If Before the Dead proves anything, it is that this man’s passion for playing, as well as his insatiable curiosity about a diversity of styles, traditional and otherwise, was well-established long before the coalescence of the Grateful Dead. Jerry Garcia’s voracious appetite for learning sustained him not only with the iconic group, but in his solo work too, not just with JGB, but in collaboration with like-minded musicians such as David Grisman. In fact, the willfully eclectic approach of this multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and singer might be his greatest distinction, if only because it underlies the intent of virtually every project he participated in.
Those distinctive traits are evident from the very earliest inclusions here. 1961 recordings featuring his future lyricist Robert Hunter, like “I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago.” offer ample evidence of Jerry’s precision in picking, a disciplined approach all the more crucial on acoustic instruments, sans the various effects on electric ones. Meanwhile, the stock-in-trade of bluegrass, that is, to make music of the songs, is already beginning to flower, revealing early indications of the way the compositions were, often as not, a means to an end for Garcia’s work with the Grateful Dead and only a little less so with his own band or endeavors such as The Legion of Mary.
Before The Dead foretells why Jerry would return to a style epitomized by Ralph Stanley’s “If I Lose,” over a quarter century later with players who appear in the later selections of this box set. Sandy Rothman and David Nelson, among others, were collaborators for the Bill Graham-curated run on Broadway in 1987: an occasion at a juncture in his life Garcia was reminding himself of the fundamentals of his musicianship. As these eighty-four tracks unfold, it’s well to note too how fully evident is the mirthful, gregarious side of this cultural figurehead’s personality: reverent, but not overly so, of the sources of his performances, Garcia’s hardly self-conscious as he educates himself, his accompanists and their audiences on this treasure trove of genuine Americana and this attitude also pervades the infectious delight that informs his own playing and that of the various personnel lineups ; in these early days, Jerry forthrightly assumed the lead in a performance by the strength of his personality as well as his musicianship.
These first inklings of the man’s persona are inextricably intertwined, as essential to these proceedings as the palpable sense of community that emanates from the music within Before The Dead. As with the best shows of Jerry Garcia’s future bands, there’s little if any sense of separation between audience and performer, but instead an inclusive atmosphere that, at its best moments, becomes an interactive experience for all involved. With the chronological progression of the content into 1963 then 1964 (just before the transformative discovery of the Beatles), a certain element of suspense begins to manifest itself in this evolutionary tale, thanks to the careful curation of co-producers Dennis McNally and Brian Miksis.
In that context, the meticulous annotation, including McNally’s erudite personal notes, is as indispensable as the plethora of photographs. And the inclusion of Neil Rosenberg’s ‘listening notes’ is likewise vivid: as much as the track sequence sketches the long-term perspective of Jerry Garcia’s influence on contemporary music, the combination of words and pictures suggest ever so strongly how celebrity—an the aversion to which Garcia developed and maintained as his public profile ascended– was anathema to the purism of intent in learning, performing and instructing others about these songs.
In his understated but nonetheless boundless enthusiasm, we hear Garcia as teacher on “Railroad Bill,” coaching and otherwise encouraging those present to sing along, which they do, somewhat tentatively, but more confidently with each refrain. Such is the earliest manifestation of a generosity of spirit Jerry would offer his various bandmates in later years as a means of fostering group improvisations. And by the time “Sittin’ On Top of the World” appears in this limited edition, Garcia’s penchant for healthy deference to co-musicians becomes apparent, even as the confidence Garcia displays in playing and singing belies such unduly modest nonchalance (not to mention an endearing vulnerability) so often on display in his golden years.
In the performances of the Hart Valley Drifters and the Black Mountain Boys, the engagement of the eventual figurehead of the New Riders of the Purple Sage, David Nelson, along with others of similar contemporary pedigree, like Herb Pedersen (Chris Hillman and Jackson Browne among others), elevates the intensity. The various sources of these recordings assume a continuity, sonically preserved via Fred Kevorkian’s mastering, that is a staple of well-conceived and purposefully-executed archiving such as this set.
