The Time Duane Allman, Jerry Garcia & Bob Weir Jammed At A Boston Radio Station

The Allman Brothers Band held a three-night run on November 19 – 21, 1970 in Boston at the now-defunct concert venue The Boston Tea Party. The middle night of the run, which occurred 53 years ago today, was guitarist Duane Allman’s 24th birthday. Sadly, Allman died in a tragic motorcycle accident less than a year after the Boston shows.

Back when The Allmans were playing Boston, the Grateful Dead played a nearby concert on November 21, 1970 at Boston University’s Sargent Gym. Opening for the Grateful Dead that night were The New Riders Of The Purple Sage, as well as a chimpanzee vaudeville act. Fans attending The Allmans’ show in town faired better than the Deadheads who caught the chimps as Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup and Victor Brady were the supporting acts at The Boston Tea Party.

While there is no evidence that there was any cross-pollination between bands during their respective concerts (there are no confirmed tapes or setlists for either of the bands’ performances that night), a tape does exist of members of the Dead and Allmans casually jamming together at Boston radio station WBCN. From what does remain documenting that night, Grateful Dead guitarists Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir and The Allman Brothers Band guitarist Duane Allman hung out and traded songs while being broadcast over the Boston area airwaves.

The radio DJ helming the session mentioned that Grateful Dead keyboardist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan was in the studio but he declined to participate in the jam. Other members of The Allmans might have been in attendance as well.

The impromptu late-night acoustic session began with Weir singing Marty Robbins’ “El Paso.” A rare Garcia-sung take on Johnny Cash’s “Big River” came next. Garcia then strummed his way through “I Know You Rider.” Garcia and Weir followed by rolling through the bluegrass instrumental “Beaumont Rag.” Weir then engaged in a performance of “Dark Hollow.”

Duane Allman arrived without a guitar and at one point during the session had to take a long-distance phone call about a canceled Allmans’ gig. Garcia later loaned Allman the use of his guitar and the latter played a portion of Bert Jansch’s “Anji.” Soon after, Weir led a cover of Gene Crysler’s “Let Me In,” the country ballad popularized by Porter Wagoner. The surviving tape fades out before Weir finished the song.

The laid-back session, featuring light-hearted and friendly banter throughout, can be heard in the less-than-pristine audio recording below: