Uncle John's Band
| "Uncle John's Band" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Warner Bros. | ||||
| Composer(s) | Jerry Garcia | |||
| Lyricist(s) | Robert Hunter | |||
| Producer(s) | Bob Matthews Betty Cantor Grateful Dead | |||
| Grateful Dead singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Uncle John's Band" is a song by the
The song is one of the band's best known, and is included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. In 2001 it was named 321st (of 365) in the Songs of the Century project list.
Music and lyrics
"Uncle John's Band" has one of the Dead's most immediately accessible and memorable melodies, set against a
Single and album history
While the single was the group's first chart hit (peaking at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100), it had a greater impact than its chart performance indicates, receiving airplay on progressive rock radio stations and others with looser playlists. At a time when the Grateful Dead were already an underground legend, "Uncle John's Band" (and to some degree its albummate "Casey Jones") was the first time many in the general rock audience actually heard the band's music.[4]
Moreover, the song affected the mainstream because of first using the word "goddamn" in the unedited single, which many radio stations played instead of the edited version;[5] together with the reference to cocaine in "Casey Jones," the two songs made the band a "thorn in the side of Nixon that became a badge of honor to the masses."[6]
Personnel
- Jerry Garcia – lead vocals, banjo, lead guitar, lap steel guitar
- Bob Weir – guitar, backing vocals
- Ron “Pigpen” McKerman – harmonica, keyboards, backing vocals
- Phil Lesh – bass
- Mickey Hart - drums, percussion
Cover versions
- It was covered by Jimmy Buffett on his 1994 album Fruitcakes.
- Reggae musician Joe Higgs recorded a version of the song for the 1996 compilation "Fire on the Mountain: Reggae Celebrates the Grateful Dead."
- It was covered by the Deadicated. The recording also appeared on their album Rarities.
- Crosby, Stills & Nashcovered the song live during their 2009 US concert tour.
- Stanford Marching Bandhas covered this song.
- Day Of The Dead, a 2016 Red Hot compilation, includes a cover by Lucius.
- Dispatch initially covered this song during their 2017 acoustic tour, and continued to play it live through their 2019 tour.
References
- ^ "The Annotated "Uncle John's Band"". Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
- ^ Woodward, Jake; et al. Grateful Dead: The Illustrated Trip, Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2003, pg. 120.
- ^ Jackson, Blair. Garcia: An American Life, Penguin Books, 1999, p.190.
- ^ Jackson, p. 188.
- S2CID 162240986.
- ^ Jackson, p. 190.
- ^ Garcia, Weir, Jerry, Bob (October 10, 2023). "Workingman's Dead". Tidal.
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