Garcia played banjo, guitar and kazoo. He taught himself to play pedal steel guitar, an instrument popularized on the Hawaiian Islands and still heard often in today’s country music.

In 1964, the guitarist took a road trip, hoping to become Bill Monroe’s banjo player. The journey, and his longtime love of the genre, shaped the Grateful Dead. By Fred Goodman Reporting from ...

Jerry Garcia's birthday is August 1. He was born in San Francisco in 1942 and proved a master of American musical styles, most notably with The Grateful Dead.

The first instrument Jerry Garcia ever played in front of an audience was the banjo. Garcia started playing the instrument in 1950 and after playing for years he became a master picker.

Long before Vince Herman crisscrossed the nation showcasing Leftover Salmon’s unique brew of polyethnic Cajun, country, ...

Excavating Jerry Garcia’s Crucial Bluegrass Roots In 1964, the guitarist took a road trip, hoping to become Bill Monroe’s banjo player.

In his 2016 Relix interview, which is now available on Relix.com, Rothman also touches on the song’s origin, his time with Garcia in Black Mountain Boys and the guitarist’s own love of Christmas.

A previously unreleased recording of Jerry Garcia and David “Dawg” Grisman delivering an acoustic rendition of “Friend of the Devil” has arrived on YouTube. The track previews Bare Bones ...