[Jon S.]

I came across this article this morning that I enjoyed so I thought I'd share it. What's most interesting to me about it is how diverse Jerry's musical tastes were and how interested he was in listening to and learning from a very broad range of players. In my forum signature, I recognize Jerry as someone who didn't try to copy anyone but chased his own muse and that remains true. But isn't it fascinating to consider who he admired and how they influenced his musical aesthetic (including many guitarists who, to be fair, Jerry doesn't superficially sound like at all but emulates their spirits)?

https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/jerry-garc ... -playlist/

From the article - Jerry Garcia’s favourite guitarists:

Richard Thompson
Django Reinhardt
Roy Buchanan
Don Rich
Steve Kimock
Carlos Santana
Roy Nichols
Robbie Robertson
Charlie Christian
Robert Johnson

[Chocol8]

My take is that Jerry did try to copy other people, but he copied from so many different people in different genres and different instruments, that the end result was he developed his own style and sound.

[Jon S.]

My take is that Jerry did try to copy other people, but he copied from so many different people in different genres and different instruments, that the end result was he developed his own style and sound.

Yours is an astute and worthy observation. It reminds me something I read long ago that Carlos Santana said, quoted in a Guitar Player magazine interview, that stuck in my mind as inspirational (I'm paraphrasing from memory now): "When I was starting out, I woodshedded for hours with my guitar. At first, 95% of the time I was copying others' riffs. But the other 5%, I came up with something new I didn't recognize as being specifically someone else's. Over time, I remembered, collected, and embraced those 5%'s. And they became my sound."