if i knew the way,I would take you Home~!

We continue into the sixth day of All The Years Combine: Celebrating Jerry Garcia in Picture with this rarely seen image of Jerry taken at Melkweg Club in Amsterdam by Bob Minkin Photography who shares the tale behind the image below:

Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead had inspired a sense of freedom and wanderlust in me.

Through them I discovered Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and Tom Wolfe’s The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. Those books and the music and lyrics of the Grateful Dead, ignited my desire to travel, to visit San Francisco and ultimately move there from New York City where I grew up.

Flash forward to 1981... I heard that the Grateful Dead were to play Europe that Fall. Back in 1978 I missed my chance to see the band play at the pyramids in Egypt, and had regretted not going. I was determined not to miss the first major European tour by the Grateful Dead since 1972. The timing for me was perfect. I had already graduated college and had the time and some savings to make the trip.

Planning my first European trip, or even the idea of traveling to Europe, and places across the US is one big way the Grateful Dead affected, or changed my life. I doubt I would’ve accomplished any of these adventures at that young age if it weren't for them.

I began the tour in Copenhagen, and followed the rest of the shows through Munich, Russelsheim, the two Melkweg shows in Amsterdam, Paris, and finally the last show in Barcelona.

The highlight of my musical life took place on those two nights in Amsterdam.

The second show on October 16th, also Bob Weir’s 34th birthday, was extra special for many reasons to be described...

Word must have got out that the Dead were in town because the club was packed that second night, about 400 people inside. When the Dead came onstage, Bob Weir was welcomed with a bouquet of daisies. The audience also sang him happy birthday to which Jerry replied, “touching, touching.”

The band opened with a rare acoustic set. The audience and band were getting off on the intimate atmosphere with between song banter and beaming smiles as they played. They knew what they were doing to us, and we gave it back to them. This was raw Grateful Dead, stripped to the essentials.

There were many amusing moments such as the girl who jumped onstage and writhed on Phil. He sent her off with a reverberating note over to Jerry who looked up from his guitar, gave her a polite “hello” before she was zapped away.

The second set was very electric. Never heard before Grateful Dead renditions of Hully Gully and Gloria were performed. During the jam after Gloria, an old familiar melody was heard and Bob Weir haltingly sang, “without a warning, you broke my heart”. They played a kickass Lovelight, almost a decade after it was last performed with Pigpen.

The houselights came on at 2:00 am and their manager Rock Scully stepped onstage and told us, “ This was a very special treat for us (the band) and a gift to us from you guys”.

The Music Never Stopped - It was no point sleeping that night, as I had to catch an early train to Paris for that night’s show at the Hippodrome. But that’s another story.

Signed & numbered limited edition archival photo prints of Jerry Garcia - October 16, 1981 Amsterdam are available for a limited time via the Garcia Family Provisions online store via http://bit.ly/JerryPrints. To learn more about Bob Minkin's photography, visit MinkinPhotography.com

Friend and photographer Susana Millman ushers in day seven of All The Years Combine: Celebrating Jerry Garcia in Picture with her vibrant portrait and sweet memories of her time with Jerry.

In 1993, Jerry continued the sequence of acoustic recordings he had been making with David Grisman, this one a folksy, often funny compilation called Not for Kids Only. The front cover was Jerry’s sketch of himself and Grisman playing, while I shot the artist portraits for the rear cover.... The shoot took place at David Grisman’s Mill Valley home, on the fresh and verdant deck. Jerry’s acoustic sessions with David were marked by laughter and relaxation with a quality of innocence and musical joy, and the air was always redolent with sweet smells. – Susana Millman

Archival quality photo prints of Good Times on the Deck, 1993 signed by the photographer are available for a limited time via the Garcia Family Provisions online store via http://bit.ly/JerryPrints. To learn more about Susana Millman’s photography, visit Mamarazi.com.

All The Years Combine: Celebrating Jerry Garcia in Picture continues into its eighth day with Jay Blakesberg’s striking portrait of Jerry captured in 1993 and the tale behind the shoot:

This photograph was taken September 1993 in David Grisman’s living room in Mill Valley, Ca. It was a shoot for the cover of Acoustic Guitar Magazine. When Garcia got to the house, he realized he forgot to bring his Acoustic Guitar (a must have for a guitar magazine shoot), so Grisman loaned hi...m a cool vintage Gibson. We did a bunch of shots of the 2 of them for the cover, then we did some individual shots of each of them with their instruments. Jerry was never that into doing photo shoots, so his way of dealing was to just start playing music. They basically just jammed for me for 20 minutes or so while I kept asking them not to sing because then they would have funny faces. For the last solo shots I asked Garcia to put the guitar down so I could get some nice focused eye contact. He lit up a cigarette and I asked him to take a drag while I shot. To me this really represented who he was at the time. I call this image “The Smoker.” – Jay Blakesberg

Limited edition archival quality photo prints of The Smoker, 1993 signed by the photographer are available for a limited time via the Garcia Family Provisions online store. To learn more about Jay Blakesberg Photography, visit Blakesberg.com.

