4 Stellar Country Covers of Classic Grateful Dead Songs

Country fans who dismiss the Grateful Dead as “hippie music” should take a moment to check out these covers.

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The Dead set the stage for generations of jam bands. At the same time, folk, bluegrass, and country music made up the heart of their sound for years. As a result, many high-level country and bluegrass artists have recorded covers of the Grateful Dead’s songs over the years. The four below are stellar examples.

Country and Bluegrass Covers of Grateful Dead Songs

Many country and bluegrass artists like Tyler Childers, Billy Strings, and Jimmy Buffett work Grateful Dead covers into the live shows. Those are killer tunes. However, today, we’ll be looking at covers that appeared on studio albums.

1. “Stella Blue” by Willie Nelson

Written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter, “Stella Blue” appeared on the Grateful Dead’s 1973 album Wake of the Flood. The studio release came after three consecutive live albums and saw the band wanting to showcase songs penned since keyboardist Keith Godchaux came into the fold.

Decades later, country icon Willie Nelson recorded a cover of the Grateful Dead classic for his 2006 album Songbird. Producer Ryan Adams picked most of the cover songs for the album leading Nelson to call it the Ryan Adams Project.

2. “Standing on the Moon” by Molly Tuttle

The Dead originally recorded “Standing on the Moon” for their 1989 studio album Built to Last. It was to be the band’s 13th and final studio release.

Jam bands have a long history with bluegrass. As a result, many more bluegrass artists than country artists tend to cover songs from the Grateful Dead catalog. Molly Tuttle recorded a stunning version of “Standing on the Moon” for her 2020 album But I’d Rather Be with You.

3. “Truckin’” by Dwight Yoakam

Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Robert Hunter co-wrote “Truckin’” and the Grateful Dead recorded it for their 1970 album American Beauty. Much like their previous album Workingman’s Dead, American Beauty saw the band playing a blend of folk rock and country music. As a result, the albums’ tracks were ripe for the picking when country artists came looking for Grateful Dead songs to cover.

Dwight Yoakam included a live version of the song on his 1992 album La Croix D’amour. His 12-bar blues format of the song translated to Yoakam’s Bakersfield-inspired brand of country music perfectly.

4. “Cumberland Blues” by The Travelin’ McCourys  

Penned by Phil Lesh, Jerry Garcia, and Robert Hunter, the Grateful Dead recorded “Cumberland Blues” for their 1970 album Workingman’s Dead. The song about a pair of coal miners sees Garcia sharing lead vocal duties with Bobby Weir.

The Travelin’ McCourys recorded their cover of “Cumberland Blues” for their 2017 self-titled album. Their modern bluegrass sound fits the song’s tempo and subject matter like a glove.

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