Jerry Garcia was an American musician. A guitarist, singer, and songwriter, he became famous as a member of the rock band the Grateful Dead from 1965 to 1995. When not touring or recording with the Dead, Garcia was often playing music in other bands and with other musicians.

From 1971 to 1975, Garcia's main musical collaborator outside the Grateful Dead was keyboardist Merl Saunders. From 1975 to 1995, Garcia's principal side project was the Jerry Garcia Band. The one constant member of the Jerry Garcia Band, as well as the various Saunders–Garcia lineups, was John Kahn on bass. The Garcia Band member with the second-longest tenure, from 1980 to 1995, was keyboardist Melvin Seals. In the 1990s, Garcia also made a number of studio recordings with mandolin player David Grisman.

In 1969, Garcia, along with John Dawson and David Nelson, co-founded the country rock band the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Garcia played pedal steel guitar in that band, until an amicable parting of the ways in 1971. In 1973 Garcia co-founded the short-lived bluegrass group Old & In the Way, which also included David Grisman and John Kahn. Garcia played banjo in that band, harking back to his pre-Grateful Dead days as a bluegrass musician.

The Grateful Dead released a number of studio and live albums while they were together. Since then, many archival concert recordings of the band have been released as albums. The same is also true of Garcia's solo career and his collaborations with other musicians. As a result, the discography of Jerry Garcia, as a member of the Grateful Dead and as a solo musician, includes several hundred albums.

Grateful Dead

Jerry Garcia Title Released Notes Peak chart position (US) Garcia January 1972 Warner Bros. BS 2582 LP Studio album 35 Garcia June 1974 Round RX 102 LP Studio album Also known as Compliments 49 Reflections February 1976 Round RX 107 LP Studio album 42 Run for the Roses November 1982 Arista AL 9603 LP Studio album 100

Jerry Garcia Band The Jerry Garcia Band was Jerry Garcia's main side project from 1975 to 1995. The band played rock music that emphasized musical improvisation, in a style somewhat similar to that of the Grateful Dead, and also played many rhythm and blues songs. The lineup of the band changed many times, especially in the early years. The only constant member was John Kahn on bass. The Garcia Band member with the second-longest tenure, from 1980 to 1995, was keyboardist Melvin Seals. After Garcia died, Seals formed a band called JGB, dedicated to performing Garcia's music.

Donna Jean Godchaux, who was in the Jerry Garcia Band from 1976 to 1978, later reflected, "It was very different from the Grateful Dead in that everything was so scaled back to where we could play theaters instead of hockey rinks. It was very enjoyable on that level because these places were built for music to be played in. It was just a really unique situation to be as popular as Jerry Garcia was and still be able to be in a band that could do what we did in a smaller setting than the Grateful Dead. It was kind of like a home away from home for Jerry, in that he got this different expression of what he was feeling musically than the Grateful Dead."

