Did You Know That The Grateful Dead Used To Cover Merle Haggard?

The history of country music and the Grateful Dead may be more intertwined than you think.

This past week, Dead & Company announced a massive 60th anniversary celebration of the Grateful Dead that will include a three night run at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Dead & Company, with a lineup that includes original Grateful Dead member Bob Weir (guitar), long time member Mickey Hart (drums), and John Mayer, among others, typically plays two long sets on their own without an opener. But for one of the biggest music events of the 21st century, they’ve coordinated for three very special openers, one on each night of the run.

Phish frontman Trey Anastasio will open up the final night with his band the Trey Anastasio Band, but the first two nights will have a more country flare to them, as Billy Strings brings his phenomenal bluegrass show to the stage on Night 1, and Sturgill Simpson is scheduled to melt faces with his increasingly psychedelic and jam-heavy alt-country sound on Night 2.

Now, to anyone who is a fan of Billy Strings or Sturgill Simpson, it comes as no surprise that these artists are opening for what’s left of the most popular jam band of all time. Even if you are just a fan of non-mainstream country in general, you probably know that both of these artists are heavily inspired by the music of the Grateful Dead, and if you’ve seen either live, you’ll really understand how they’ve earned their way onto this bill. But for the more casual fans who may be aloof to the situation, I could see how this is may seem a bit surprising.

Which got me thinking, are country music fans aware that the Grateful Dead used to cover Merle Haggard and other classic country artists?

The Grateful Dead, and especially frontman Jerry Garcia, had a deep appreciation for American roots music. Garcia grew up listening to the Grand Ole Opry as a kid, played in several bluegrass and psych-country bands throughout his life in addition to the Dead, and was even a proficient pedal steel player. And with the band forming in Palo Alto, CA in 1965, their early years and rise to popularity coincided with another musical movement taking place just about a four hour drive to the south in Bakersfield, where artists like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard had been popularizing the Bakersfield Sound.

Following the success of his first number one song “I’m A Lonesome Fugitive” in 1967, Merle Haggard released his timeless hit “Mama Tried” in July 1968 as the lead single and title track for his album Mama Tried released later that year. And likely as a result of Grateful Dead’s appreciation for country music and the geographical proximity of the two artists, it wasn’t long before they tried their hand at a “Mama Tried” cover.

First performed at a show in Milwaukee, WI in August 1969, “Mama Tried” became a staple cover for the band and a fan-favorite, ultimately performing the song live 327 times during their tenure, with the final performance coming on July 6, 1995 at Riverport Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, MO, three days before the band’s final show.

One of the most popular performances was at the legendary Barton Hall at Cornell University show in 1977.

Give it a listen here:

“Mama Tried” wasn’t the only Merle Haggard song the Grateful Dead covered, though. In fact, there is a Merle Haggard deep cut they pulled out several times between 1971 and 1973 called “Sing Me Back Home.”

A poignant track penned by Haggard himself, the song is written from the point of view of a man facing the death penalty, and was inspired by a real life inmate Haggard encountered at San Quentin named Jimmy “Rabbit” Kendrick.

Check out one of the Grateful Dead’s performances of the song here:

Since this one is considerably less well-known in comparison to “Mama Tried,” here is the original for reference.

As one of the oldest genres of popular music in America, country music is everywhere. But it’s pretty cool to me that one of the biggest American bands ever, the Grateful Dead, had such an affinity for the genre themselves that they frequently covered songs from artists like Merle Haggard.

So while we’re on the topic, here are a couple other classic country songs they covered back in the day.

“El Paso” – Marty Robbins

“Me & Bobby McGee” – Kris Kristofferson

“Big River” – Johnny Cash

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