Chris Joslin, director of the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame in Owensboro, KY, introduced the Sam Grisman Project to the stage for the first night of the “Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey,” noting that Sam “literally has this music in his DA.” Opening with “Thanks, Jerry,” Grisman and his band opened a Grateful Dead-flavored bluegrass jam with “Lonesome Fiddle Waltz” leading into “Shady Grove.”
Grisman, the son of legendary Dave “Dawg” Grisman literally wrapped around his upright bass as he played and took lead vocals, maintaining a stream of stories of the origins of the songs from Garcia’s stories career. He was joined by Logan Ledger on guitar; Victor Furtado, joining the band for the first time on banjo; Dominick Leslie on mandolin; Chris J. English on percussion and some lead vocals; and Nathaniel Smith on cello.
They played songs from some of Garcia and Grisman’s best-known projects. From their self-titled 1991 album, they played “Red Rocking Chair,” which Sam Grisman said Garcia and the band probably first heard from Doc Watson They also played a stunning rendition of “Dawg’s Waltz” and “Two Soldiers.”
They played several cuts from Garcia and Grisman’s Not for Kids Only, including “Hot Corn Cold Corn,” which they described as “a kids’ song about corn liquor.”
In addition to percussions, Chris English also took lead vocals first on a gospel tune “It’s Alright to Be Alone,” and then on Jimmy Cliff’s “Sitting Here in Limbo,” one of several reggae songs recorded by Garcia.
The members of SGP were joined in the second set by bluegrass icon Peter Rowan, who played with Garcia and Dave Grisman on Old and in the Way. Rowan showed he still had the vocal chops for his characteristic falsetto and yodel on “Mississippi Moon” and “Midnight Moonlight.”
Eric Thompson, who played with Garcia in the Black Mountain Boys back in the sixties joined the performers, playing “The Beaumont Rag.” He introduced “Little Sadie” as “a song of murder and mayhem” with credit to Doc Watson and Clarence Ashley.
The guest list grew as Ronnie McCoury joined the group pairing up with Leslie for double mandos, and Leftover Salmon’s banjoist Andy Thorn played with them on “Dawg’s Bowl,” and “Til the End of the World Rolls ‘Round,” an Earl Scruggs tune. Jim Lauderdale introduced “one I think you’ll recognize”—“Ripple” and the evening ended with “Sing Me Back Home” as encore.
The first night of the event set the tone for the exhibit focus on Jerry Garcia’s “bluegrass journey.” The fans in the audience were reminded of the impact of bluegrass and old-time music on the full range of Garcia’s career, as well as the possibilities that come with blurring lines between musical genres.