"Uncle John's Band" is a song by the Grateful Dead that first appeared
in their concert setlists in late 1969. The band recorded it as the
opening track for their 1970 album Workingman's Dead. Written by
guitarist Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter, "Uncle John's Band"
presents the Dead in an acoustic and musically concise mode, with
close harmony singing. Warner Bros. Records released it, backed with
"New Speedway Boogie," as a single on July 1, 1970. It was the
group's first chart hit, peaking at #69 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Uncle John's Band" has one of the Dead's most immediately accessible
and memorable melodies, set against a bluegrass-inspired folk arrangement
with acoustic guitars. Specific lyrics ("It's a buck dancer's choice my
friend; better take my advice", "the fire from the ice", "don't tread on me",
"It's the same story the crow told me") allude to various folk, mountain,
or bluegrass tunes known to be in band members' repertoire.
Workingman's Dead is the fourth Grateful Dead studio album. It was
originally released on June 14, 1970. The album and it's studio follow-up,
American Beauty, were recorded back-to-back using a similar style,
eschewing the psychedelic experimentation of previous albums in favor
of an Americana-styled songcraft. Songs such as "Cumberland Blues",
"Uncle John's Band", and "High Time", were brought to life with
soaring harmonies and layered vocal textures that had not previously
been a part of the band's sound. Garcia commented that much of the
sound of the album comes from the band's friendship with Crosby,
Stills and Nash: "Hearing those guys sing and how nice they sounded
together, we thought, 'We can try that. Let's work on it a little'."
A Playlist of all HT Class of '73 Songs of the Day is available by clicking below:
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