(Additional information:) Perhaps very few friends of famous musicians from the '60s and '70s knew
how to help a drug addict,
or they would have not become addicts for a significant part of their lives.
Clinton Heylin:"Bob Dylan: Behind The Shades, a Biography"
RS:
"Run for the Roses" features an interesting cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door".
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 1995 17:44:16 -0500 From: Chris Friedrich (cfriedri@WELCHLINK.WELCH.JHU.EDU> Subject: Garcia obit-AP From: C-ap@clarinet.com (AP) Subject: Jerry Garcia Dies At 53 Date: Wed, 9 Aug 95 10:00:23 PDT SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Jerry Garcia, the master guitarist whose band the Grateful Dead symbolized the 1960s counterculture and remained a top concert draw three decades later, died Wednesday at a drug treatment center. He was 53. The cause was a heart attack, a band spokesman said. He was found at 4:23 a.m. by a counselor at Serenity Knolls, a residential treatment center for drug addiction in Forest Knolls, said Dan Murphy of the Marin County sheriff's office. A nurse attempted CPR, and sheriff's department staff who were summoned also failed to revive him, Murphy said. The Grateful Dead, with its roots in the Bay Area's psychedelic scene of the 1960s, combined rock, bluegrass, blues and folk influences into a unique stew. Garcia was lead guitarist, composer and vocalist. Among the band's best known songs were ``Truckin','' ``Casey Jones,'' and ``Friend of the Devil.'' Its only top 10 hit was the 1987 song ``Touch of Grey,'' with its refrain ``I will survive.'' But the Dead was almost more a way of life than a band to the thousands of ``Deadheads,'' many of whom followed the group from concert to concert. They made the band one of the most popular concert draws in the United States, grossing tens of millions of dollars each year. ``You need music,'' Garcia once said. ``I don't know why; it's probably one of those Joe Campbell questions, why we need ritual. We need magic, and bliss, and power, myth, and celebration and religion in our lives, and music is a good way to encapsulate a lot of it.'' In concert, Garcia was either spotty or spectacular. In the 1980s and 1990s, he would forget lyrics or strain to hit high notes when he sang slow-tempo standards such as ``Sugaree,'' ``Althea'' and ``Ship of Fools.'' But his searing, improvised guitar solos breathed new life into even the band's most overworked numbers, sending dancing Deadheads into paroxysms of glee through the extended jams. He rarely spoke on stage, reportedly because he feared how his words would be interpreted by rabid fans who analyzed every nuance. The bearded, rotund Garcia had a history of health problems that caused frequent breaks in the Dead's grueling concert schedule. In 1986, he entered the hospital in a diabetic coma. He also has admitted past drug abuse. Garcia slimmed down, stopped smoking and hired a personal fitness trainer after falling ill with exhaustion in 1991. In recent years, Garcia also developed a line of colorful neckties. But the years of constant touring took its toll. ``It was a meltdown. Too many cigarettes, too much junk food and too little exercise,'' band spokesman Dennis McNally said last year. McNally said that Garcia died of a heart attack, and he didn't know why he was at the treatment center. ``It was news to me,'' he said. ``I thought he was going to Hawaii. Apparently he was paying increased attention to his health.'' He said he had seen Garcia recently, so he could not have been in the center for more than a couple of days. Problems at several recent concerts drew headlines. At a concert in Indiana, a crush of gate crashers led to a series of arrests and the cancellation of the following night's show. A few days later after a concert in St. Louis, a deck collapsed during a rainstorm at a campground used by Deadheads, and more than 100 were injured. The Dead's most recent performance was July 9 at Chicago's Solider Field.
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 1995 17:33:36 -0700 From: Thad Williamson (thwilliamson@IGC.APC.ORG> Subject: Dylan and Garcia on stage together By my reckoning, Jerry Garcia appeared with Dylan onstage on the following occasions: 1) November 16, 1980, 4 songs. 2) July 2, 1986, 3 songs at end of joint concert during Dead set. 3) July 7, 1986, 3 songs at end of joint concert during Dead set. 4) July 4, 1987, Dylan backed by Dead 5) July 10, 1987, Dylan backed by Dead 6) July 12, 1987, Dylan backed by Dead 7) July 19, 1987, Dylan backed by Dead 8) July 24, 1987, Dylan backed by Dead 9) July 26, 1987, Dylan backed by Dead. 10) February 12, 1989, 8 songs Dylan joins in at Dead concert. 11) October 18 or so 1994, 1 song Dylan joins at Dead concert. 12) June 25, 1995, Garcia joins 2 songs in Dylan set at joint concert. There may have been others between 89 or 94. The locales for the above were: 1) San Francisco 2) Akron 3) Washington, DC 4) Foxboro, MA 5) Philly 6) East Rutherford, NJ 7) Eugene, Oregon 8) Oakland, CA 9) Anaheim, CA 10) Inglewood, CA 11) New York, NY 12) Washington, DC. I had the privilege to be at the last of these. Bob and Jerry were all smiles, shook hands vigorously, a lot of fun. Wouldn't have thunk it... Thad
