "Together Again"). The old tapes were compilations of some sort, and could have been mis-dated.

The absence of New Riders activity also makes sense considering the Dead's frantic schedule. After firing Lenny Hart, the band was busted in New Orleans, played St Louis, the Family Dog and Fillmore West, laid down rehearsal tracks for Workingman's Dead and then toured Texas and played the Family Dog again.

March 12, 1970 Inn Of The Beginning, Cotati, CA: New Riders of The Purple Sage
Booked, but the Riders canceled (check out the great Comment Thread).

March 13-14, 1970 New Orleans House, Berkeley, CA: New Riders of The Purple Sage
Once again, the Riders canceled, because they either had no bass player or Phil simply wasn't interested.  The reformed Big Brother took up the dates, it seems.

The Dead were recording Workingman's Dead during this week, anyway (March 9-16, most likely), so NRPS gigs would have gotten in the way.

This photo from p.4 of Tapers Compendium V1 shows tapes in the Grateful Dead Vault, probably ca. 2004. If you blow it up and look on far right of the upper shelf, you can see several tapes marked "3/18/70 Hot Tuna" and "3/18/70 NR," in Owsley's handwriting. So some recording of the night was made. Investigations continue (thanks JJ and DM for the photo)

March 18, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady/New Riders of The Purple Sage
For many years I thought it was impossible that the Riders played this date, since the Dead were between Buffalo (Mar 17) and Port Chester (Mar 20-21). Incredibly, however, there is a photograph of the tape boxes. (Hawk adds that the labels are all Owsley's handwriting, too). Maybe Garcia, Lesh and Hart flew home to help mix Workingman's Dead? I hope the Owsley Foundation still has this...was it Phil's last gig as a New Rider?

April 17-19, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Mickey Hart and His Heartbeats/Bobby Ace And The Cards Off The Bottom Of The Deck/New Riders of The Purple Sage/Charlie Musselwhite
The formal debut of the Acoustic Dead, all but certainly the debut of Dave Torbert as the New Riders bass player, and the last glimpse of the Cards Off The Bottom Of The Deck. 

Bobby Ace? April 18, 1970-Family Dog

1. I Know You Rider (Traditional, ca. 1930s)
2. Don’t Ease Me In (Henry Thomas, others ca. 1930s)
3. Silver Threads and Golden Needles
4. Friend of the Devil
5. Deep Elem Blues(Georgia Crackers-1923)
6. Wake Up Little Susie (m)
7. Candyman
8. Cumberland Blues
9. New Speedway Boogie
10. Me and My Uncle
11. Mama Tried
12. Katie Mae [Pigpen solo]
13. Ain't It Crazy (The Rub) [Pigpen solo]
14. Roberta [Pigpen solo]
15. Bring Me My Shotgun [Pigpen solo]
16. The Mighty Flood [Pigpen solo]
17. Black Snake [Pigpen solo]

Keep in mind, that as Jerry Garcia was working to integrate Dave Torbert into the New Riders, he was also touring frantically with the Grateful Dead, as Sam Cutler was working on rescuing the band from bankruptcy by touring hard. As if that wasn't enough, Garcia was regularly dropping in to the Matrix on Monday nights, to jam with organist Howard Wales and drummer Bill Vitt, along with a bassist pal of Vitt's named John Kahn.

We are fortunate to have a tape of the acoustic set from the middle night at the Family Dog (April 18), but we don't have an eyewitness account. I assume the Riders played, but was their an electric Dead set as well? How were the acoustic Dead introduced? As the Grateful Dead, or as Bobby Ace And The Cards Off The Bottom? Still, as more information surfaces, perhaps more old memories will be rebooted back into service, and the mysteries will continue to unravel.