Title Released Notes Peak chart position US US Ind. Cats Under the Stars April 1978 Arista AB-4160 LP Studio album 114 — Jerry Garcia Band August 27, 1991 Arista 18690-2 2-disc CD Recorded in spring and summer 1990 at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco 97 — How Sweet It Is April 15, 1997 Grateful Dead GDCD 4051 CD Recorded in spring and summer 1990 at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco 81 — Don't Let Go January 23, 2001 Grateful Dead GDCD 4078 2-disc CD Recorded May 21, 1976, at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco 137 — Shining Star March 20, 2001 Grateful Dead GDCD 4079 2-disc CD Recorded 1989 – 1993 at various venues 194 — Pure Jerry: Theatre 1839, San Francisco, July 29 & 30, 1977 June 1, 2004 Jerry Made JGCD 0001 3-disc CD Pure Jerry #1 Recorded July 29–30, 1977 at Theatre 1839 in San Francisco — — After Midnight: Kean College, 2/28/80 September 28, 2004 Rhino R2 76536 3-disc CD Recorded February 28, 1980, at Kean College in Union, New Jersey 118 — Pure Jerry: Lunt-Fontanne, New York City, October 31, 1987 November 2004 Jerry Made JGCD 0002 4-disc CD Pure Jerry #2 Includes performances by the Jerry Garcia Band and the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band Recorded October 31, 1987, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City — — Pure Jerry: Lunt-Fontanne, New York City, The Best of the Rest, October 15–30, 1987 November 2004 Jerry Made JGCD 0003 3-disc CD Pure Jerry #3 Includes performances by the Jerry Garcia Band and the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band Recorded October 15–30, 1987 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City — — Pure Jerry: Merriweather Post Pavilion, September 1 & 2, 1989 March 25, 2005 Jerry Made JGCD 0005 4-disc CD Pure Jerry #5 Recorded September 1–2, 1989 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland — — Pure Jerry: Warner Theatre, March 18, 1978 August 9, 2005 Jerry Made JGCD 0006 2-disc CD Pure Jerry #6 Recorded March 18, 1978, at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. — — Pure Jerry: Coliseum, Hampton, VA, November 9, 1991 August 1, 2006 Jerry Made JGCD 0007 2-disc CD Pure Jerry #7 Recorded November 9, 1991, at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia — — Pure Jerry: Bay Area 1978 August 31, 2009 Jerry Made JGCD 0009 2-disc CD Pure Jerry #9 Recorded February – June 1978 at various venues in the San Francisco Bay Area — — Let It Rock: The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 2 November 10, 2009 Jerry Made JGCD 0010 2-disc CD Recorded November 17–18, 1975 at the Keystone in Berkeley, California — — Garcia Live Volume One February 19, 2013 ATO JGFRR 1001 3-disc CD Recorded March 1, 1980, at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey 87 15 June 26, 1981, Warfield Theatre, San Francisco, CA April 1, 2013 digital download Garcia Live Volume 1.5 Recorded June 26, 1981, at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco — — Garcia Live Volume Two June 25, 2013 ATO JGFRR 1002 2-disc CD Recorded August 5, 1990, at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, California 82 24 Fall 1989: The Long Island Sound December 17, 2013 ATO JGFRR 1004 6-disc CD Includes performances by the Jerry Garcia Band and by Bob Weir & Rob Wasserman Recorded September 5, 1989, at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Connecticut and September 6, 1989, at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York — 37 Garcia Live Volume Four July 8, 2014 ATO JGFRR 1005 2-disc CD Recorded March 22, 1978, at Veteran's Hall in Sebastopol, California 74 13 Garcia Live Volume Five October 21, 2014 ATO JGFRR 1006 2-disc CD Recorded December 31, 1975, at the Keystone in Berkeley, California 81 10 On Broadway: Act One – October 28th, 1987 June 23, 2015 ATO JGFRR 1008 3-disc CD Includes performances by the Jerry Garcia Band and the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band Recorded October 28, 1987, at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City — 19 Garcia Live Volume Seven August 19, 2016 ATO JGFRR 1010 2-disc CD Recorded November 8, 1976, at Sophie's in Palo Alto, California 193 13 Garcia Live Volume Eight March 10, 2017 ATO JGFRR 1014 2-disc CD Recorded November 23, 1991, at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee 96 2 Garcia Live Volume 10 February 23, 2018 ATO JGFRR 1019 2-disc CD Recorded May 20, 1990, at the Hilo Civic Auditorium in Hilo, Hawaii 153 4 Electric on the Eel March 15, 2019 ATO JGFRR 1021 6-disc CD Recorded August 29, 1987, June 10, 1989, and August 10, 1991, at French's Camp in Piercy, California 154 1 Garcia Live Volume 11 July 12, 2019 ATO JGFRR 1027 2-disc CD Recorded December 11, 1993, at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island — 6 Garcia Live Volume 13 April 24, 2020 ATO JGFRR 1031 2-disc CD Recorded September 16, 1989, at the Poplar Creek Music Theatre in Hoffman Estates, Illinois — — Garcia Live Volume 16 June 25, 2021 ATO JGFRR 1037 3-disc CD Recorded November 15, 1991, at Madison Square Garden in New York City — — Garcia Live Volume 17 November 12, 2021 ATO JGFRR 1038 3-disc CD Recorded November 7–13, 1976 at various venues — — Garcia Live Volume 19 October 28, 2022 ATO JGFRR 1043 2-disc CD Recorded October 31, 1992 at Oakland Coliseum Arena in Oakland, California — — Garcia Live Volume 20 June 30, 2023 ATO JGFRR 1047 2-disc CD Recorded June 18, 1982 at the Cape Cod Coliseum in South Yarmouth, Massachusetts — — Garcia Live Volume 21 June 14, 2024 ATO JGFRR 1054 2-disc CD Recorded February 13, 1976 at the Keystone in Berkeley, California — — Live at the Warfield August 15, 2025 ATO JGFRR 1061 6-disc CD Recorded February 28 – March 2, 1991 at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, California — — Garcia Live Volume 23 October 30, 2026 ATO Records 2-disc CD Recorded August 14, 1993 at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California — —

Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band The Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band played folk and old-time music. They were together for about a year, from 1987 to 1988. They performed several dozen concerts, usually as the opening act for the Jerry Garcia Band. The JGAB included two musicians who had played with Garcia in 1964 in a bluegrass band called the Black Mountain Boys – Sandy Rothman and David Nelson.

Title Released Notes Peak chart position US Folk Almost Acoustic December 6, 1988 Grateful Dead GDCD 4005 CD Recorded November – December 1987 at Warfield Theatre in San Francisco and the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles — — Ragged but Right November 16, 2010 Jerry Made JGCD 1003 CD Recorded October – December 1987 at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City, the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, and the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles — 15

Jerry Garcia and Howard Wales Howard Wales was a jazz, rock, and rhythm and blues keyboard player. In 1970 he played a number of Monday night jam sessions with Garcia at the Matrix, a small venue in San Francisco. The two were often accompanied by John Kahn on bass and Bill Vitt on drums.

Later, Kahn recalled, "I didn't know what kind of music [Garcia] and Wales would be playing down at the Matrix when I went down. And I still don't know! It was kind of a weird jazz with these other influences – it was mainly Howard's music, all instrumental." Garcia said, "Howard was so incredible, and [Kahn and I] were just hanging on for dear life. For some reason Howard enjoyed playing with us, but we were just keeping up. Howard was so outside. For both of us that was a wonderful experience."

Title Released Notes Peak chart position (US) Hooteroll? November 1971 Douglas KZ 30859 LP Studio album — Side Trips, Volume One October 1998 Grateful Dead GDCD 4061 CD Recorded in 1970 at the Matrix in San Francisco —

Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders Merl Saunders, a keyboard player, was Garcia's main musical collaborator outside the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1975. Saunders and Garcia bands with different additional musicians played many concerts during this period. One of the lineups, in 1974 and 1975, was Legion of Mary, featuring Martin Fierro on saxophone and flute, John Kahn on bass, and Ron Tutt on drums. Saunders and Garcia also recorded two studio albums with Tom Fogerty from Creedence Clearwater Revival.