Garcia - by Blair Jackson (Paperback)

About the Book

Long-time Grateful Dead chronicler Jackson gives an unparalleled portrait of Jerry Garcia, the musical genius, the brilliant songwriter, and ultimately, the tortured soul plagued by his own addiction. of photos.

Book Synopsis

He was there when Dylan went electric, when a generation danced naked at Woodstock, and when Ken Kesey started experimenting with acid. Jerry Garcia was one of the most gifted musicians of all time, and he was a member of one of the most worshiped rock 'n' roll bands in history. Now, Blair Jackson, who covered the Grateful Dead for twenty-five years, gives us an unparalleled portrait of Garcia--the musical genius, the brilliant songwriter, and ultimately, the tortured soul plagued by his own addiction. With more than forty photographs, many of them previously unpublished, Garcia: An American Life is the ultimate tribute to the man who, Bob Dylan said, "had no equal."

From the Back Cover

An unparalleled portrait of Jerry Garcia -- the musical genius, the brilliant songwriter, and ultimately, the tortured soul plagued by his own addiction

He was there when Dylan went electric, when a generation danced naked at Woodstock, and when Ken Kesey started experimenting with acid. He was one of the most gifted musicians of all times, and he was a member of one of the most worshiped rock 'n' roll bands in history. Now, veteran rock journalist Blair Jackson has stitched together Garcia's story from more than a hundred of his own interviews with Garcia and his friends, lovers, and bandmates, and from thousands of pages of source material from the '50s through the '90s.

With more than forty photographs, many of them previously unpublished, Garcia: An American Life is the ultimate tribute to the man who, as Bob Dylan said, "had no equal".

Review Quotes

"A heartfelt biography . . . What remains constant throughout the book . . . is Jackson's ability to elucidate Garcia and the Dead's already overanalyzed musical style with an extraordinary freshness". -- The Boston Globe

About the Author

Blair Jacksonis a longtime journalist whose area of expertise includes Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead. His quarterly magazine, The Golden Road, was for ten years the authoritative resource on the Grateful Dead. He is the author of Going Down the Road: A Grateful Dead Traveling Companion.