Grateful Dead Acoustic Covers Project - Part 1

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Air date: 
Sat, 05/16/2020 - 12:00pm to 2:00pm
A word cloud of song titles that The Grateful Dead covered acoustically.
Originals of tunes the GD played acoustically, followed by their cover.

It's another momentous show!  Today I  launch third installment of what's apparently now a trilogy of covers projects.

First were the 'Dead Covering Black Artists' shows where I played the original versions of songs written or popularized by black musicians that The Grateful Dead covered, followed by a GD version. That series spawned the 'Jerry Covers Project' in which I replicated the overarching concept (no limit on original artist) but presented the songs in themes by genre.

Now it's time for the 'Acoustic Covers Project!'

"We're gonna take a break from all this sweat & steam & uproar & tumult and we're gonna break out our acoustic guitars and regale you with some wooden music."

- Bob Weir, 4/9/70

"The Dead had their origins in acoustic music," says this comprehensive look at the band's early acoustic sets, "Back in '61 Phil Lesh was impressed enough by Garcia as a folk-singer to get him his own radio show - and Garcia, Weir, and Pigpen first started playing together in the Mother McCree's jug-band in '64, after Garcia had tired of the local bluegrass circuit. If it hadn't been for their love of the Beatles and the Stones, perhaps they would have become a merry band of old-time traditionalists like the New Lost City Ramblers."

To acknowledge some of the artists who contributed to the band's love of acoustic music, I've assembled a list of all songs The Grateful Dead covered acoustically. I've located the original recording of each and I'll play that (with 1 exception you'll hear about on-air) before sharing a carefully selected GD acoustic cover (when a choice was possible, more about that on-air).

One major distinction this special has from the other parts of the trilogy is that it only includes 44 songs from 26 shows spread across only three years (1969, 1970, 1980). A key trait this special shares with its predecessors is that the original artists featured range from the commonly known (John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Judy Collins, Merle Haggard and The Everly Brothers) to the much more obscure (Furry Lewis, Maddox Brothers & Rose, John Dilleshaw and the Fisk Jubilee Singers).

I hope you enjoy the show, perhaps even learn something.

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Episode Playlist

  • Time
    12:02
    Artist
    The Lone Star Cowboys
    Song
    Deep Ellum Blues
    Album
    single w/ Hang Out the Front Door Key
    Label
  • Time
    12:05
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Deep Elem Blues
    Album
    9/20/70 - Fillmore East, New York, NY
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd1970-09-20.135798.sbd.smith.droncit.flac16
  • Time
    12:11
    Artist
    Elizabeth Cotten
    Song
    Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie
    Album
    Folk Songs and Instrumental with Guitar
    Label
    Folkways
  • Time
    12:16
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Oh Babe It Ain't No Lie
    Album
    9/27/80 - Warfield Theater, San Francisco, CA
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd1980-09-27.sbd.cantor.gmb.96271.flac16
  • Time
    12:21
    Artist
    George Jones
    Song
    The Old Old House
    Album
    I Wish Tonight Would Never End
    Label
    EMI Music Nashville (ERN)
  • Time
    12:24
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Old Old House
    Album
    6/21/69 - Fillmore East, New York, NY
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd1969-06-21.sbd-late.bove.2195.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    12:33
    Artist
    Judy Collins
    Song
    Me & My Uncle
    Album
    The Judy Collins Concert (Live)
    Label
    Rhino/Elektra
  • Time
    12:36
    Artist
    John Phillips
    Song
    Me and My Uncle
    Album
    Phillips 66
    Label
    Eagle Rock (US)
  • Time
    12:40
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Me & My Uncle
    Album
    6/5/70 - Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd1970-06-05.123702.mtx.dusborne.flac16
  • Time
    12:43
    Artist
    Lightnin' Hopkins
    Song
    She's Mine
    Album
    Lightnin' Hopkins
    Label
  • Time
    12:47
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    She's Mine
    Album
    5/15/70 - Fillmore East, New York ,NY
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd70-05-15.early-late.sbd.97.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    12:50
    Artist
    Freddie Hart
    Song
    Drink Up & Go Home
    Album
    single (w/ Blue)
    Label
  • Time
    12:53
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Drink Up & Go Home
    Album
    8/5/70 - Golden Hall, San Diego Community Concourse, San Diego, CA
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd70-08-05.sbd.jupile.17271.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    1:02
    Artist
    Bill Browning & His Echo Valley Boys
    Song
    Dark Hollow
    Album
    single (w/Borned With the Blues)
    Label
  • Time
    1:04
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Dark Hollow
    Album
    9/25/80 - Warfield Theater, San Francisco, CA
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd80-09-25.acoustic-sbd.hinko.18740.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    1:09
    Artist
    Dan Paley
    Song
    Jackaro
    Album
    Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachian Mountains
    Label
    Elektra
  • Time
    1:12
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Jack-A-Roe
    Album
    10/6/80 - Warfield Theater, San Francisco, CA
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd80-10-06.acoustic-sbd.8779.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    1:16
    Artist
    Henry Thomas
    Song
    Don't Ease Me In
    Album
    single (w/Texas Easy Street Blues)
    Label
  • Time
    1:19
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Don't Ease Me In
    Album
    5/14/70 - Meramec Community College, Kirkwood, MO
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd70-05-14.sbd.cotsman.12439.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    1:22
    Artist
    Mel Tillis & Bill Phillips
    Song
    Sawmill
    Album
    single (w/You Are the Reason)
    Label
  • Time
    1:24
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Sawmill
    Album
    1/31/70 - The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd1970-01-31.sbd.cotsman.fixed.24028.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    1:32
    Artist
    Lead Belly
    Song
    Roberta
    Album
    Lead Belly's Legacy, Vol. 3: Early Recordings
    Label
    Smithsonian Folkways
  • Time
    1:35
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Roberta
    Album
    4/18/70 - Family Dog at the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA
    Label
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1_ZaHruyU8
  • Time
    1:38
    Artist
    Teneva Ramblers (The Grant Brothers)
    Song
    Tell It To Me
    Album
    unknown
    Label
  • Time
    1:41
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Tell It To Me
    Album
    8/5/70 - Golden Hall, San Diego Community Concourse, San Diego, CA
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd70-08-05.sbd.jupile.17271.sbeok.shnf
  • Time
    1:44
    Artist
    Porter Wagoner
    Song
    Let Me In
    Album
    single (w/Ole Slew Foot)
    Label
  • Time
    1:46
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    Let Me In
    Album
    7/4/69 - Kinetic Playground, Chicago, IL
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd69-07-04.sbd.sirmick.remaster.29294.shnf
  • Time
    1:55
    Artist
    The Weavers
    Song
    The Frozen Logger
    Album
    single (w/Darling Corey)
    Label
  • Time
    1:57
    Artist
    The Grateful Dead
    Song
    The Frozen Logger
    Album
    6/6/70 - Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA
    Label
    http://www.archive.org/details/gd1970-06-06.132157.miller.sbd.flac16

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