Jerry Garcia’s Bluegrass Roots Celebrated By Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame & Museum

In addition to his masterful guitar skills, Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia was an accomplished banjo player. Both prior to forming the Dead in 1965 and during his time as a member of the legendary band, Garcia played banjo and acoustic guitar in several folk and bluegrass groups, such as The Wildwood Boys, Black Mountain Boys, Hart Valley Drifters and the bluegrass supergroup Old & In The Way.

Garcia’s connection to bluegrass and folk music will be presented in an exhibit at the Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame Museum in Owensboro, Kentucky. The aptly named “Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey” exhibition will open with a two-day celebration on on March 29 – 30, 2024.

Leftover Salmon will appear as the house band for the opening weekend festivities, performing both nights live at the Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame Museum. The band will showcase Garcia’s bluegrass repertoire, acoustic Grateful Dead, collaborations with his Old & In The Way cohort and Bluegrass Hall Of Famer David Grisman and more.

“Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey” will be open to the public for two years. The exhibit will feature several of Garcia’s instruments such as banjos, acoustic guitars and pedal steel guitars, alongside other historical pieces and ephemera. According to the Hall Of Fame, the exhibit “will occupy 2000 square feet and include artifacts, interactives, exclusive interview content, and more.”

“Jerry Garcia: A Bluegrass Journey” exhibition and Leftover Salmon concert tickets will go on sale at a later date.

Watch Garcia’s collaborator David Nelson, Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally, Garcia’s first wife Sara Katz, Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman, bluegrass legend Del McCoury, bluegrass guitar phenom Billy Strings and others discuss Jerry’s bluegrass exploration in the Bluegrass Music Hall Of Fame Museum-produced video below: