Author’s Note: Every effort was made to contact all the major figures in Jerry Garcia’s life. Those who do not speak in their own voice in this book declined either directly or indirectly to participate. I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to all those who did find the time to do so. All interviews for this book were conducted by the author. Unless otherwise noted, the interviews were done in 1995.
Peter Albin—A founding member of Big Brother and the Holding Company, he now works in sales and advertising for an independent music distributor in Marin County.
Ken Babbs (1989)—A former Merry Prankster, he lives in Oregon, where he continues to engage in a variety of literary pursuits.
Dr. Randy Baker—Jerry Garcia’s personal physician, he practices holistic medicine in Soquel, California.
Sonny Barger—A longtime member of the Hell’s Angels, he now runs a motorcycle repair shop in Oakland, California.
John Perry Barlow—Having written the lyrics for many of the Grateful Dead’s best known songs, he is the co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and a lecturer/consultant on cyberspace.
Bob Barsotti (1988/1995)—The last house manager of Winterland, he is now a vice-president at Bill Graham Presents in San Francisco.
Peter Barsotti (1988)—Along with his younger brother, Bob, he produced countless Grateful Dead shows. He is now a vice-president at Bill Graham Presents in San Francisco.
Jerilyn Lee Brandelius—She is the author of the Grateful Dead Family Album.
Steve Brown—Having spent five years working for Grateful Dead Records, he is now a film and video producer.
Yen Wei Choong—He operates the Yellow Emperor Healing Center in San Anselmo, California.
Tom Constanten—The first “sideman” to play piano for the Grateful Dead, he continues to perform and record today.
Tom Davis—One of the original writers on Saturday Night Live and half of the comedy team of Franken and Davis, he is currently writing a screenplay with Dan Aykroyd and hosting a show on the Science Fiction cable channel.
John “Marmaduke” Dawson—A founding member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage, he continues to perform with the band today.
Len Dell’amico—Currently writing his first feature film, he spent eleven years with Jerry Garcia directing and producing award-winning long-form videos, pay-per-view broadcasts, and network television for the Grateful Dead.
Gloria Dibiase—Married to Vince DiBiase, she was Keelin Garcia’s nanny for the first five years of her life. She took care of Jerry Garcia on a daily basis for the last two and a half years of his life.
Vince Dibiase—From mid-1992 until the end of 1994, he ran Jerry Garcia’s art business. He was also his personal manager.
Rev. Matthew Fox—A theologian who has written extensively about the role of the church in the modern world, he married Jerry Garcia and presided at his funeral.
David Freiberg—A founding member of the Quicksilver Messenger Service, he lives in Marin County.
Carolyn “Mountain Girl” Garcia—A former Merry Prankster, she spent twenty-eight years as Jerry Garcia’s friend, wife, and companion. The mother of Sunshine Kesey and Annabelle and Trixie Garcia, she is an organic gardener, writer, painter, fiber artist, and avid environmentalist who lives on a farm in Oregon raising black sheep and jackasses.
Clifford “Tiff” Garcia—Jerry’s older brother, he works for Grateful Dead merchandising.
Jerry Garcia (1988)—He was the former lead guitar player for the Grateful Dead.
Manasha Matheson Garcia—The mother of Jerry Garcia’s youngest daughter, Keelin, she currently runs Say Grace Music, a music production company, and is working to establish a holistic medical center.
Sara Ruppenthal Garcia—A former member of the Anonymous Artists of America, she is about to begin a postdoctoral fellowship in clinical health psychology. She lives in San Francisco and is the mother of Heather Garcia.
Bill Graham (1989)—The legendary rock promoter, he died in a helicopter crash in 1991.
David Graham—The son of the late Bill Graham, he was Blues Traveller’s first manager. Having recently published a book of his own poetry, he lives in Marin County.
Larid Grant—A lifelong friend of Jerry Garcia, he was the Grateful Dead’s first roadie.
David Grisman—He continues to write, perform, and record music on Acoustic Disc, his own label.
Gary Gutierrez—He continues to work as a director of television commercials, music videos, and visual effects for movies.
Dexter Johnson—A guitar maker, he runs Carmel Music, a shop specializing in vintage instruments in Carmel, California.
Mickey Hart (1988)—Formerly one of the drummers in the Grateful Dead, he continues to write, perform, and record his own music.
Hal Kant—For the past twenty-five years, he has been the general counsel and head of business affairs for the Grateful Dead.
