The tour culminated in a benefit show on March 22 for the local paper Sonoma Stump, in the tiny Sonoma town of Sebastapol, with Buzz Buchanan assuming drums in place of Tutt. Garcia’s arsenal were at the top of their respective games, beautifully blending influences as varied as reggae, gospel, and early rock & roll.ĭuring February and March 1978 the Garcia Band, along with Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, hit the road in support of the album for a whirlwind run of shows throughout the East Coast and California. Feeding off this relentless forward momentum, Garcia hit the studio for his first proper release as the Jerry Garcia Band ( Cats Under the Stars) with an all-star cast of friends including Kahn, Keith and Donna Godchaux, Elvis’ drummer, Ron Tutt, organist Merl Saunders and folkie Maria Muldaur. 1977 saw a legendary spring tour and the release of Terrapin Station.
The Dead’s short but productive sabbatical ended in 1975 with the release of the transformative Blues For Allah, with the band back on road mid-1976 with a scaled back presence – both on and off the stage. Drummers, keyboardists, back up singers and others came and went, but throughout all this, the core membership was Jerry Garcia with his right hand man, John Kahn on bass – a dynamic duo that would work together for nearly 30 years. The band was often fleshed out with a ragtag ad hoc assembly of musicians that allowed for a constant game of ‘ who’s on first?’.
But, here’s the funny thing about the Jerry Garcia Band (or JGB) – while the Grateful Dead were this hugely popular hand over fist profitable touring group – with nearly every note and movement being recorded by their rabid fan base – Jerry’s solo career has largely gone undocumented. Jerry had slinked away to the comforts of small Bay Area clubs and a song book stocked with Bob Dylan, Motown classics, early rock & roll and everyone’s new island fascination: reggae.
As the age old saying goes ‘more money, more problems’. In late 1974 the Grateful Dead were battening down the hatches and taking refuge from the storm of popularity that had pushed them into larger venues, stage setups and crews.
GarciaLive Volume Four: March 22nd, 1978 Veteran’s Hall
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