#171831  by kentuckykind
 
Today I was on instagram and came across Steve Parish's page. I found it strange that he list himself as "Jerry Garcia Band co-founder/manager".

Is this accurate??? Co-founder and he doesn't play an instrument or sing? Manager? I really don't have a great understanding of the crew and who played a major role but I never thought Steve was a co-founder or manager.

Nothing against Steve, I just never thought he had these titles? If I am wrong, let me know or if you can give some insight, I would appreciate it.

Cheers!
 #171832  by strumminsix
 
By all accounts he was instrumental in JG's life and a first point of contact to the entire GD while they were on stage.

At the same time, you listen to him talk on GD Sirius and it's very obvious he saw no lines separating the musicians from the supporting crew. Part of me sees that as beautiful, especially considering all the groundbreaking things the crew did to support the band: live multitrack recording, 2 Wall of Sound setups, frequency delayed repeaters, etc etc.. the other part of me finds it very odd and self serving. But he also grew up during a time you had to hustle and self promote. IMO, run with it, Big Steve.
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 #171833  by NeilG1
 
I LOVE listening to Big Steve. He's absolutely grandiose and over the top. But an amazing story teller who clearly had such a keen eye and intimate knowledge for everything the band did, especially Jerry. He's one of those people I listen to and almost don't care or even think about whether what he's telling me is 100% true. It's just so nice to listen. His love for the band, for music, and for Jerry is just so pure to my ear.
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 #171836  by ebick
 
I do recall hearing him (not that long ago, actually) talk about how the JGB came about, and the way he tells it, Jerry asked him about his willingness to "take it on" as another project. So, yeah, maybe....
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 #171837  by jackietreehorn
 
Big Steve managed JGB for sure.

However there are different view points out there about the start of JGB. Some say it was a completely new project. Others say changing of the name was a way of Jerry firing Saunders and Fiero without dealing with the issue head on. John Kahn, who probably knew the real story, is on record as walking the middle of these two stories.

So whether or not Steve is a “founding member” I guess depends on your definition of “member” and whether or not JGB was a new project.
 #171839  by strumminsix
 
jackietreehorn wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:36 am However there are different view points out there about the start of JGB. Some say it was a completely new project. Others say changing of the name was a way of Jerry firing Saunders and Fiero without dealing with the issue head on. John Kahn, who probably knew the real story, is on record as walking the middle of these two stories.
I'd love to hear more about that. I've always wondered and can't find any answers
 #171840  by lbpesq
 
Since we are discussing JGB, may I interpose a quick, understandable, derailment. Twenty years ago on this date JGB, with Melvin Seals, was my wedding band. (My buddy was the guitarist at the time). Big Steve wasn’t there. I sat in with the band for a couple of songs. The high point of the wedding, for me, was when my wife told me that she went over to thank Melvin and he said “hey, your old man can really play”.

Bill, tgo
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 #171841  by Jon S.
 
lbpesq wrote: Wed Oct 20, 2021 10:56 am Since we are discussing JGB, may I interpose a quick, understandable, derailment. Twenty years ago on this date JGB, with Melvin Seals, was my wedding band. (My buddy was the guitarist at the time). Big Steve wasn’t there. I sat in with the band for a couple of songs. The high point of the wedding, for me, was when my wife told me that she went over to thank Melvin and he said “hey, your old man can really play”.

Bill, tgo
Nominated for best post I've read here ever! :rockon:
 #171869  by mgbills
 
On the topic of JGB...I highly recommend https://www.dead.net/deadcast
It's on Apple Podcast & probably other forums. Utterly fascinating tales from the early days, and they've made it up through the Fox Theater shows in '72.
According to the podcast Jerry did that first solo album to buy his house in Stinson Beach (I believe). There were so many musicians around Wally Heiders studio in the early days, he really wanted a solo project that didn't involve 100 musicians. Jerry & Kreutzman. Also of note...Garcia is playing bass & piano on that album, and guitar of course.

The album provided GD classics/hymns/anthems. But it also was the birth of JGB. The podcast goes into some detail on a slew of projects that Jerry played on at the time. Much more than CSNY. Really fascinating stuff.

The podcast made me revere Jerry as a player even more than I already do. Which is absurd.

Oh...and on Big Steve..."never let the truth get in the way of a good story." As a former New Yorker & a beneficiary of deep storytelling roots...Steve provides oral history that we all can enjoy. The absolute historical accuracy could only detract, IMO.
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 #171871  by lbpesq
 
mgbills wrote: Sat Oct 23, 2021 7:22 pm Oh...and on Big Steve..."never let the truth get in the way of a good story." As a former New Yorker & a beneficiary of deep storytelling roots...Steve provides oral history that we all can enjoy. The absolute historical accuracy could only detract, IMO.

Well stated!

Bill, tgo
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 #172906  by Gratefuldrifter65
 
Hes good man,home before daylight good read written by the big steve,he done the hard yards,put in the hard work and would of died for jerry.The grateful dead working crew were the best,they did there job ,respect to parish.
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