Jerry Garcia?

David Friedlander · From: New York, New York, USA

What does everyone think of Jerry's contribution?
I know he wasn't really a pedal steel player- but to many of my generation and location the best way to describe what a pedal steel guitar is would be to mention "Teach Your Children"
Anybody know what kind of axe he played?

Mark Herrick · From: Bakersfield, CA

Don't expect to get a big response to this one. No offense, of course, but it's been covered so many times...

Try a search for "Jerry Garcia" and you'll find more than you could ever wish for...

Chris Erbacher · From: Sausalito, California, USA

hey, jerry played a zb custom thru a fender twin. with the new riders he also added effects, some say with good taste, others can't stand it. to each his own, but he is the reason i got into steel. i am a deadhead and love his part on teach your children, and his new riders stuff. i know he isn't technically the best player, but the parts he played in the music were distinctly with his stamp on them. hope this helps

David Friedlander · From: New York, New York, USA

Thanks Chris, I've been listening quite a bit to the Riders with Buddy Cage- but not to the album Jerry played on- what's it called?
I heard an intersting version of the evewnts at the CSNY session whioch yeilded Teach Your Children. Seems that Jerry wanted EVERYTHING just so - and drove the others crazy.
If you listem to the track it has far more in common with Dead albums of the time than that the track does with the other tracks on the album.

Thanks too Mark- I'm sure it has.
As a newbie, I'm sure I'll probably ask a lot of things which have been overcovered!

Add: As a newbie, some of the most basic, things are the most interesting- I'm sure proper seating position has been gone over 1000 times- but reading about it today helps those of us who've never had a lot of people willing/able to discuss the steel guitar

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

Moved to 'Steel Players' section. DUCK!

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Bobby Lee
-b0b- quasar@b0b.com

System Administrator

Terry Edwards · From: Florida... livin' on spongecake...

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Jerry Garcia voted best pedal steel guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine?

Terry

(ducking under my desk!)

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

David, it was the first New Riders album - I think it was called NRPS. If you want some great history on that go to John Arnold's website - www.johnbarnold.com - John did a great interview with Buddy Cage. I saw the New Riders with Garcia on steel at a rock festival in Calgary in 1970 - Cage was there as well, but playing with Ian and Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird. And Sneaky Pete was there with the FBB's, come to think of it. At the time I didn't have a clue about steel guitar. Wish I could remember it all better......

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Terry, you're ruthless! We're all ducking now.

Brad Sarno

Bob Smith · From: Allentown, New Jersey, USA

Dave, I made the mistake of asking about Toy Caldwells steel playing. I received both barrels in short order, still pickin the shot out of my backside!!LOL Anyway Jerry isnt a favorite here,I think? bob

Bob Blair · From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

I don't think you can generalize and say that Jerry isn't a "favorite" here - among forum members there are diverse views about everything and everyone under the sun, including Garcia! A lot of people here, me included, might not be were it not for hearing stuff like "Teach Your Children", and that whole hippie/country thing of which Jerry was an important part.

JB Arnold · From: Longmont,Co,USA (deceased)

SURE he is!!!! Don't you listen to those other guys. Garcia wasn't really much of a steeler (even cage says so)but he was unique. The NRPS didn't take off till Cage joined and they really rocketed into the stratosphere.

The interview with Cage-who has a lot of Garcia stories, as they were pretty close for a number of years-is at the link below to the Cage website.

You are obviously a man of above average intelligence and impeccable musical tastes. What are you doing slumming with the likes of US?

Pay no attention to the naysayers who may dare to rear their ugly heads in any thread about Garcia. It's all sour grapes-they're not on the bus....

Keep on Truckin'

JB

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Fulawka D-10 9&5
Fessenden D-10 8&8
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
www.buddycage.net

http://www.nrpsmusic.com/index.html

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

I believe that he used a ZB Custom on "Teach Your Children". Forum member Pete Grant would know for sure.

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Bobby Lee - email: quasar@b0b.com - gigs - CDs, Open Hearts
Sierra Session 12 (E9), Williams 400X (Emaj9, D6), Sierra Olympic 12 (C6add9),
Sierra Laptop 8 (D13), Fender Stringmaster (E13, A6),
Roland Handsonic, Line 6 Variax

Pete Burak · From: Portland, OR USA

Jerry laid down some great steel.
The Wheel, To Lay Me Down, Sugar Magnolia, Dire Wolf, Looks Like Rain, just to name a few.
And of course (like it or not), his playing on Teach Your Children Well has received more airplay than any other pedal steel playing ever recorded.

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

Do I remember him playing an Emmons at some point after the ZB? I think I saw him several times with it at the Fillmore in SF. At that time he also played with the Rowan Brothers. It might have been rosewood mica. Please correct me if I am wrong. Back in those days I used to see alot of weird things.

I became a steel player when Jerry showed me his ZB at a place called the "Family Dog" on the coast of SF. He was nice enough to show me how it worked. Of course, as most steelers are, he was zazzed to show off the instrument to a newbie. God rest his soul.

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

I saw him play his ZB twice with NRPS. I thought it sounded fabulous back then. I just heard some old tapes of him playing live. Intonation was not one of his better abilities, but it was all experimental with him back then.

Bobby Lee · From: Cloverdale, California, USA

Winnie Winston · From: Tawa, Wellington, NZ * R.I.P.