Jerry Garcia and The Banjo 1969-72 (Counterpoint)

A 1971 Gibson Mastertone RB 250 banjo, possibly similar to the banjo that Jerry Garcia played in Old And In The Way

It is a convention that the banjo was the first instrument Jerry Garcia focused on, because he wanted to play bluegrass in the style of Earl Scruggs and Bill Keith. The narrative says that he put it aside in 1965 when he began to play electric guitar with the Warlocks. The conventional version goes on to say that the banjo only reappeared in Garcia's musical career in 1973, when he started playing bluegrass again with Old And In The Way. Yet a closer look tells us that is not quite a true story. Definitely, Garcia dropped the banjo in 1965, and took up the electric guitar. In 1969, however, the banjo started to make an appearance in Garcia's musical career. It wasn't constant, but it showed up too many times to say that it was a casual coincidence. So it seems that when Garcia began to play with Old And In The Way, he was reinvigorating his love of the banjo, but it wasn't a cold start. The banjo arose when Garcia took up the pedal steel guitar, and when the banjo started to play a meaningful part in Garcia's musical life, the pedal steel disappeared. This post will look at Garcia's known banjo performances between 1965 and 1973, and try to see how they illuminate Garcia's musical career.

Once the Warlocks formed, Garcia switched from banjo and acoustic guitar to electric guitar, like this 1967 Guild

1965: Banjo Withdrawal
By Garcia's own admission, the five-string banjo was the first instrument that really consumed him, around 1962, when he practiced for hours every day. Now, even during the height of his banjo period, we know that Garcia practiced his acoustic guitar constantly as well, and even fooled around with mandolin, fiddle and possibly other instruments. Yet playing bluegrass banjo in the style of Earl Scruggs and Bill Keith was what drove Garcia. Garcia attempted to be a professional bluegrass banjo player in the Palo Alto and Berkeley areas in 1963 and '64, even though he played guitar when opportunities came his way. The musical world was very different in 1964, but not for banjo players: it has always been pretty much impossible to make a living as a bluegrass banjo player in the Bay Area.

By 1965, Jerry Garcia and his friends had formed a jug band, because there were so few paying gigs for any bluegrass bands. In the jug band, Garcia sang and played guitar, but he didn't play banjo (per Dave Parker [h/t Brian], Tom Stone covered the banjo parts). When the jug band ground to a halt, the best musicians in it formed an electric blues band, and The Warlocks seemed a lot more professionally viable option, so Garcia focused on the electric guitar. He mostly kept that focus until 1995.

1966-68: The Haight Ashbury Period
In the early days of the Grateful Dead, in late 1965, Garcia lived in a Waverley Street house with fellow banjo player Rick Shubb. According to Shubb, they did play banjo together once in a while, so we know Garcia kept one around, but other than that the instrument seems to have disappeared in Garcia's musical life. When the Grateful Dead lived at 710 Ashbury, a lot of informal picking took place, and Garcia must have played banjo when the mood struck to play a different instrument. We do know that Garcia had a Fender pedal steel guitar in 1966-67, and there are even pictures (though no tapes) of him playing it. The Long Strange Trip movie has an intriguing video sequence (without sound) of Garcia playing dobro with Weir and others in some kind of acoustic jam at 710. So while the banjo must have been broken out occasionally, there's no actual evidence of it.

The only really confirmed sighting of Garcia on banjo from 1966 to 1968 was on a studio recording, from RCA Studios in Hollywood in November 1967. Hilariously, the banjo appears in the least likely place--"Dark Star." The original single (45 rpm) studio recording of "Dark Star" (released in April 1968, and recently re-issued) includes a brief snippet of Garcia's banjo, providing background for the voice of Robert Hunter, who made his only appearance on a Grateful Dead recording. Still, this is just a typical 60s gimmick. During the Anthem Of The Sun session, for example, Phil Lesh played some trumpet, which he hadn't played since junior college. There was no sign that Garcia's banjo playing on the record was any more than a novelty.
update: a Comment by fellow scholar LIA reveals that Garcia's banjo part on "Dark Star" was from an old tape, ca. 1964, so it wasn't even a current performance

Butch Waller and High Country released an album on The Youngbloods' Raccoon label in 1971. Waller had been playing bluegrass in the Bay Area since 1962, with friends like Herb Pedersen, David Nelson, Richard Greene and Jerry Garcia

February 19, 1969 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: High Country
Given that Garcia had dropped the banjo, his unexpected appearance with High Country at The Matrix on February 19, 1969 was a meaningful shift. I have written at length about some of the ambiguity of the dating of this show, so for the moment I just want to focus on the surprise of Garcia playing banjo at all. High Country was a bluegrass band led by singer and mandolinist Butch Waller, an old pal from the Palo Alto bluegrass days. Also onboard with High Country at that time was David Nelson, as Nelson had been in the Pine Valley Boys with Waller in 1964. During this period, High Country alternated the banjo chair between Rick Shubb and Pete Grant, who had been the top South Bay banjo pickers back in the early 60s. Apparently, for the Matrix gig, neither were available, so another South Bay banjo picker was engaged.

It's one thing to pluck a few runs for a psychedelic space-out collage, but its another to actually play bluegrass banjo with real players. Now, sure, Garcia hadn't "forgotten" how to play banjo. But he has commented that if you stop playing the banjo, you lose your timing. Bluegrass banjo, as I understand it (I am not a musician), depends on a steady rhythmic touch for the perpetual three-finger runs that never stop, and it is the timing and feel that are the hallmark of a top bluegrass banjo player, rather than just blinding speed. Certainly, it's true that his fellow bandmates were old friends who were surely happy to play with a guy who knew all the old bluegrass standards and wasn't going to panic on stage, and they weren't going to criticize his staleness on the instrument. But Garcia was Garcia--he wasn't going to agree to a banjo gig without being ready to bring it. He must have practiced for days before the show.

I'm not aware of any other Garcia banjo gigs in February 1969 (if you know of any, please Comment!). The resonance of the Matrix bluegrass show seems to have betrayed a certain musical restlessness in Garcia. He had been playing electric guitar essentially nonstop from Spring '65 until Winter '69, and he may have wanted to add a side order to his entree. That would come soon enough.

The debut album of the Flying Burrito Brothers, The Gilded Palace Of Sin, was released on A&M Records in February 1969. In April, the Burritos opened for the Dead at the Avalon, and having heard pedal steel guitarist Sneaky Pete Kleinow with the band, Jerry Garcia was apparently inspired to buy a pedal steel guitar the next weekend.

April 14, 1969: unknown Colorado music store
On April 14, 1969--or possibly the day before--Jerry Garcia purchased a pedal steel guitar, from a music store in either Boulder or Denver. Garcia had owned a Fender pedal steel guitar in 1966-67, but it had been difficult to keep in tune. He had traded it to the Youngbloods (another story), but Garcia definitely had pedal steel on his mind. As I have detailed at great length, on a three-night stand the weekend before (April 4-6), at the Avalon Ballroom with The Flying Burrito Brothers, Garcia heard Sneaky Pete Kleinow on an Owsley sound system. According to a reliable eyewitness (Burritos road manager Jimmi Seiter), Garcia was so impressed he played a (presumably rented) pedal steel guitar behind the stage as the Burritos performed. It seems no surprise, then, that Garcia purchased a pedal steel at the next available opportunity. Apparently, he requested that the ZB Custom D10 be sent to San Francisco already tuned.

My hypothesis is that Garcia's willingness to practice banjo to play well enough for a bluegrass gig was a precursor to his willingness to really learn the pedal steel guitar. I do not know which begat the other. Certainly, Garcia had always wanted to play pedal steel guitar since hearing Tom Brumley's solo on Buck Owens' "Together Again" (apparently played on a ZB, probably not a coincidence). Did picking on the banjo make Garcia want the steel, or was the picking an attempt to scratch an already-existing itch?

