Bruce Hornsby Discusses Grateful Dead 50 In Interview

Keyboardist Bruce Hornsby will perform with Phil Lesh, Trey Anastasio, Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart and Jeff Chimenti in Chicago over Fourth of July weekend for Fare Thee Well -celebrating 50 years of Grateful Dead. Hornsby talked about his role in the shows and much more in a new interview.

[Photo by James Martin]

Hornsby told the Wall Street Journal he had heard rumblings of potential shows last year and last fall heard the band members were interested in his services. “I wasn’t really pitched by any of the band members. I talked to a few of the band members a few times; Bobby Weir just called me last night. I just got the request through my manager – their people talking to my people.” Bruce also revealed that he was originally pitched to join the Grateful Dead by Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh one week after Brent Mydland died in 1990. Hornsby joined the Dead on a temporary basis following Brent’s death.

When asked about the rehearsal process for Fare Thee Well, the keyboardist told the Wall Street Journal, “Hopefully Bobby, Trey [Anastasio] and I will get together and work on vocal parts and harmony sections. There’s so much great harmony in the Dead music. We’re going to rehearse, of course, before the shows. I’m sure there will be some preliminary work that we’re talking about. We’re probably going to be learning 60-plus songs or more. Or re-learning for me. When I came in winging it off the street with no rehearsal at Madison Square Garden in September 1990, I knew about 30 or 40 Dead songs. It meant that I didn’t know about 130. Their master list was about 160 songs long. It was a lot of quick catch-up for me.”

Bruce Hornsby has only played with Anastasio once, but it left a lasting impression. “[He has a] great level of musicianship on the guitar and also his having led one of the great bands of the last 25 years, Phish. He’s certainly a prime-time player. Whenever I see Trey, he has a joyful quality about his music making, a great exuberance – I think it’s infectious. That will be a huge plus with this band,” Hornsby said about Trey. Bruce also revealed he did see Phish once and had a great time. “I saw them at the Hampton Coliseum. I loved it. I was up close and thought they were just transcendent. They have a real beautiful relationship with their audience, just like the Dead.”

Head to Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy blog to read more of Hornsby’s thoughts on Fare Thee Well and his most recent album.