Greetings Superstars!
There was a period of time in my youth when I might have been described as a ‘hippy chick.’ I dislike being categorized and labeled, but admit to running around with dirty feet, listening to the Grateful Dead while wearing jean shorts (the 90s were marked by large swaths of denim). This was before streaming music, and part of life was popping into the record store to look at CDs. You won’t be surprised to know that I headed straight for the reggae section of Music Trader, obsessed with the jewel cases that cradled a surprising musical marriage—reggae covers of Grateful Dead songs.
I deeply wish that I’d kept some of those old CDs even though they were bulky and had become obsolete. Some of them from the bargain bin were very jokey, but others contained performances by big talent. For instance, Freddie McGregor did “Eyes of the World.” Steel Pulse performed “Franklin’s Tower,” and Gregory Isaacs covered “Sugaree.” These examples are from Fire on the Mountain: Reggae Celebrates the Grateful Dead. Take a listen:
How did this sub-genre come about? I often wonder how it even became popular. I was introduced to Dead songs in high school on St. Croix, where we were surrounded by reggae music—so I see the connection in my own life as a music fan. But in the States, I think the audience had something to do with hippy culture, concerts around college campuses, and ganja. You do the math.
I did a little digging and found out that Fire on the Mountain: Reggae Celebrates the Grateful Dead was produced by Pow Wow Records. It looks like Pow Wow was “run” by a man called Mark Kamins. Apparently, Kamins was a famous DJ from the 80s. According to Wikipedia, the founder of Island Records heard Kamins DJ at a nightclub and hired him.
That’s the best I can do for an origin story of reggae covers of Grateful Dead songs. Luckily, it seems we have contemporary versions of these songs being made. Here are some really talented Statesiders called Grateful Dub doing a reggae version of “Scarlet Begonias,” which is my favorite Dead song:
I hope that your week is filled with yellow skies, blue suns, and ice, gold, and green daydreams.
The Strange Connex Between Reggae & the Grateful Dead