Jorma Kaukonen—A founding member of the Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna, he continues to write, perform, and record acoustic blues.
Ken Kesey (1989)—The noted author who was also once the chief Merry Prankster, he continues to live in Oregon.
Sat Santokh Singh Khalsa—As Bert Kanegson, he was a manager of the Grateful Dead. A leader in the Sikh community, he is now CEO of Rainforest Products, a socially responsible company working to preserve the rain forest.
Justin Kreutzmann—The son of Bill Kreutzmann, the Grateful Dead’s first drummer, he works as a video director.
Stacy Kreutzmann—Justin’s older sister, she works as a print broker, video producer, and publisher in northern California.
Cassidy Law—The daughter of Eileen Law and namesake of the Weir-Barlow song, “Cassidy,” she did tour ticketing for the Grateful Dead. She continues to work for the band handling public relations.
Eileen Law—The former voice of the Grateful Dead hotline, she acts as liaison between the Deadheads and the Grateful Dead.
Celeste Lear—A college student and aspiring professional musician, she is a Deadhead.
Marshall Leicester—He is a professor of English literature at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Richard Loren—The former manager of the Grateful Dead, Old and In the Way, and the Merl Saunders-Jerry Garcia Band, he lives in San Francisco and is developing several independent film and video projects.
Jon Mcintire—The former manager of the Grateful Dead, he now lives in Los Angeles where he is involved in screenwriting, acting, producing, and directing.
Donna Godchaux Mckay—Having rediscovered her Christian roots, the only woman ever to be part of the Grateful Dead continues to make music while living in Alabama.
Barbara (Brigid) Meier—A poet, painter, and Buddhist, she lives in New Mexico where she has assembled a book of recollections about Jerry Garcia entitled Gaspar’s Parrot.
Chesley Millikin—The former manager of the Grateful Dead and the first general manager of Epic Records in Europe, he now lives in northern California.
David Nelson—A founding member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage, he continues to perform with his own group, the David Nelson Band.
Harry Popick—A longtime soundman for the Grateful Dead, he is now involved in recording and production in Marin County.
Ron Rakow—The former president of both Grateful Dead and Round Records, he is a self-described “visionary business cat who is now a mundane venture capitalist with a great ocean view.”
Sandy Rothman—He continues to play bluegrass music while living in Berkeley, California.
Peter Rowan—He continues to write, perform, and record as a solo artist and the leader of his own band.
Merl Saunders—He continues to write, perform, and record with the Merl Saunders Band.
Nicki Scully—Sage’s mother, she is an author and teacher of metaphysics, shamanism, and healing who lives in Oregon.
Rock Scully—The former manager of the Grateful Dead, he is the author of Living with the Dead.
Sage Scully—Rock’s daughter, she lives and works in Bend, Oregon.
Grace Slick (1988)—She is the former lead singer of the Jefferson Airplane and the Jefferson Starship.
Joe Smith (1988)—A noted raconteur and author, he ran both Warner Brothers and Capitol Records.
Owsley Stanley (1989/1995)—Also known as Bear, he is the street chemist who first synthesized LSD in very pure form for mass consumption. He now lives in Australia.
Sue Stephens—For twenty-two years, she worked as Jerry Garcia’s personal assistant, office manager, and chief financial officer. She is now the secretary for his estate.
Sue Swanson—Called “my oldest fan” by Jerry Garcia, she has spent most of her adult life living with and working for the Grateful Dead.
Bill Thompson (1988)—He is the former manager of the Jefferson Airplane and the Jefferson Starship.
Pete Townshend (1988)—He is the former lead guitarist of the Who.
Alan Trist—He is the director of Ice Nine, the Grateful Dead’s music publishing company, and President of Hulogosi Communications, a cooperative book publishing company.
Michael Walker—A college student, he is a Deadhead.
Wavy Gravy—The self-proclaimed “psychedelic relic,” he continues to do what he has always done while also running a camp for children in northern California in the summer.
Bob Weir (1988)—The former rhythm guitarist for the Grateful Dead, he continues to write, record, and perform his own music.
Joshua White (1988/1995)—The creator and namesake of the Joshua Light Show, he now works as a television producer/director in New York City.
Suzy Wood—Formerly married to Marshall Leicester, she is a reentry student who recently graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, with a degree in anthropology.
Elanna Wynella—For the past twenty-four years, she has been John “Marmaduke” Dawson’s companion.