Disc 1
Bob and Jerry – May 26, 1961:
- "Santy Anno" (traditional) – 2:15
- "I Got a Home in That Rock" (traditional) – 1:46
- "Oh, Mary Don't You Weep" (traditional) – 3:31
- "All My Trials" (traditional) – 4:01
- "I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago" (H. C. Verner, Harry C. Clyde) – 2:12
- "Blow the Candles Out" (traditional) – 2:02
- "Rake and a Rambling Boy" (traditional, arranged by Joan Baez) – 1:31
- "Trouble in Mind" (Richard M. Jones) – 3:10
Jerry Garcia, Marshall Leicester, and Robert Hunter – July 1961:
- "Brown's Ferry Blues" (Alton Delmore, Rabon Delmore) – 2:51
- "Jesse James" (traditional) – 4:13
Jerry Garcia and unknown musicians – summer or fall 1961:
- "Down in the Willow Garden" (traditional) – 1:48
- "Long Lonesome Road" (traditional) – 2:39
- "Railroad Bill" (traditional) – 3:17
- "The Wagoner's Lad" (traditional) – 3:00
- "Katie Cruel" (traditional) – 3:40
Disc 2
Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers – June 11, 1962:
- "Cannonball Blues" (A. P. Carter) – 3:02
- "Little Birdie (traditional) – 3:17
- "Sally Goodin" (traditional) – 2:06
- "Hold That Woodpile Down" (Edward Harrigan, Tony Hart) – 3:32
- "Legend of the Johnson Boys" (traditional) – 3:10
- "Shady Grove" (traditional) – 2:49
- "Sweet Sunny South" (traditional) – 3:13
- "Man of Constant Sorrow" (traditional) – 2:26
Hart Valley Drifters – fall 1962:
- Band introductions – 1:12
- "Roving Gambler" (traditional) – 3:46
- "Ground Speed" (Earl Scruggs) – 1:29
- "Pig in a Pen" (Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, arranged by Jerry Garcia) – 2:15
- "Standing in the Need of a Prayer" (traditional) – 2:09
- "Flint Hill Special" (Earl Scruggs) – 2:00
- "Nine Pound Hammer" (traditional) – 2:42
- "Handsome Molly" (G. B. Grayson, Henry Whitter) – 2:19
- "Clinch Mountain Backstep" (Ralph Stanley, Ruby Rakes) – 1:18
- "Think of What You've Done" (Carter Stanley) – 2:41
- "Cripple Creek" (traditional) – 1:24
- "All the Good Times Have Past and Gone" (traditional) – 3:07
- "Billy Grimes, the Rover" (traditional) – 2:42
- "Paddy on the Turnpike" (traditional) – 1:38
- "Run Mountain" (J. E. Mainer) – 4:11
- "Sugar Baby" (Dock Boggs) – 3:52
- "Sitting on Top of the World" (Walter Vinson, Lonnie Carter) – 3:37
Disc 3
The Wildwood Boys – February 23, 1963:
- "Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms" (Buster Carter, Preston Young) – 3:25
- "Jerry's Breakdown" (Jerry Garcia) – 2:08
- "Standing in the Need of Prayer" (traditional) – 2:39
- "Mule Skinner Blues" (Jimmie Rodgers, George Vaughn) – 3:23
- "Saturday Night Shuffle" (Merle Travis) – 2:05
- "Pike County Breakdown" (Rupert Jones) – 1:44
- "My Little Sparrow" (traditional) – 3:25
- "We Shall Not Be Moved" (traditional) – 2:41
Jerry and Sara – May 4, 1963:
- "Deep Elem Blues" (Joe Shelton, Robert Shelton) – 3:17
- "Will the Weaver" (traditional) – 3:14
- "I Truly Understand" (traditional) – 3:20
- "Long Black Veil" (Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin) – 4:28
- "The Man That Wrote That Home Sweet Home Never Was a Married Man" (traditional) – 3:38
- "Foggy Mountain Top" (A. P. Carter) – 3:13
Disc 4
Black Mountain Boys – fall 1963:
- "Barefoot Nellie" (Don Reno, Jim Davis) – 3:41
- "She's More to Be Pitied" (Carter Stanley) – 3:26
- "Noah's Breakdown" (Noah Crase) – 2:18
- "Who Will Sing for Me?" (Thomas J. Farris) – 2:07
Black Mountain Boys – January 10, 1964:
- "Salt Creek" (Bradford Keith, Bill Monroe) – 2:19
- "Jody's Hornpipe" (Bill Monroe) – 1:51
- "Rosa Lee McFall" (Charlie Monroe) – 2:31
- "John Hardy" (traditional) – 1:26
Black Mountain Boys – March 6, 1964:
- "Katie Kline" (traditional) – 3:17
- "Walkin' the Dog" (E.M. Grimsley, W.C. Grimsley) – 2:10
- "Paddy on the Turnpike" (traditional) – 3:12
- "Love and Wealth" (Ira Louvin, Charlie Louvin) – 2:19
- "Sourwood Mountain" (traditional) – 0:45
- "If I Lose" (Ralph Stanley) – 2:16
- "Homestead on the Farm" (A. P. Carter) – 2:20
- "Stony Creek" (Jesse McReynolds, Jim McReynolds) – 2:24
- "Salty Dog Blues" (Zeke Morris, Wiley Morris) – 2:28
- "Love Please Come Home" (Leon Jackson) – 2:21
- "Make Me a Pallet on the Floor" (traditional) – 2:27
- "Darlin' Allalee" (traditional) – 2:08
- "In the Pines" (Slim Bryant, Jimmie Davis, Clayton McMichen) – 3:25
- "Raw Hide" (Bill Monroe) – 2:32
- "Black Mountain Rag" (traditional) – 2:12
- "True Life Blues" (Bill Monroe) – 2:21
- Medley: "Devil's Dream" / "Sailor's Hornpipe" (traditional) – 1:45
Black Mountain Boys – spring 1964:
- "Drink Up and Go Home" (Freddie Hart) – 3:05
Asphalt Jungle Mountain Boys – summer 1964:
- "These Men of God" (R. Ellis, P. Williams, J. Williams) – 3:14
- "Roll On Buddy" (traditional) – 2:11
- "Goodbye Old Pal" (Bill Monroe) – 1:50
- "Back Up and Push" (traditional) – 1:10
Personnel
Bob and Jerry
- Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals
- Robert Hunter – vocals
Jerry Garcia, Marshall Leicester, and Robert Hunter
- Jerry Garcia – guitar, vocals
- Robert Hunter – bass, mandolin
- Marshall Leicester – banjo, guitar, vocals
Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers
- Jerry Garcia – banjo, guitar, vocals
- Dick Arnold – fiddle, vocals
- Marshall Leicester – banjo, guitar, vocals
Hart Valley Drifters
- Jerry Garcia – banjo, guitar, vocals
- Ken Frankel – banjo, fiddle, guitar
- Robert Hunter – bass, vocals
- Norm Van Maastricht – dobro
- David Nelson – guitar, vocals
The Wildwood Boys
- Jerry Garcia – banjo, guitar, vocals
- Robert Hunter – mandolin, vocals
- David Nelson – guitar, vocals
- Norm Van Maastricht – bass, guitar, vocals
Jerry and Sara
- Jerry Garcia – banjo, guitar, mandolin, vocals
- Sara Ruppenthal Garcia – guitar, vocals
Black Mountain Boys
Fall 1963 and January 10, 1964
- Jerry Garcia – banjo, guitar, vocals
- Robert Hunter – bass, vocals
- David Nelson – mandolin, vocals
- Eric Thompson – guitar, vocals
Black Mountain Boys
March 6, 1964
- Jerry Garcia – banjo, guitar, vocals
- Geoff Levin – bass
- David Nelson – mandolin, vocals
- Sandy Rothman – guitar, vocals
Black Mountain Boys
Spring 1964
- Jerry Garcia – banjo, vocals
- David Nelson – mandolin, vocals
- Sandy Rothman – guitar, vocals
Asphalt Jungle Mountain Boys
- Jerry Garcia – banjo, vocals
- Jody Stecher – mandolin, vocals
- Eric Thompson – guitar
- Herb Pedersen – vocals on "These Men of God"
- Butch Waller – vocals on "These Men of God"
