Music Lessons at Dana Morgan's - 1964

For Jerry Garcia, playing in a series of Bluegrass bands like the Hogstompers, Wildwood Boys, and Black Mountain Boys was not particularly viable from a financial standpoint. Although never feeling the need to accumulate wealth (a true beat), he still had to find some work to support himself and his wife and young daughter. (Remember, he had married Sara Ruppenthal in 1963.) He was able to land a gig giving guitar and banjo lessons at Dana Morgan's Music Store of Palo Alto.

Dana Morgan's played a key role in the Dead's history in a number of ways. Dana Morgan Jr, the owner's son, was the first bass player of the Warlocks before being replaced by Phil Lesh in the summer of '65. It was also Dana Morgan's that allowed the new band a space to practice, as well as instruments and amps to use.
Before all this however, it was at Dana Morgan's that two precipitous events would occur. Jerry Garcia became acquainted with a drum playing clerk named Bill Kreutzmann. Bill the Drummer would eventually be Garcia's first choice when forming an electrified band.
On New Year's Eve, 1963, Jerry was hanging around the back rooms of Dana Morgan's, waiting for a pupil to show for their lessons. Seemingly fitting of his personality, he had forgotten that it was a holiday, and that the student wasn't going to show. As it turned out, however, 16-year-old Bobby Weir was stumbling through the back alley in search of a party when he heard a banjo playing. Finding Garcia just picking, the two began a night-long jam session, which would spawn into a lifelong musical journey.

I provide all this background information because a tape has survived of one of Jerry's lessons. Although the date and location remain unknown, it is quite possible that the tape was made in one of Dana Morgan's back lesson rooms (though certainly not the night of the Weir encounter). The lesson itself is comprised mostly of Garcia picking like crazy, with the student asking a few questions in between. There are no "songs" in an organized sense, and certainly no lyrics. It's just a banjo picking jam to the extreme. Its musical value to a non-banjo player is probably limited, but to me, the sliver of history it represents within Garcia's life is amazing.

Here is a snippet of the session, provided by Youtube. As always, please leave a comment, a clarification, and any information you feel relevant. E-mail me for a copy.



Next Up: Black Mountain Boys and Wildwood Boys shows