Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band

Though primarily recognized for fronting the Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia extended well beyond that role. To countless listeners he personified the unfettered creative energy of the 1960s. An accomplished guitarist, songwriter, and an underappreciated singer, he pursued music with genuine passion and participated in many side projects outside the Grateful Dead. His acoustic ensemble operated between 1987 and 1988, issuing one record while active and several more in later years.

In 1987, still riding the double-platinum achievement of In the Dark and the Top Ten success of its single “Touch of Grey,” Garcia completed the supporting tour and then mounted a special engagement at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater on Broadway in New York City. The first half featured an acoustic string band; the Jerry Garcia Band took the stage for the second half. Those performances yielded the live recording Almost Acoustic, released under the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band name and featuring David Nelson on guitar, Sandy Rothman on mandolin and Dobro, John Kahn on bass, Kenny Kosek on fiddle, and David Kemper on drums. Further archival releases drawn from the same period appeared after Garcia’s death in 1995.