Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
Band · Active 1990–1995 · Northern California
New Acoustic
Jazz / Dawg
Progressive Bluegrass
Jerry Garcia and David Grisman's duo recordings on Grisman's Acoustic Disc label are the most intimate documents of Garcia's lifelong bluegrass-and-folk obsession — a series of acoustic sessions made during the Grateful Dead's most grueling touring years that captured two old friends playing guitar-and-mandolin duets on everything from Jimmie Rodgers to children's songs to original compositions.
Assisted by AI.
Spot something off? Help us fix it.
- Garcia and Grisman met in 1964 at a Sunset Park, Pennsylvania bluegrass festival where Garcia had traveled to see Bill Monroe. Later neighbors in Stinson Beach, California in the early 1970s, they briefly played together in Old and in the Way (see separate entry).
- Reunited musically in 1990 for casual home sessions that evolved into full-scale Acoustic Disc releases. Grisman's intent was to document Garcia's acoustic side at a time when the Grateful Dead had largely moved away from it.
- Jerry Garcia / David Grisman (Acoustic Disc, 1991) was the debut — a self-titled duo album featuring Irving Berlin's “Russian Lullaby,” B.B. King's “The Thrill Is Gone,” the Dead's “Friend of the Devil,” and Appalachian traditional material. It sold over a million copies, remarkable for an acoustic release.
- Not for Kids Only (Acoustic Disc, 1993) was a children's-music record featuring reimagined folk songs, nursery material, and “Arkansas Traveler” — the title track and centerpiece.
- Shady Grove (Acoustic Disc, 1996, posthumous) drew from folk and old-time sources: the title track, “Fair Ellender,” “Off to Sea Once More,” and “Jackaroe.”
- So What (Acoustic Disc, 1998) explored jazz standards including the Miles Davis title track, “Milestones,” and “My Foolish Heart.”
- The duo's work with Tony Rice was preserved as The Pizza Tapes (Acoustic Disc, 2000) — a 1993 kitchen jam that circulated on bootleg cassettes for years before official release.
- Grateful Dawg (2000) was a documentary film by Grisman's daughter Gillian chronicling the Garcia-Grisman friendship — featured home footage, interviews, and unreleased music.
- Garcia died in August 1995. Grisman's Acoustic Disc continued releasing archival material from the duo's sessions for decades, including the Bare Bones series of raw session recordings.
- Happy Traum observed that Garcia's playing with Grisman revealed influences from Doc Watson, Arthur Smith, and Clarence White — the bluegrass-flatpicking roots beneath the electric psychedelia of the Dead.
-
Been All Around This World2004 · Acoustic Disc ACD 57
-
Shady Grove1996 · Acoustic Disc ACD 21
-
Not For Kids Only1993 · Acoustic Disc ACD 9
-
Jerry Garcia and David Grisman1991 · Acoustic Disc ACD 2
-
David GrismanPlayed on recordings with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
-
Jerry GarciaPlayed on recordings with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
-
Jim KerwinPlayed on recordings with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
-
Joe CravenPlayed on recordings with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
-
Jeff OrrPlayed on recording with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
-
Jody StecherPlayed on recording with Jerry Garcia and David Grisman
