Guitarist Jerry Garcia and keyboardist Merl Saunders covering “Valdez In The Country” is the final preview of the upcoming archival release, GarciaLive Volume 18: November 2nd, 1974 Keystone Berkeley. Round Records will issue the latest installment of the series this Friday, June 10.
The previously uncirculated recording was captured by longtime Grateful Dead sound engineer Betty Cantor-Jackson during Garcia and Saunders’ memorable fall 1974 run of shows. Joining Garcia and Saunders were bassist John Kahn, drummer Paul Humphrey and saxophonist Martin Fierro.
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Jerry Garcia ‘GarciaLive Volume 18’ Features 1974 Concert With Merl Saunders
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Listen To Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders Cover ‘The Harder They Come’ At Keystone Berkeley In 1974
“Valdez In The Country” was co-written by Donny Hathaway, who played keyboards on a 1969 version of the song recorded by King Curtis under the title “Patty Cake.” That same year, The Soulful Strings included a recording of “Valdez In The Country” on their album, String Fever. Hathaway later released his own version of the song.
According to JerryBase, the instrumental was played less than 20 times between 1974 and 1975 by Garcia/Saunders and their short-lived outfit Legion Of Mary. A version was included on GarciaLive Vol. 3, which was a Legion Of Mary performance in December 1974. A note on Alex Allan’s Whitegum Grateful Dead website entry for “Valdez In The Country” notes some setlists erroneously labeled the song “Bossa Martin.”
Listen to Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders’ 16-minute cover of “Valdez In The Country” below:
