Garcia : An American Life (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anyone who ever attended a Grateful Dead show knows all too well how many "fans" virtually ignored the music in their pursuit of fun. What's worse, scores of closed-minded music critics dismissed the music out of hand simply because of the antics of these so-called fans. Author Blair Jackson sets out on a commendable mission to bring Jerry Garcia the musician into clear focus. Tapping his experience as both a devout Deadhead and a veteran journalist, Jackson's mission is a roaring success. He painstakingly details every musical turn that the Dead took and discusses every side project Garcia embarked on--from the endless stream of bluegrass, old-time, and jug bands of the early 1960s through collaborations both famous and obscure. (Even dedicated fans may not know of Garcia's futile attempt at joining Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys.) Garcia emerges as a talented, versatile, and obsessive musician with a voracious appetite for all forms of music--as long as it came from the heart.

In the process of documenting his musical career, Jackson also presents a picture of Garcia's fascinating offstage life, including the events and inspiration that translated into songs and solos. The author conducted scores of interviews with Garcia himself and with anyone else who could provide insight into Garcia's personality. While never glossing over the unseemly aspects of Garcia's life, Jackson doesn't dwell on them either. In fact, he openly offers connections between Garcia's drug use and his music when they prove appropriate. Neophytes may be turned off by the constant detailed references to specific songs and shows--even particular sound effects--but for the avid follower, Jackson's comprehensive book is a wonderful celebration of an underrated and misunderstood musician. --Marc Greilsamer

From Publishers Weekly

As the front man for the Grateful Dead, the band that epitomized the '60s hippie counterculture, Jerry Garcia's place in music history is assured. Yet, Jackson asserts in this detailed biography, Garcia's genius as a guitarist and songwriter has often been overlooked. Garcia began as a folk and bluegrass banjo player in such bands as the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers and the Thunder Mountain Tub Thumpers before embracing electric blues and rock and roll with the Warlocks, an early incarnation of the Dead. In the mid-'60s, the Dead became the house band for Ken Kesey's now legendary drug and music free-for-alls. During concerts the band could, in Garcia's words, "visit highly experimental places under the influence of highly experimental chemicals before a highly experimental audience." In the Dead's 30-year run barnstorming the nation as one of the country's most popular touring acts, Garcia always sought to expand his musical horizons, engaging in side projects from playing pedal steel guitar in New Riders of the Purple Sage to launching a low-profile solo career with the Jerry Garcia Band. Dogged by cocaine and then heroin addiction (brought on at least in part, according to Jackson, by the pressures of celebrity and of dealing with the unwieldy bureaucracy of the Grateful Dead's profitable business ventures), Garcia died of a heart attack in 1995 at the age of 53. Jackson, former editor of the Dead zine The Golden Road, narrates this exhaustive biography with the unabashed ardor of a hard-core Deadhead, but even those readers who have kept a distance from the band's recordings and epic concerts will appreciate the generation-defining artistic and personal history of this musical giant. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Viking Adult; First edition first printing. edition (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670886602
• ISBN-13: 978-0670886609
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #480,348 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly An American Life, December 9, 2002

By	crescent (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garcia : An American Life (Paperback)

Blair Jackson's biography of Jerry Garcia is fascinating. "An American Life" is a particularly appropriate title because of the breadth of Jerry's musical influences. The chapters dealing with Jerry's early days as a bluegrass banjoist were especially interesting. Jerry clearly embraced the entire gamut of American music, including mountain music, folk, jazz, blues and gospel. Mix all of these ingredients with a healthy batch of rock and roll and you have the Grateful Dead.

Jackson writes rhapsodically of the Dead's role in the psychedelic period of the 60's, and brilliantly brings that era back to life. The exploits of Neal Cassady, Ken Kesey, and the Merry Pranksters and their relationship with Jerry is a highlight of the book. The tales of Jerry's drug use are harrowing. His life took a downward spiral when cocaine and heroin replaced marijuana and LSD as his drugs of choice. Nevertheless, his passion for music and performing was undiminished. Jerry's all encompassing heart, soul, and spirit animated his music and transcended his physical being.

The book also includes a very informative "complete" discography along with the author's rating of each recording and very brief analyses of the music. The discography includes the Dead, JGB, solo projects, and highlights from Jerry's guest appearances on albums released by other artists.

Blair Jackson's writing style is highly readable and fully capable of projecting the reader into each scene from Jerry's life that he so vividly describes.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves Jerry Garcia and his music.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An above average biography, October 3, 1999

By A Customer

For anyone who has been to a Grateful Dead show, the phrase, "there's nothing quite like a Dead concert" was as much a truism as "chances are pretty good that the sun will in fact rise tomorrow." Jackson's biography of the band leader (as this book makes clear, Jerry Garcia was the leader of the Group, as he was the leader of all of his side projects) explains clearly and insightfully the tremendous amount of energy that was put into their shows to ensure the uniqueness of each concert. Jackson also describes (but can't really explain) the almost bipolar nature of Jerry Garcia's personal life that led him to a life of drug abuse and heartless infidelity while at the same time being very lucid about his ideals. He was always clear about what he saw the band doing but was unable to envision a happy life for himself. The historical references are often interesting but there is an exhaustive discussion of his funeral at the end of the book and there's a lot of gossip that perhaps could have been deleted. I suppose there are people that like that kind of stuff.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captain Trips in Human Form, November 15, 2001

By	George Schaefer (Croydon, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Garcia : An American Life (Paperback)

I spent a good portion of my youth going to Dead shows. There was always something special about seeing the Dead live. I was saddened by Jerry Garcia's untimely (but not really unexpected) demise.

Jerry Garcia was one of the seminal figures of psychedelic rock as well as an outstanding guitarist. He was also a complex and troubled man. Blair Jackson has managed to write a very balanced and professional biography of Garcia. This is the best biography of Garcia that I have read. Several others try to gloss over the drug problems and personal troubles. Blair Jackson conveys the ambiguities of this great artist.

There is a lot of insight into Garcia's personal development as a musician. It is great to see how he assimilated different influences to establish his own musical style and identity. One thing Jackson clearly illustrates is the incredible level of dedication and love Garcia had for the music.

Jerry Garcia was an iconic figure in American music. He had the most dedicated fan base in the country if not the world. He was also haunted by demons that he could not overcome. Blair Jackson has achieved a difficult task in portraying Garcia as a musical genius who was ultimately too weak to overcome his many human flaws.