I am not a musician, but I do know that the three-finger banjo roll invented by Earl Scruggs and refined by Bill Keith has some crossover to modern pedal steel guitar. There is a reason that many banjo players, like Bill Keith himself, shifted to the pedal steel guitar, and while many well-known steel players, like Al Perkins, regularly play banjo when the set requires it. So I think Garcia's constant practice on the pedal steel from 1969-71, remarked on by many observers, made him more comfortable picking up the banjo for occasional sessions (any musicians with helpful insights please weigh in on the Comments).

Jerry Garcia's banjo playing on "Cumberland Blues" was mixed out of the initial release of Workingman's Dead.

"Cumberland Blues" from The Workingman's Dead, Grateful Dead (Warner Brothers Records released June 1970, recorded March 1970)
In June 1970, the Grateful Dead shocked the rock universe by switching from psychedelic grooving to country music. Today, we can notice the continuity, but that was invisible in 1970 save for a few old Palo Alto and Berkeley folkies. If Garcia had played banjo on Workingman's Dead. the continuum from bluegrass to Buck Owens-style country rock would have been far clearer. In fact, Garcia did play banjo on the album, but it was mixed out. [update: informed correspondents tell me that the banjo was audible on the original release. Probably my high-school stereo was too crappy, or I was too naive to realize that it was a banjo rather than a twangy guitar] Modern-day releases of Workingman's Dead include the full tracking of "Cumberland Blues," where Garcia's banjo intertwines with David Nelson's flatpicked acoustic guitar, drawing a straight line from bluegrass to honky-tonk Bakersfield country. Since only Nelson's guitar made the original mix, Garcia's banjo remained muted for decades.

"Hoedown" from Marrying Maiden, It's A Beautiful Day (Columbia Records released June 1970)
One of the few pictures from 1967 where Garcia is picking his pedal steel shows David LaFlamme playing the fiddle. LaFlamme, another Haight Ashbury resident, has reported that he regularly dropped by 710 Ashbury to play and hang out. By 1970, LaFlamme's group had released a hugely successful debut album (everybody recalls "White Bird"), so Columbia would have been hot for their second album. Amidst the Dead's intense touring schedule in early 1970, Garcia somehow found time to play on album sessions at Pacific High Recorders for It's A Beautiful Day's second album, Marrying Maiden. The album was released on Columbia in June 1970, and probably sessions were completed a few months earlier. Garcia played banjo on the song "Hoedown" (and pedal steel guitar on "It Comes Right Down To You").

"Glendale Train" and "Turkey In The Straw" July 7, 1970 The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: New Riders Of The Purple Sage
JGMF unearthed a unique New Riders show from the Matrix, on July 7. 1970. For some reason, Jerry Garcia did not play pedal steel guitar with the Riders that night. The Grateful Dead had just finished the 'Festival Express" tour (last date July 3), and had following dates in Illinois (July 8) and Fillmore East (July 9-12). I have to assume the band's equipment went East, while the actual band members flew home. It is a remarkable testament that Garcia played a gig with the New Riders at the Matrix the night before an Eastern tour.

Besides the fascination of hearing Garcia play New Riders songs on the six-string, a remarkable footnote comes when Garcia plays banjo for two numbers. One of those songs was "Glendale Train," on which he would play banjo on the record ( about which more below), but Garcia also played banjo on a sort of bluegrass instrumental with David Nelson on acoustic guitar. Although this was a casual performance for--at most--150 people, I don't think Garcia would have played a bluegrass tune with Nelson unless he had some confidence in his playing at the time. The other takeaway was that Garcia made the decision to bring a banjo to the show, because it had to be a conscious choice. Did Garcia play banjo at other New Riders Matrix shows? We don't really know.

The first inkling of Jefferson Starship was on the Blows Against The Empire album on RCA/Grunt, credited to Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship. The album was recorded in the Summer of 1970 and released in November.