Will be 20 years ago Jerry left the building...
RIP Jer, see you over the rainbow...

We close our celebration of 73 years of artistry and reflection on the 20th anniversary of Jerry’s passing with the ninth and final installment of All The Year's Combine: Celebrating Jerry Garcia in Picture: Robbi Cohn's iconic live image lovingly titled Bird Song.

My experience with the Grateful Dead is from a Deadhead's perspective...the music and Jerry's sound drew me to the Dead. It wasn't until 1984, years after my first show in 1971 that I brought a camera to shows an...d it was totally kismet that I was able to turn my passion into a career. I started shooting for Grateful Dead Merchandising in the late '80's, mostly for the yearly calendars and sometime in 1991 the band licensed Dead Images and it's been nonstop since then. I've photographed the band 300 or more times and continue to find images buried in the archives. I'm just starting to uncover gems I've neglected, mostly the b&w catalog as well as all the slides.

Bird Song was my first limited edition, taken during an extremely rainy show in Pittsburgh at Three Rivers Stadium. Normal protocol was first three songs in the pit, but on this day I was lucky to spend the entire first set shooting the boys and captured Jerry with blue lit blowing hair. It was one of those instances where you walk away with that "I got the shot" feeling.

Bird Song has been published extensively and was used by Jerry's estate for several projects including hang tags for J Garcia ties. For me it evokes everything I choose to remember about Jerry and years on tour. I hope it does for you too! - Robbi Cohn

Limited edition archival quality photo prints of Bird Song, 1995 signed by the photographer are available for a limited time via the Garcia Family Provisions online store via http://bit.ly/JerryPrints. To learn more about Robbi Cohn's photography, visit DeadImages.com.

I know I am late on this, but I wanted to put something up in memory of Jerry. It has been a year of remembering the Dead and celebrating all they meant to people and music.

53 way to young to leave us Jerry....RIP.

Too bad the word "trainwreck" got usurped,
used it for ~4 decades;
Jerry's obviously "fucked up as a trainwreck",
haven't <completely> uttered that term for years now--
it sounds like advertising...

Revisiting a Grateful Dead show at Lindley Meadows in Golden Gate Park on this day in 1975. Listen to King Solomon’s Marbles / Stronger Than Dirt [or Milkin’ the Turkey]
Was at this show no doubt....

Photo: Ed Perlstein

I miss Jerry terribly.

I do love that beautiful archtop he played in his later years with Grisman

“Jerry knocked a chunk out of the wall and let the light shine through, and it’s up to us to keep that light shining through, or someday we are going to have to answer to him.” - Ken Kesey

Photo: Rosie McGee, Newport Pop Fest 1968

chickenman said:

, Newport Pop Fest 1968

Click to expand...

That was a heck of a weekend,
from what I remember...
...Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane had a huge pie fight,
covered the whole stage with creme pies--
The Dead played Creme Puff War...

Bands Performing at the Festival:

Saturday, August 3, 1968

Alice Cooper, Canned Heat, Chambers Brothers, Charles Lloyd Quartet, Country Joe and the Fish, The Electric Flag, James Cotton Blues Band, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Sonny & Cher, Steppenwolf, Tiny Tim.

During the Charles Lloyd Quartet set, a local group called Super Chief began playing a Lee Michaels song, Hello, on an alternate stage at the rear of the crowd. Most of the attendees turned around and watched them as the Lloyd music was not in the style they had come to listen to.

Sunday, August 4, 1968

Blue Cheer, Eric Burdon & the Animals, Grateful Dead, Illinois Speed Press, Iron Butterfly, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Byrds, Things to Come.

Bands that may have performed at the festival

Lovin' Spoonful, Rhinoceros, Sky Pilot and The Turtles were not listed on the official poster for the event, there is published evidence that indicates that these bands may have played at the festival.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Pop_Festival

Think Jerry would've liked these... I still miss him so much !!



Have a great day all and listen to some Jerry today!!
Cheers,
Daniel