Jerry Garcia | Artist

Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist born 1942 in San Francisco, California, of Spanish, Irish and Swedish descent. He is best known for his work as the lead guitarist and a vocalist with the Grateful Dead and for his solo work and collaborations. Garcia performed with the Grateful Dead for their entire 30-year career (1965–95) and played a primary role on every one of their 17 studio albums and countless live albums. Garcia also founded and participated in a variety of side projects, including the Jerry Garcia Band, Saunders–Garcia Band, Old and In The Way, the Garcia/Grisman acoustic duo and The New Riders of the Purple Sage. As a soloist Garcia released a dozen albums, many with fellow country/roots enthusiast David Grisman. Garcia was renowned for his musical and technical ability, particularly his ability to play a variety of instruments, and his ability to sustain long improvisations with The Grateful Dead. He was ranked 13th in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" list. Garcia is reckoned to be the most recorded guitarist in history, with more than 2,200 Grateful Dead concerts, and 1,000 Jerry Garcia Band concerts captured on tape – as well as numerous studio sessions. There are about 15,000 hours of his guitar work preserved for the ages. Outstanding non-Dead albums include Hooteroll? (1971), Garcia (1972), Jerry Garcia/David Grisman (1991), Shady Grove (1996), Almost Acoustic/Recorded Live (1988), Cats Under The Stars (1978) and Jerry Garcia Band (1991). Garcia was staying in a California drug rehabilitation facility when he died of a heart attack in August 1995, at age 53.

Artist Website: jerrygarcia.com

Featured Albums: Jerry Garcia

Related Artists: Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, David Grisman, Old and In The Way, Robert Hunter

Video Clips: Guitar Solo, Mission in the Rain, High Time