This is pretty much as good as it gets for me. The Grateful Dead playing Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" with John Popper. On November 3, 1991 the Dead were kind enough to let the Blues Traveler front-man sit in for a spirited rendition of this blues staple. Undoubtedly this was a thrill for Popper who at this time was still a young man in the beginnings of his career. He joins a list of other legendary harmonica players to sit in with Grateful Dead members including Paul Butterfield, Mickey Raphael, and even Ken Kesey of all people! The Dead actually has a long history with the harmonica. Early on in their career original organist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan's harmonica solos used to bring down the house.
Popper and The Dead performed for a crowd of nearly 500,000 at the Bill Graham Memorial Concert in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. The Dead's set also included guest appearances by John Fogerty and Neil Young.
Bill Graham was a legendary concert promoter who gained prominence in the 1960's promoting acts such as The Grateful Dead, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and Jefferson Airplane. His company helped to promote Blues Traveler before his demise in a hellicopter crash. Graham's story is a very interesting one which includes his escape from the Nazi's during the Holocaust to helping shape the counter culture revolution in the 60's.
This is a fitting tribute. Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
The Popper solo here is better than his average, due, I think, that he's considering what he plays rather than powering out a set of rote scale configurations. It would be a fine thing if Jon Popper considered the space between the phrases as well as the phrases themselves.
Post a Comment