 "Let's Go Together"from Blows Against The Empire-Paul Kantner/Jefferson Starship (RCA/Grunt released November 1970, recorded Wally Heider Studios July 22, 1970) 
Throughout the 1969-72 period, as a result of the Jefferson Airplane's contract with RCA, the Airplane members had an unlimited recording budget at Wally Heider Studios in San Francisco. These are now known colloquially as the "PERRO" (Planet Earth Rock and Roll Orchestra") Sessions, and formed the core of many well-known albums coming out of San Francisco in the early 70s. Jerry Garcia was a regular participant in the PERRO sessions.

On July 22, 1970, Garcia played banjo on a song called "Let's Go Together," which later appeared on a December, 1970 release called Blows Against The Empire, credited to Paul Kantner and "Jefferson Starship." For this track, Garcia was using the banjo as a sort of rhythm instrument for a rock track. Garcia's versatility was used to good effect, because while his banjo part was basic, Garcia took advantage of his experience in providing a foundation for rock tracks, even on a different instrument than his usual electric guitar.

"Flying" from Cross Between, Lamb (Warner Brothers released 1971, recorded Wally Heider Studios October 5, 1970)
Lamb, originally a songwriting duo of Barbara Mauritz (piano) and Bob Swanson (guitar) were signed to Bill Graham's Fillmore Records and subsequently turned into a real rock group. Their second album, Cross Between, was released on Warner Brothers in mid-71. Thanks to JGMF, we know that Garcia's contribution was recorded at Wally Heider Studios on October 5, 1970. Garcia played banjo on "Flying," and pedal steel on two other songs. This seemed to fit a pattern, where Garcia would contribute both pedal steel guitar and banjo to an album. In the then-tiny universe of San Francisco recording studios, this set Garcia apart. Hiring Garcia for a session meant that you had hired a triple threat on multiple instruments.

On a side note, its remarkable to consider that Jerry Garcia played Grateful Dead shows at Winterland on October 4 and 5, 1970, and found out that Janis Joplin died on the night of the 4th, and yet played a session at Wally Heider's in between. He played sessions the next day, too (Oct 6, for a Papa John Creach album). Whatever your interpretation of Garcia's personal motivations, he was all music, all the time.

The debut album of The New Riders Of The Purple Sage had been a project for almost a year when it was finally released in September 1971. Garcia played banjo on "Glendale Train," along with the pedal steel parts.

"Glendale Train" from New Riders Of The Purple Sage (Columbia released September 1971, recorded Winter 71, Wally Heider Studios)
The New Riders of The Purple Sage were formed in the Summer of 1969, and signed to Columbia Records sometime in the middle of 1970. Recording began at Wally Heider's soon after, with Steve Barncard on the board and Phil Lesh helping to arrange the songs. Initially, Lesh was supposed to be the producer, but ultimately Barncard took over (Lesh is credited as "executive producer" on the album). There were numerous sessions in 1970, but according to Barncard, they were all erased. At that time, Micky Hart was the band's drummer. By the time the debut album actually got recorded, the New Riders had introduced Spencer Dryden as the drummer.

The NRPS debut album released on Columbia in August, 1971 included a prominent Garcia banjo part on "Glendale Train." It's also possible a few banjo licks snuck into the album on other tracks. Garcia's driving banjo part on the song has contributed to making "Glendale Train" a sort of bluegrass standard, even though it was initially recorded as a rock song. When you're in a pizza joint with craft beers, and the trio in the corner is playing "Panama Red" and "Friend Of The Devil," you know that "Glendale Train" isn't far behind. Garcia was an old bluegrasser, so to the extent he was aware of it, it had to please Garcia that his banjo part had converted a rock song to a bluegrass staple.

One curiosity to consider is the thoroughly lost New Riders studio tracks from late 1970. Did Garcia try out any additional banjo parts on some Riders's songs? We will probably never know, but it's interesting to contemplate.

A "KG" review of Garcia's appearance on banjo with James And The Good Brothers at Fillmore West on February 25-28, 1971 (from the Hayward Daily Review of March 4, 1971)

February 25-28, 1971 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA: New Riders Of The Purple Sage/Boz Scaggs/James and The Good Brothers
The New Riders played a four-night stand at Fillmore West along with Boz Scaggs in February, 1971. The opening act was James And The Good Brothers. Canadians Bruce and Brian Good, and their partner James Ackroyd, had played on the infamous "Festival Express" Canadian tour, and had been invited to San Francisco. The trio recorded at Alembic, with Betty Cantor behind the desk. Various San Francisco luminaries, including Jack Casady and Bill Kreutzmann, played on the album. Jerry Garcia is thanked on the record, but doesn't appear to have played on the released tracks.

The album was finished in Toronto, where a third Good brother, Larry Good, played banjo. The album was a sort of folk-rock, acoustic album, rather than a bluegrass-type album of "hot pickin'." My theory is that Garcia played banjo on some tracks during the San Francisco sessions, but the tracks were re-recorded in Toronto, with Larry Good playing the banjo parts.

The critics for for the Hayward Daily Review, Kathi Staska and George Mangrum, reported that for the James And The Good Brothers set at Fillmore West in February 1971, Jerry Garcia played banjo and Jack Casady played acoustic "Balalaika" bass. While the two of them only reviewed a single show, I assume the pair played each show. This review is why I think Garcia played on early versions of the album tracks, although I can't confirm that one way or the other.

Powerglide, the second Columbia album by the New Riders, was released in April 1972. Garcia played on three tracks.

"Sweet Lovin' One" and "Lochinvar", from Powerglide-New Riders Of The Purple Sage (Columbia released April '72, recorded Jan 17 '72 at Wally Heider Studios) 
During the Summer 1970 tour in Canada, Garcia and the Riders had discovered Buddy Cage playing pedal steel guitar with Ian And Sylvia, and Garcia had even jammed with him (as you can see on film). Their meeting led to an invitation for Cage to come to San Francisco to replace Garcia in the New Riders. Cage appeared in San Francisco around September 1971, and began rehearsing. Garcia loyally kept the chair for the initial legs of the New Riders tour in October, 1971, for the attendant publicity. However, Garcia's last show with the New Riders was October 31, 1971, as Cage took over the steel at the next show (Atlanta Nov 11 '71). With no need to keep up his chops, Garcia's session dates with pedal steel guitar dropped dramatically.

Nonetheless, the Dead and the Riders still had ties. Garcia spent a day at Wally Heider's with Steve Barncard on the desk, helping out on the New Riders second album. On January 17, 1972, Garcia played banjo on two songs, "Sweet Lovin' One" and "Duncan And Brady." Once again, these banjo parts weren't difficult, but they provided a good rhythmic drive to the tunes and gave them a countrified feel (Garcia also played piano on "Lochinvar" at this session, and all were released on Powerglide). With three tracks on the same day, I have to think that Garcia was not so much part of the arrangements, but rather had heard the work tapes and thought he had something to add.

"Walkin'" from Baron Von Tollbooth vs The Chrome Nun-Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg (RCA/Grunt released May '73, recorded Nov or Dec '72, Wally Heider Studios)
The Airplane crew were still recording regularly at Wally Heider's, even though it was financially ill-advised. One of the final products of the PERRO sessions was the Baron Von Tollbooth vs The Chrome Num album (released May '73), credited to the trio of Paul Kantner, Grace Slick and David Freiberg. Garcia played a substantial part, and sometime in November or December of 1972, with Betty at the controls, Garcia played a rhythmic banjo part on the song "Walkin'."

Garcia had played pedal steel guitar once or twice on the Europe '72 tour, and he picked some steel at a casual Thanksgiving party in Austin, TX, with Doug Sahm and Leon Russell. However, after that show (November 23, 1972), Garcia gave up the pedal steel, save for a few notes on Wake Of The Flood, and a brief encore for the 1987 Bob Dylan tour. I have looked into the timeline of Old And In The Way in some detail, and it appears that Garcia started casually picking banjo with David Grisman and Peter Rowan in December 1972. I don't think Garcia had a plan, but it doesn't seem entirely like a coincidence that Garcia permanently dropped the pedal steel and took up the banjo more seriously in the very same month.

Garcia's definitive banjo statement was the Old And In The Way album, recorded in October 1973, but not released on Round Records until 17 months later. For many years, the record was reputedly the best selling bluegrass album of all time (no doubt long since eclipsed by the likes of Alison Krauss). 

1973-75: The Jerry Garcia Banjo Renaissance
Around December 1972, Garcia discovered that some neighbors just down the hill from him in Stinson Beach were bluegrass musicians. Garcia got his banjo out, and when the opportunity arose, Garcia, Peter Rowan and David Grisman played bluegrass together. With the addition of regular bassman John Kahn, it wasn't long before they had a band. Garcia must have practiced pretty hard, because by March 2, 1973, he was not only ready to go out into the world as a bluegrass banjo player, but even onto the radio. Pedal steel guitar was off the table, and the banjo was back.

The story of Garcia and Old And In The Way is well-known, so it won't be retold here. Old And In The Way played until November 4, 1973 (delayed from an earlier rainout). In the spring of 1974, Garcia started playing with a Grisman aggregation called The Great American Sting Band. Garcia was not a permanent member of the band, but he did play with them regularly from March 10, 1974 through June 13, 1974, including a one-time reunion of Old And In The Way in Marin (on April 28).

During the 1973-74 period, there were only two studio banjo sessions for Garcia that I'm aware of. Part of this had to do with the decline of recording activity in San Francisco after 1972, but in any case, Garcia was not playing guitar sessions either. Garcia did play on the Art Garfunkel album Angel Clare, of all things. The story goes that Garfunkel wanted someone who could play traditional old-time banjo, a style called "frailing," to record the song "Down In The Willow Garden." Garfunkel's New York producer and LA session dudes did not know any local banjo players, but the engineer ventured that he knew a guitar player who played banjo. Supposedly, the engineer said "I know a guitar player..." and called Garcia at home, who assured him he was a great frailer.I don't know the exact date of the Angel Clare sessions, but it was probably early 1973, as the album was released in September 1973.

I also know of one final banjo session by Garcia, at Mickey Hart's studio, for some ACT background music, probably recorded around 1974, that was more a courtesy than anything else. Garcia no longer played banjo on rock records after he had started Old And In The Way.

The circle was finally closed by The Good Old Boys. As I have discussed at length, David Nelson had a part-time bluegrass band with the great mandolinist Frank Wakefield. Ultimately it was decided that they would release an album on Round Records, produced by Garcia. Supposedly, Garcia also played a few gigs with Nelson and Wakefield in 1974, as well. A few Good Old Boys shows were booked in February 1975, but it appears that only one was played. But it did happen and we have an eyewitness. Jerry Garcia's bluegrass banjo career ended on February 21, 1975, at a tiny joint in Santa Cruz, CA, called Margarita's. It is fitting that Garcia played with Nelson (along with Wakefield and bassist Pat Campbell), so that he exited bluegrass just as he entered it.

When Jerry Garcia renewed his collaborations with David Grisman, he would occasionally play some old-time banjo, such as on "The Sweet Sunny South" on Shady Grove but he was no longer a bluegrass gunslinger.

1990s: Clawhammer Redux
Garcia did play banjo again in the 1990s, with David Grisman. However, he only played old-time "clawhammer" style, on songs like "Sweet Sunny South." He did perform the song on tape and in person, but they were set pieces, not representing any kind of commitment to the banjo. In 1993 or so, Garcia visited Ireland, and apparently one night at a pub he was coaxed into playing a few songs on the banjo. Enjoyable as that must have been, that wasn't the former South Bay banjo gunslinger taking on all comers, just a middle-aged guy in a bar plunking out a few tunes to amuse his fellow patrons. The banjo had been an essential instrument in Garcia's musical arc, it resurfaced, had a renaissance, and then it had gone.