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[Jerry Garcia] was very influential on me in so many ways, musically and philosophically. I learned probably more from him than anybody in my whole life. -Donna Jean |
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Photo by Susan J. Weiand
"[Being in The Grateful Dead] was really hard on the relationship [for] Keith and me personally. And then we had Zion and I was always concerned about what was happening with him if he wasn't with me, if he was being taken care of and if he was with me it was an added pressure. Being on the road and, like I said, all the substances that were involved back in those days contributed to a lot of things that went on with Keith and me," Donna Jean recalls. "By the time it got to be 1979 and Zion was four-years-old, we just knew that we needed to take a break. The band also knew that we needed to take a break. They knew it was time for us to leave the band and we knew it was time for us to leave the band. There was a meeting at our house and they said, 'We think you should move on.' And we said, 'Well, we know we should move on [laughs].' So it was a mutual decision. There was never any harsh weirdness between us... we remained friends and retained a life long friendship."
"There is always going to be that Grateful Dead base and how we relate to music philosophically. That's a plus actually, but the reality is that it's 20 years later and everybody is doing their own thing," observes Donna Jean. "When I get back with them they are my brothers, they are my friends and we have a musical and personal relationship, and it's just the coolest thing in the world."
Currently, Donna Jean is the musical companion of the seven-piece band, Donna Jean & the Tricksters. Donna Jean first met the Tricksters at the Gathering of the Vibes festival. Donna Jean recalls how she was first impressed by the kind of people they were. Later, she was impressed with the way they played her songs, and by their own songwriting and range. They decided to give musical union a shot, and what has come of that she describes as Southern groove roots with a backbeat, as well as intensive jams. Their self-titled debut was released January 29 on Dig (part of the Rykodisc network).
"The good thing about this band is that we have so many songwriters," says Donna Jean. "We have seven members in this band, so we have seven songwriters [and] seven lead singers. So, we are not at a loss for material and a range in what we can do vocally. It opened up arenas for me vocally, and stimulated me vocally to where we can really do more than I've ever been able to do. For instance, three people can sing a line and four people can answer. Or we can almost have a choir sound because we have so many singers. On this CD we really incorporated that but we've only scratched the surface of what we can do vocally."
When Donna Jean talks about the Tricksters, she gushes with the excitement of someone who has just found a new best friend.
 Donna Jean by Susan J. Weiand |
"I didn't have to struggle and go out there and find something, yet again. After the Donna Jean Band and Heart of Gold Band, I just had this serendipitous experience of meeting these people who were on the same page and in the same place. Once again at the right time and the right place for something really magical to happen. I just could not be happier as a person or as a singer-songwriter right now," gushes Donna Jean.
It's interesting to hear Donna Jean say that her current band feeds her with more inspiration than she's ever had. It's sort of like The Grateful Dead was her first boyfriend – rocky at times but unforgettable, training her through rich, complex experiences.
"Going into The Grateful Dead I had only been a session vocalist. I had never performed live until I stood onstage with The Grateful Dead," she says. "A lot of my years in The Grateful Dead were really acclimating to the live situation. The Grateful Dead were an established band. They knew who they were. They had a sound that they were going for. They knew what they were doing and they had a real run on their identity as The Grateful Dead, so I didn't press that at all. I was trying to find out who I was as the lead vocalist in this band of brothers. So, I had a lot of acclimating to do, so I never really pressed anything. I never have been one to want to interject myself and be bold in that way. Like I am now! Many of my years in The Grateful Dead were spent that way, where I was just finding myself."
She's not alone in that experience. Most people's days with The Grateful Dead were spent trying to find themselves in the midst of that most unique circus environment. It was a time of hallucinogens and experimentation, not unlike what they were hearing in the music. Like '60s jazz musicians, The Grateful Dead were monumental in the way they introduced improvisational music to a generation.
Almost three decades have passed since Donna Jean was a member of The Grateful Dead, and 13 years have gone by since Jerry Garcia passed. I asked Donna Jean if and how the audience has changed over time.
"Most people who come to our shows are likeminded musically. In the jam band scene you are going to get people who pretty much have the same musical philosophy, and they are ready to have an experience and an adventure because it is experimental and adventuresome" observes Donna Jean. "Our audience is one that really expects that and applauds that, so we are likeminded in that regard."
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