Photos by Brad Hodge
The Americana Music Association chose Jerry Garcia as the recipient of the “AMA President’s Award” at its
annual Honors & Awards show in Nashville,
TN. Other legends honored with
“Lifetime Achievement Awards” were Joan
Baez for freedom of speech, Jason
and the Scorchers for performance and John
Hiatt for songwriting.
Numerous showcases took place all over town after the awards
celebration, with the “Allstar Tribute to Jerry Garcia,” featuring The Waybacks and the American Beauty Project (Ollabelle, Jim
Lauderdale, Catherine Russell, Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams) and co-hosted by the AMA and Relix magazine, by far the
most esteemed.
San Francisco-based roots musicians The Waybacks began the
evening with a stellar performance, offering up a respectful mixture of Jerry
Garcia favorites and original numbers that allowed the band an opportunity to
show off their own songwriting as well as honor the Americana legend. They recreated “Shady
Grove” with a unique voice and fresh instrumentation, lending new life to the
old standard. The up-and-coming Grace
Potter joined the band for a few numbers. Much in the way she has burst
onto the festival and jamband scene, she too has begun to make her presence
known in Americana
circles. She participated in numerous panel discussions and round-table performances
throughout the four-day conference.
The Waybacks offered up a few more Celtic-infused jams and a
rousing “Saint Stephen” before turning over the night to the American Beauty
Project, which was considered one of the more exciting highlights of the AMA
conference week. Multi-instrumentalist Larry
Campbell was an intricate part of Buddy
Miller’s all-star house band for the awards show, so Buddy returned the
favor by joining the showcase for most of the evening on guitar. Campbell was the surprise
recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Instrumentalist” and was
bubbling over with joy as he took the stage for the showcase. Seeing the two
old friends play together on “Black Peter” got the performance off to a joyous
start.
Catherine Russell
commanded attention with superb mandolin play and vocals on “Candy Man.” Then one of Nashville’s most beloved ambassadors, Jim Lauderdale (pictured below), led the crowd through a
sing-along of “Cumberland Blues.” As the A list of participants took turns
offering up the lead, Amy Helm took over for a deeply moving “Box of Rain”
while Buddy Miller steeped to the mike for “Deal.”
Plagued by a delayed start, the music seemed to run out of
time rather than energy. As the end drew near, Teresa Williams, Amy Helm
and Larry Campbell performed a harmonious “Attics of My Life.” Then, in fine
fashion, everyone jammed the stage full and closed the night with “Going Down
the Road Feeling Bad.”
This small representation of Jerry Garcia’s work portrayed
the icon in hues of red, white and blue. The vast array of material and
experiences created by and around Jerry Garcia can never completely be honored.
Not only was he the first hipster of rock and roll, he was Americana long before the genre was born. His
influence on American music continues to inspire. And on this night he lived on
through the music.
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