Jerry Garcia and David Grisman: Bluegrass in the 1970's

9. David Grisman and Jerry Garcia: Shady Grove
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayk_qQw0XZg
Shady Grove was recorded by Grisman and Garcia along with an accompanying band and was also highlighted on Old and in the Way in 1975. This song was one of the most popular tracks off of this album and has been covered by countless bands since its original release. It differs from traditional bluegrass in the sense that Jerry Garcia is the solo vocalist for the entire song. However, the dialogue between the string instruments is still quite typical of the bluegrass tradition. The lyrics also reflect the common topic of nature, which is often dealt with in bluegrass music.


10. Jerry Garcia and David Grisman: Walking Boss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVoJ59bWKsM
This song is chosen because of the ability of two artists to create the type of impact that even full bluegrass groups could not match. Although the song is just a duet between Garcia and Grisman that only displays two instruments and one voice, it sounds just as powerful and memorable as all other bluegrass songs on this list. One unique component of this piece is the freestyle ability of the two artists, which they often did not display in their bluegrass work. It is a well known fact that the two artists were creative and innovative jam artists as they showed in multiple non-bluegrass songs. In this song we hear a longer selection that highlights the musical dialogue between both men and the unforgettable raspy voice of Jerry Garica. As a music of string instruments, this selection is an excellent example of great picking.


11. Old and In the Way: Pig in a Pen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kC4Sx-WuNE
Old and In the Way is an essential bluegrass band in its astounding popularity, talented core of musicians, and propensity for live music. In 1975 the group led by Jerry Garcia, Peter Rowan, and David Grisman released its debut album titled Old and In the Way. The album was the top selling blue grass disc for over a decade. One main reason for the disc’s popularity was the already popular role of Jerry Garcia in American music culture. As the lead guitarist and vocalist for the Grateful Dead, who began playing in 1965, Garcia was already a well-known name in many musical communities. Therefore, Garcia helped put a popular face on bluegrass music that further improved its visibility. Pig in a Pen is a traditional bluegrass song that exemplifies quartet vocal harmonization and alternating string instruments leading the melody.

12. Old and in the way: Wild Horses
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65pOP0Zu_jI
Wild Horses also comes from Old and in the way’s debut album. Once again we see the relevance of this track as a connector between popular society and the bluegrass movement. In this song, the band takes on of the most popular songs of the late 1960’s performed by the Rolling Stones, and infuses it with bluegrass instruments and sounds. This bold and innovative song idea helped attract fans who otherwise may have no interest in bluegrass music. One again we see the expansion of the bluegrass tradition and the incorporation of other musical communities. One cannot really appreciate the importance of this song without comparing it to the Rolling Stones version. Old and in the way’s interpretation is faster, acoustic, more musically challenging, and incorporates more musicians and sounds. For example, the Rolling Stones version relies solely on the vocals of Mick Jagger, while Old and in the way keeps with bluegrass tradition and incorporates the harmonizing of multiple voices.