Old and in the Way
Band · Active 1973–1974 · Stinson Beach, California
Folk / Americana
Progressive Bluegrass
Old & In the Way was one of the most influential short-lived bands in bluegrass history — a 1973–74 side project formed by Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead to revisit his banjo-playing roots. With a lineup that became legendary, the band played roughly fifty shows and recorded a single live album that went on to become one of the best-selling bluegrass records of all time.
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- Formed in early 1973 in and around Stinson Beach, California, where Garcia, David Grisman, and Peter Rowan were all living at the time.
- Classic lineup: Jerry Garcia (banjo, vocals), David Grisman (mandolin, vocals), Peter Rowan (guitar, vocals), Vassar Clements (fiddle), and John Kahn (bass). Richard Greene and John Hartford played fiddle in the earliest shows before Clements joined permanently in June 1973.
- The band's name came from an offhand remark Garcia made during an early rehearsal — "we're old and in the way" — which later became a song Grisman wrote for the group.
- Played about 49 shows between March 2, 1973 and April 28, 1974, mainly in Northern California at venues like The Boarding House, Keystone Berkeley, and Great American Music Hall.
- Self-titled debut album Old & In the Way, recorded live October 8, 1973 at The Boarding House by Owsley Stanley and released in 1975 on Round Records, held the record as the best-selling bluegrass album for two decades.
- Signature originals included Rowan's "Panama Red," "Midnight Moonlight," and "Land of the Navajo," alongside bluegrass standards and an acoustic take on the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses."
- The band brought bluegrass to a massive rock-and-roll audience — Deadheads discovering high, lonesome singing for the first time — and its influence on the jam-grass movement remains substantial.
- Dissolved in 1974 as Garcia's Grateful Dead commitments intensified; a 2002 reunion album Old & In the Gray featured Rowan, Grisman, and Clements with Herb Pedersen substituting for the late Garcia (who died in 1995) and Bryn Bright replacing John Kahn (who died in 1996).
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Breakdown1997 · Acoustic Disc ACD 28
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That High Lonesome Sound1996 · Acoustic Disc ACC 19
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Old and in the Way1975 · Round RX 103
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David GrismanPlayed on recordings with Old and in the Way
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Peter RowanPlayed on recordings with Old and in the Way
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Vassar ClementsPlayed on recordings with Old and in the Way
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Jerry GarciaPlayed on recordings with Old and in the Way
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John KahnPlayed on recordings with Old and in the Way
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Herb PedersenPlayed on recording with Old and in the Way
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Todd PhillipsPlayed on recording with Old and in the Way
