1995. Jerry Garcia & Friends. “Boston Blues”.
This CD includes a 1970 live jam from the famous KSAN FM Radio record library at the station when it was on Sutter St in San Francisco.
It was the Richard Gossett show. Jerry was on Pedal Steel, Bob Weir on vocals & rhythm guitar, John Cipollina on guitar, Mario Cipollina on bass, and I played upright piano.
It was all done live on a whim…you could still do that sort of thing in 1970. We played “Silver Threads & Golden Needles”, “Winner Loses All”, “Let Me In”, “I’m Goin But I Ain’t Comin Back”.
KSAN later took the idea and began broadcasting live shows from the Record Plant in Sausalito…I played on one of those shows with Nick Gravenites “Blue Gravy” blues band.
I soon left “Stoneground”, the band I was with at the time to fly back to England and record on Rod Stewart’s “Every Picture Tells a Story”.
I then flew back to the US for a tour playing bass with the “Long John Baldry Blues Band” and spoke with Jerry from the Hyatt “Riot” House in Los Angeles…he asked me to play piano on his first solo album.
I wasn’t able to make it due to my road commitment with Long John (great band by the way…Micky Waller on drums, Sammy Mitchell guitar, Ian Armitt piano). I always wished I could have come up to SF and made it work somehow…I loved Jerry’s playing and he was a cool guy.
He later played on my solo album “Watchfire” as well as performing at many benefits I helped get together for various causes (as did Bob Weir).
Generous souls.
Cheers,
Pete Sears