Information About ™Jerry Garcia |
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia ( August 1 , 1942 – August 9 , 1995 ) was famous as lead guitarist and vocalist of the Psychedelic Rock band the Grateful Dead , though his extensive career involved many other projects. Named after composer Jerome Kern , Garcia started on the Piano , moved on to the Guitar , and eventually became a master on many stringed instruments, despite the accidental amputation - by his brother Clifford ("Tiff") - of his right middle finger just below the first knuckle at age four, while Tiff was chopping wood. EARLY YEARS Garcia was born in San Francisco, California , United States . Though he had a keen and insightful mind, Garcia dropped out of high school and enlisted in the Army on April 12, 1960 . After completing Basic Training and Service School Training as an auto maintenance helper, at Fort Ord California, Garcia was stationed at Fort Winfield in San Francisco's Presidio . Garcia was still spending his hours at his leisure, picking up the Acoustic Guitar . The rigors and the structure of Army life did not appeal to him and he was discharged on December 14, 1960, after accruing two courts martial and eight AWOL s. After his discharge Garcia and a poet named Robert Hunter teamed up to make music—later on, Hunter would become the main lyricist for the Grateful Dead . Around this time Garcia was playing and teaching acoustic guitar and Banjo (his other great instrumental love), and up to 1964 he sang and performed mainly Bluegrass , Old-time and Folk music. Garcia joined a local Bluegrass and Folk Band called Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions , whose membership also included Bob Weir and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan . In 1965 , this group evolved into the Warlocks —which would in turn become the Grateful Dead later that year—and Garcia picked up the Electric Guitar . CAREER WITH THE GRATEFUL DEAD Garcia's mature guitar-playing melded elements from the various kinds of music that had enthralled him. Echoes of "hillbilly" and Bluegrass playing (such as Arthur Smith and Doc Watson ) could be heard. But the "roots music" behind hillbilly and bluegrass had its influence, too, and melodic riffs from Celtic fiddle Jig s can be distinguished. There was also early Rock (like Lonnie Mack , James Burton and Chuck Berry ), contemporary Blues (such as Freddie King and Lowell Folsom), Country & Western (such as Roy Nichols and Don Rich ), and Jazz (like Charlie Christian ) to be heard in Jerry's style. Don Rich was the sparkling country guitar player in Buck Owens 's "Buckaroos" band of the 1960s, but besides Rich's style, both Garcia's Pedal Steel Guitar playing (on Grateful Dead records and others) and his standard electric guitar work, were influenced by another of Owens's Buckaroos of that time, pedal-steel player Tom Blumley . Garcia's style varied somewhat according to the song or instrumental he was contributing to. His playing had a number of so-called "signatures" and, in his work through the years with the Grateful Dead, one of these was lead lines making much use of rhythmic triplets (examples include the songs "Good Morning Little School Girl," "New Speedway Boogie," "Brokedown Palace," "Deal," "Loser," "Truckin'," "That's It For The Other One," "U.S. Blues," "Sugaree," and "Don't Ease Me In"). Young people were attracted to Garcia not only because of his talent, tendency to good cheer and general goodwill, but also his obvious intelligence, freedom-loving sort of attitude, and willingness to speak his mind. Though he was widely regarded as a kind of guru figure in the San Francisco Psychedelic scene, Garcia couldn’t take the role seriously himself. From 1965 to 1995 , the Grateful Dead toured almost constantly, developing a fan base known as Deadheads , renowned for their intensity of devotion. Some fans dedicated their lives to the band, following the Grateful Dead from concert to concert, making a living by selling handmade goods, arts, crafts and, at times, narcotics in the parking lots of venues before the shows. It was no secret that drugs, especially psychedelics, were condoned within this atmosphere. During the late '80s and early '90s, however, the Grateful Dead fanbase accrued a notoriety for widespread solicitation and use of drugs in and around Grateful Dead concert arenas. This caused the band to be banned from several large venues, such as that in Hampton , VA for years at a time. Garcia's use of hard, addictive drugs was evident to those who knew him by the mid 1970s, according to several biographers. SIDE PROJECTS In addition to the Grateful Dead (who frequently toured for long periods), Garcia had numerous side projects, the most notable being the and Howard Wales for many years in various groups and jam sessions, and he appeared on Saxophonist Ornette Coleman 's 1988 album, '' Virgin Beauty ''. Garcia also lent pedal-steel guitar playing to fellow- San Francisco musicians New Riders Of The Purple Sage on their self-title debut album, released in 1971 . Garcia's Grateful Dead bandmate Phil Lesh co-produced the album. Having studied Art at the San Francisco Art Institute , Garcia made a second career out of painting. A series of Necktie s based on those paintings has been quite lucrative. The popularity of the ties might be attributed to their wild patterns and bright colors. Even in 2005, ten years after Garcia's death, new styles and designs continue to be sold at high-end men's stores. Garcia was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994. DEATH Jerry Garcia died on August 9 , 1995 of a heart attack exacerbated by Sleep Apnea . Garcia, who struggled with drug addiction and sleep apnea for much of his adult life, was staying at the Serenity Knolls drug rehabilitation center in Forest Knolls, California at the time. On his passing, he was honored by President Clinton as being "an American icon." Memorial services were held in Golden Gate Park on August 13 , 1995 . Along with the band members, his family and friends, thousands of fans were present, many singing and playing in drum circles. LEGACY In 1987 , Ice Cream manufacturers Ben And Jerry came out with Cherry Garcia , which is named after the guitarist and consists of "cherry ice cream with cherries and fudge flakes." It quickly became the most popular Ben And Jerry's flavor. For a month after Garcia's death, the ice cream was made with Black Cherries as a way of mourning. On , where Garcia grew up. On August 9 , 2005 , the late D12 member Proof released his first solo-album, called "Searching for Jerry Garcia" in honor of the late Grateful Dead member. Upon the release, Proof said: "He played every kind of music -- he had jazz albums, classical albums, he went against the grain," Proof said. "He didn't care about the record sales ... I mean, his shows outsold his record sales. That almost don't make sense to me." On , Bill Kreutzmann , Mickey Hart , Bruce Hornsby , Trey Anastasio , Warren Haynes , Jimmy Herring , Michael Kang , Jay Lane , Jeff Chimenti , Mark Karan , Robin Sylvester , Kenny Brooks , Gloria Jones , and Jackie LaBranch . Two of Garcia's longtime bandmates and friends, Phil Lesh and Robert Hunter did not attend. Phil Lesh stated that "my son went away to college and we had all kinds of family things going that week." (3) DISCOGRAPHY
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