Week of November 24, 2008
Part 1 26:57
Interview: Merl Saunders
Merl Saunders and Friends, Keepers
MYSTERY TRAIN
Interview: Merl Saunders
Merl Saunders and Friends, Keepers
GEORGIA ON MY MIND
Part 2 28:58
Interview: Merl Saunders
Merl Saunders and Friends, Keepers
GEE, BABY, AIN’T I GOOD TO YOU
Interview: Merl Saunders
Merl Saunders Live: Still Havin’ Fun
SUGAREE
Interview: Merl Saunders
Merl Saunders, Fiesta Amazonica
AYAHUASCA ZONE
San Francisco keyboardist Merl Saunders was a musical partner of Jerry Garcia’s starting in 1970. As you’ll hear in this interview, their work together was tremendously enriching to the guitarist. The recorded output of their collaboration is quite impressive, as the discography on deaddisc.com attests.
When Jerry was recovering from his diabetic coma in 1986, it was Merl who went to his bedside every day to help him recover his musical consciousness and retrain his nerve paths.
Merl suffered a stroke in 2002 that put an end to his performing career. Complications from an infection ended his life on October 24, 2008. See Jef Jaisun’s photo of Merl in this earlier post.
A damn fine musician and, in my experience, a gentle and generous man.
