Home Jambase And The Winner Of The Best Song Covered By The Grateful Dead...

And The Winner Of The Best Song Covered By The Grateful Dead Is …

April 4, 2023

jambase 2023 march madness v001 round 1 1200x675 1

JamBase’s 2023 March Madness Top Grateful Dead Covers Tournament was won by Bonnie Dobson’s “Morning Dew.” The song easily defeated fellow finalist “Me And My Uncle” by John Phillips.

The tournament began with 16 songs competing in an upset-filled first round. The Elite 8 then featured several matchups decided by just a few percentage points. The tournament’s Final Four was another round of closely contested competitions.

However, the Championship was won by the Jerry Garcia-sung 10th seed “Morning Dew” in a landslide victory over the Bob Weir-sung overall No. 1 seed “Me And My Uncle.”

As a reminder, this year’s March Madness Covers Tournament featured songs covered by the Grateful Dead going head-to-head in a typical single-elimination tournament. The Team JamBase Tournament Selection Committee chose the 16 covers based on several criteria. Seeding was ranked by the number of times each song was performed in concert by the Dead, with the most played getting the No. 1 seed.

The selection process assured that band members Garcia, Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Phil Lesh, Donna Jean Godchaux, Brent Mydland and Vince Welnick each sang lead on at least one song. Along with varied lead singers, with the exception of the all-encompassing “Traditional” credit, no songwriter was covered more than once. In nearly every instance, the selected songs were ones not just covered by the Grateful Dead but that became fully engrained in the band’s live repertoire.

Thanks to all who voted in JamBase’s 2023 March Madness Top Grateful Dead Covers Tournament. Check out the entry for the champion “Morning Dew” below:

!function ($) {

$(function(){ // document ready

$(‘.video-sticky’).stickybits(
{
stickyBitStickyOffset: getNavbarsHeight()
}
);

});

}(window.jQuery);

.video-content .panel-body {
padding-top:40px;
padding-bottom:40px;
}
.video-sticky {
z-index: 999;
background-color: #fcfcfc;
}
.honorable-mentions {
padding-left: 0;
margin-left: 1.375em;
}
.honorable-mentions li {
margin-bottom:5px;
}
.honorable-mentions .fa-li {
margin-top:-2px;
}

.video-summary-wrap table.glance-table.jambase-videos-songs-table{
background-color: #e2e8ef;
}

10. Morning Dew – Bonnie Dobson

Original Artist/Songwriter: Bonnie Dobson
Lead Singer: Jerry Garcia
Grateful Dead Live Performances: 278
First Time Played: March 18, 1967
Last Time Played: June 21, 1995

Notes: Toronto native Bonnie Dobson wrote “Morning Dew” and recorded it for her 1962 album, At Folk City. Folk singer Fred Neil recorded the song with Vince Martin for their 1964 album, Tear Down The Walls. In 1966, Neil performed with members of The Buzzy Linhart Trio and participated in regular jam sessions at the loft of the group’s drummer Serge Katzan on the Lower East Side of New York City. Among the others believed to have attended the loft jam sessions include Mississippi John Hurt, Donovan, David Crosby, Gram Parsons and Jerry Garcia.

According to longtime Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally in his book, Long Strange Trip, it was Laird Grant — Garcia’s childhood friend and an among the earliest members of the band’s crew — who in 1966 introduced Garcia to Neil’s version of “Morning Dew.” Soon after Garcia and the Dead were mesmerizing audiences with powerful performances of the poignant song. Above is another stellar version of “Morning Dew” from the highly regarded May 8, 1977, Dead show at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

.article-summary-wrap {
margin-top:25px;
}

.panel-article .list-posts > li {
border-style: dotted;
}
.panel-article .list-posts > li:last-of-type {
border-bottom-width:0;
}
.panel-article .list-posts .excerpt {
margin: 3px 0 0;
}
.panel-article .list-posts .btn-sm {
margin-top: 10px;
padding: 3px 10px;
}

2023 Grateful Dead Covers Tournament

!function ($) {
$(function(){ // document ready
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Show Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-cover-songs-tournament-round-1’,
nonInteraction : true
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
$(document).on(‘click’, ‘.article-summary-wrap a[data-guid=”99784319d94311e-b239-4aa4-9fc4-9bb507493606″]’, function(e){
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Click Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-cover-songs-tournament-round-1’
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
});
});
}(window.jQuery);

Songs Not Of Their Own: Pick The Best Song Covered By The Grateful Dead
!function ($) {
$(function(){ // document ready
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Show Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-cover-songs-tournament-round-2’,
nonInteraction : true
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
$(document).on(‘click’, ‘.article-summary-wrap a[data-guid=”100365280e82e216-71ef-4238-a5e5-557ffc56bb7d”]’, function(e){
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Click Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-cover-songs-tournament-round-2’
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
});
});
}(window.jQuery);

‘Dear Mr. Fantasy’ Leads Grateful Dead Covers Tournament Upset-Filled 1st Round: Elite 8 Voting Underway
!function ($) {
$(function(){ // document ready
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Show Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-cover-songs-tournament-final-four’,
nonInteraction : true
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
$(document).on(‘click’, ‘.article-summary-wrap a[data-guid=”10089465c63c4935-8b6c-4c0a-a411-bf151aaecef7″]’, function(e){
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Click Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-cover-songs-tournament-final-four’
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
});
});
}(window.jQuery);

‘Morning Dew’ Upsets ‘I Know You Rider’ To Make Grateful Dead Covers Tournament Final Four
!function ($) {
$(function(){ // document ready
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Show Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-covers-tournament-championship-me-my-uncle-morning-dew’,
nonInteraction : true
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
$(document).on(‘click’, ‘.article-summary-wrap a[data-guid=”1011828720988cd6-c853-42d1-8d93-c4a097f7e742″]’, function(e){
var ga_event_args = {
hitType: ‘event’,
eventCategory: ‘Article Summary Shortcode’,
eventAction: ‘Click Article Summary’,
eventLabel: ‘https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-covers-tournament-championship-me-my-uncle-morning-dew’
};
console.log( ‘JB – Analytics Event’ );
console.log( ga_event_args );
try {
__gaTracker(‘send’, ga_event_args );
} catch(err){}
});
});
}(window.jQuery);

Who Will Win The Grateful Dead Covers Tournament Championship ‘Me & My Uncle’ or ‘Morning Dew?’