A Folk Radio Special Tribute to Jerry Garcia

2007-07-29T22:14:00.044-04:00

"A Folk Radio Special Tribute to Jerry Garcia" is a pre-recorded musical documentary production by Boston area radio host Eli Polonsky that was broadcast on August 4, 2005 and August 9, 2007 on WUMB 91.9 FM, an NPR affiliate music station based at U. Mass. Boston that was formerly known as "Folk Radio" prior to a format change in 2008.

Jerry Garcia was born on August 1, 1942, and passed away of heart failure on August 9, 1995. This program was originally produced as a memorial tribute for broadcast on the week of the tenth anniversary of his passing in 2005, and was later adapted for rebroadcast on the anniversary of his passing in 2007.

Though best remembered as the leader of The Grateful Dead, Jerry came from a background steeped in traditional music including folk, bluegrass, blues, and Americana. This two hour program focuses on those influences in Jerry’s thirty year musical career with the Dead as well as his many side projects, and also includes some tribute cover versions performed by contemporary folk artists that were played on WUMB.

"A Folk Radio Special Tribute to Jerry Garcia" 2007 playlist:

Hour One:

Introductory song:

Grateful Dead - "Uncle John’s Band"
- (from “Workingman’s Dead” - 1970)

Set One: Jerry's early years:

Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions - "Overseas Stomp"
- (Live 1964 - from self-titled CD released 1999)
Grateful Dead - "It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue"
- (Live 1966 - from “Birth Of The Dead” CD 2001)
Jefferson Airplane - "Today" (w/Garcia on guitar)
- (from “Surrealistic Pillow” LP - 1967)

Set Two: Jerry covers a folk song "Morning Dew" originally
by Bonnie Dobson, and covers of Jerry Garcia/Robert Hunter
songs performed by contemporary folk artists:

Grateful Dead - "Morning Dew" (Live 1989)
- (from “Truckin’ Up To Buffalo” - 2005)
Chris Smither - "Friend Of The Devil" (Live)
- (from “Another Way To Find You” - 1991)
Jimmie Dale Gilmore - "Ripple"
- (from “One Endless Night” - 2000)
Adrienne Young & Little Sadie - "Brokedown Palace"
- (from “The Art Of Virtue” - 2005)

Set Three: Jerry covers Bob Dylan, and Dylan backed
by Jerry and the Grateful Dead:

Merl Saunders - "Positively 4'th Street" (Garcia - guitar/vocal)
- (from “Live At The Keystone Vol. 1” - 1973)
Bob Dylan - "Slow Train Coming" (Live)
- (from “Dylan & The Dead” - 1987)

Hour Two:

Set Four: Jerry playing pedal steel guitar:

Jerry Garcia - "The Wheel"
- (From “Garcia” - first solo album - 1972)
New Riders Of The Purple Sage - "Glendale Train"
- (From “New Riders Of The Purple Sage” 1970)
Crosby, Stills & Nash - "Teach Your Children"
- (From Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young “Déjà Vu” - 1970)

Set Five: Jerry playing bluegrass and traditional folk:

Old & In The Way – Introduction by Peter Rowan
Old & In The Way - "Pig In A Pen" (Live 1973)
- (From “Grateful Dawg” soundtrack CD 2001)
Garcia & Grisman – "Shady Grove"
- (from “Shady Grove” CD – released 1996)
Almost Acoustic Band – "Oh, The Wind And The Rain"
- (from “Almost Acoustic” live CD - 1987)

Set Six: Jerry does another great Bob Dylan cover, and two
more Garcia/Hunter covers by contemporary folk artists:

JGB - "Simple Twist Of Fate" (Live 1990)
- (from “Jerry Garcia Band” live 2-CD set - 1991)
Suzanne Vega - "China Doll"
- (from “Deadicated” tribute CD - 1991)
Norma Waterson - "Black Muddy River"
- (from self-titled CD – 1996)

From Jerry's last public performance and recording:

Grateful Dead – "So Many Roads" (Live 7-9-95)
- (from “So Many Roads” box set – 1999)

Portions of this program were produced at WMBR 88.1 FM at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge MA, where I host the "Lost & Found" 1960s/'70s music show Tuesdays 12 noon - 2 PM ET

If you would like to get in touch, feel free to e-mail me here.
I'm sorry, there is no online audio archive of this program.
I'll see you at the shows!