Jerry loved Steel and Banjo. His biggest unfulfilled dream was to be a "Bluegrass Boy" with Monroe.
I met Jerry three times-- once was at Sunset Park, in WestGrove, PA back in 1962 or 63. It was WAY before steel or the Dead. He had come east to survey the bluegrass scene.
The next time I saw him was a small get-together at Banana's (Lowell Levinger) place in Mill Valley. David Grisman, Jerry, Pete Rowan, and I got together to make some music.
I had just finished building my "The Steel" and I had it with me. I was NOT much of a player at that time (1972). We struggled with a bunch of tunes, Banana recorded it (where IS that tape?) and we were all pretty wasted on good weed.
The next time I saw him was a show he was doing with John MacLaughlin. We spent about an hour together just chatting about banjos and steels.
He might not have been a great steel player, but he sure did leave his mark with it!

JW

Richard Sinkler · From: aka: Rusty Strings -- Missoula, Montana

b0b.. The Family Dog was a great hall, wasn't it. The stages were so low you were almost eye to eye with the performers. Two stages at either end of the hall. I stood face to face with Jerry at that concert. I was able to catch him when he was leaving the stage to walk to the other end to play with the Dead. I was an huge fan of the Dead and NRPS and saw every Dead show in the bay area from 68 to right after the Wake of the Flood album. At Fillmore West, I would often go all 4 nights. I was so upset when Buddy took Jerry's place. So much that the first couple of times after Cage joined, I thought he was the worst picker in the world. Of course, I soon "grew up" and saw what a great player Buddy really is.

Always like when the dead would do there acoustic sets and Jerry would would play PSG on some songs. I agree that he was not particulary a great steeler as far as technique (except his own) but the feeling and phrasing that he put into his playing is unbelievable.

Terry, is there room for me under your desk too. Mine has no room.

Maybe Pete Grant would be kind enough to bring Jerry's ZB to a steel jam. I would love to get a picture of me with "the PSG that changed my life".

[This message was edited by Richard Sinkler on 15 November 2003 at 01:56 PM.]

Mike Winter · From: Portland, OR

In my opinion a lot of the picking here at Jerry is sour grapes. It wasn't his fault he got picked as the best player by the magazine. He would be the first to say it was a crock and he certainly was acutely aware of and pretty vocal about his limitations on the instrument. Not much, if anything is ever said about how hard it would be to pick with half the bird finger missing.

The fact is that his playing on TYC was instrumental in turning on a whole generation of young people to the PSG. At least give him that. Many players on this Forum have said they got the bug after hearing that particular tune. It's always been a shame to me that people can't see past the psychedelia and see that there was a lot of rootsy Americana musical savvy in that dude. Like Pete said above, Jerry played some sweet stuff on a number of tunes.

Here's a thought: How much music has been played, and how much joy have people received from the playing of those who were inspired by Jerry, Buddy Cage, Sneaky Pete, Rusty Young and Tom Brumley? Quite a lot...and that's really pretty cool.

Duane Becker · From: Elk,Wa 99009 USA

Well, I am old Country and Western all the way, but I think Jerry Garcia steel playing was simple, unique, and great. Those guys like Garcia, Sneeky Pete, Cage and Rusty Young were playing steel with classic rock bands! ..and every body was calling it rock. Now today, we have new hot country playing rock and they are calling it country. Not that I am against the new country, but really some or most of it should not be called country. Duane Becker

Eric West · From: Portland, Oregon, USA, R.I.P.

Between Old and In the Way, and the album it was on, and the "Pizza Tapes" CD that's made it into chain stores of late, I don't see any doubt in my mind about his taste in music. I was there at the GD Concerts, and I remember clearly "Big Iron", El Paso, and a ton of others. If you want my take on it, the doodling tye dyed Acid Stuff™ was just to pay the bills.

"Old and in the way, that's what I heard them say.

They used to heed the words he said, but that was yesterday.

Gold has turned to Gray, and youth will fade away.

They'll forget about you when you're Old and in the Way.."

Words to live by, I'm finding out at 50...

Kind of hard to call down a guy that had country roots while I was worrying about wrecking my bicycle...

I'm wondering if references by Vassar Clemments would hold any sway over the 'naysayers'..

EJL

Steve Frost · From: Scarborough,Maine

Not one of the favorites around here? Well. this is not exactly a homogeneous group. Anyone disagree with me yet? Garcia is MY favorite. I would have missed a lot if I'd never heard him. My interest in his music led me to Grisman and Vassar and bluegrass/ Dawg music. His steel playing with the New Riders was a sound that I'd never heard before. 30 years later, I finally took the plunge and bought a steel. There may be some complaints about that ,too- I just hope that they are not because I wasn't emulating one of the "real" steel players - you know , the ones a country- rock fan never ever would have heard of in 1971. Garcia was something else- if you try to pigeonhole him on account of his pedal steel skills, then you are clueless. That was the least of his contribution. Unfortunately , he had some personal demons that cut his life short. Wish I'd known him, though...

R. E. Klaus · From: Montana, USA

A restaurant here on Maui has a picture of Mr. Garcia playing a MCI. I don't know the year it was taken. I don't personally care for the sound he had on steel but he played on a lot more records than I ever will.
R.E. Klaus

Pete Grant · From: Auburn, CA, USA

Garcia did play the ZB on TYC, and he'd only been playing for a few months! That might have been 8 to 10 hours a day, but it was only a few months.

He got an Emmons sometime in '70, if I remember correctly.

And, yes, the next time I come to the San Jose steel guitar jam I'll bring the ZB. It has killer tone.

Kevin Hatton · From: Buffalo, N.Y.

How interesting that Jerry is STILL inspiring people to take up steel even after his death. He sure did inspire me. He is one of the reasons that I play a restored D-10 ZB Custom. I just got off a gig playing it. He inspired many of us, and yes he DID get it right on TYC. One of the most beautiful steel performances ever, even if it took many takes to get. Jerry had style and really tried to pay tribute to the Bakersfield sound in his playing. He was very special.

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