Among those iconic rock guitarists whose sound is identifiable a mile away, one must include Jerry Garcia, who would have been 70 years old today. (He died of a heart attack in 1995.)
Here he is with the original Dead, one of the groups that personified the 60s in ways both good and bad.
Going to a Grateful Dead concert was a risky proposition. I saw them in 1971. They were sort of boring. On the other hand, at times they were transcendent. You can hear just about all their music online, because they encouraged their fans to record, and even set aside recording seats for the true enthusiasts. You can draw your own conclusions.
Here's a couple of straightforward Jerry just playing and singing and being really good at it.
No one pretends that drug abuse wasn't a factor in Garcia's early death. At least he outlived some of the others of his generation, like Joplin and Hendrix, who burned out before they barely got started.
Why Garcia designed a line of neckties, having obviously never worn one, is beyond my understanding. Gaiters and spats would have been as likely, if you ask me. Then again, they were really popular with Deadheads who wear neckties, which one assumes must be a rather small Venn intersection. Oh, well. The music lives on. (And so do the ties. Go figure.)
No comments:
Post a Comment