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The Days Between - Celebrating Jerry's 70th Birthday

It's hard to believe but Jerry would have been 70 this year! We're commemorating his life and legacy with a few touching tributes by Robert Hunter, David Grisman, Mountain Girl, David Crosby, Bruce Hornsby, and more unearthed and brought to you by the good folks behind Dupree's Diamond News. Originally published as part of GARCIA - A Grateful Celebration, be sure to have a hanky handy because these memories certainly caused us to shed a tear or two. If you're looking to remember Jerry through his music, we've got a prime selection of Jerry's finest studio cuts in our exclusive listening party curated by archivist David Lemieux. And join us on a trip back in time with a slideshow of Jerry through the ages. Gone, but most certainly not forgotten...

Honor The Example by Dennis McNally

The Dead stands for something - it stands for a cosmic sense of humor, for a spirit of adventure, for compassion for our fellow beings, for skepticism, for some honesty, for whatever the hell you make of it. We've all got to grieve over Jerry's passing - and then we've all got to go out and honor the example that he, we you have set for the past 30 years. And we shall. To quote Hart, "Failure is not an option."

An Elegy for Jerry by Robert Hunter

Jerry, my friend,

you’ve done it again,

even in your silence

the familiar pressure

comes to bear, demanding

I pull words from the air

with only this morning

and part of the afternoon

to compose an ode worthy

of one so particular

about every turn of phrase,

demanding it hit home

in a thousand ways

before making it his own,

and this I can’t do alone.

Now that the singer is gone,

where shall I go for the song?



Without your melody and taste

to lend an attitude of grace

a lyric is an orphan thing,

a hive with neither honey’s taste

nor power to truly sting.



What choice have I but to dare and

call your muse who thought to rest

out of the thin blue air,

that out of the field of shared time,

a line or two might chance to shine –

As ever when we called,

in hope if not in words,

the muse descends. How should she desert us now?

Scars of battle on her brow

bedraggled feather on her wings

and yet she sings, she sings!



May she bear thee to thy rest,

the ancient bower of flowers

beyond the solitude of days,

the tyranny of hours –

the wreath of shining laurel lie

upon your shaggy head,

bestowing power to play the lyre

to legends of the dead.



If some part of that music

is heard in deepest dream,

or on some breeze of Summer

a snatch of golden theme,

we’ll know you live inside us

with love that never parts

our good old Jack O’Diamonds

become the King of Hearts



I feel your silent laughter

as sentiments so bold

that dare to step across the line

to tell what must be told

so I’ll just say I love you

which I never said before

and let it go at that old friend

the rest you may ignore.

Missing Jerry by David Crosby

I remember laughing so hard I got the hiccups. Of course, that might have had something to do with the big sticky buds, but we were a pair of odd ducks anyway, and we cracked each other up a lot.

Jerry, Phil Mickey, and Bill all came to Wally Heider’s many nights when I was recording “If I Could Only Remember My Name.” So much fun, so MUCH music…

What did we lose? One of the best minds in music: articulate, always thinking fresh, original thoughts. Jerry didn’t tell you what he thought you wanted to hear, he told you what he thought.

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Many Small Circles by Mountain Girl

Jerry’s passing has shaken and saddened our family members. He was our father, husband, brother, leader, and inspiration. He showed the way by living and thinking creatively. He was filled with gifts and gave freely and humorously to anyone nearby. He shared his imagination and keen sense of fun with everyone, yet also carried the passion for life that manifested clearly in his music.

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Losing Jerry by John Perry Barlow

In the time since Jer shuffled off his sorry old meat and flew away, I have found myself incapable of writing about it, or even talking about it very much.

I’ve been silent as a flat coon on this, one of the most important deaths of my death-shadowed life. I’ve received hundreds of e-messages from my fellow bereaved, nearly all of them more eloquent in their grief than I could be in mine, despite their never having personally known the guy.

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A Certain Connection by Bruce Hornsby

“To honor the Grateful Dead’s wishes, I’d like to have a moment – a moment of silence – for somebody who brought a lot of love to the world, our dear departed brother, Jerry Garcia.”

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My Friend Jerry by David Grisman

Jerome Garcia was a great leader: musically, morally, and spiritually. He didn’t want it, he didn’t seek it, he didn’t ask for it, he may not have even liked it, but he carried that enormous weight with grace, dignity, and a huge sense of responsibility to his fellow man, particularly those less fortunate. If you needed help, he was there.

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Jerry's Gone by Ram Dass

Jerry's dead

An era has ended



And here we are...still.

All these years,The Dead concerts have been spirit

Made manifest,

Deep connections into...Living Vibrant Love

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Tune in to the Listening Party.

Launch our Jerry "through-the-ages" slideshow.