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Rolling Stone’s 2020 list of Jerry Garcia’s 50 greatest songs ranges from Grateful Dead folk-rock and live improvisation to country-leaning storytelling and Garcia’s solo recordings. It is an editorial ranking, not an objective measure; its value is the variety it puts side by side.
What the 50-song list includes
Published August 6, 2020, and credited to David Browne, Corinne Cummings, Kory Grow, Will Hermes, David Marchese, Rob Sheffield, and Douglas Wolk, Rolling Stone’s selection draws from songs Garcia performed with the Grateful Dead and from his solo records. It treats his musical identity as broader than the Dead’s extended jams: the choices also encompass folk, bluegrass, old-time ballads, country, reggae, electronic textures, and rock and roll. Read Rolling Stone’s full ranking.
The ranking offers no scoring rubric or audience-poll methodology, so the order reflects the magazine’s judgment. Its top three examples show how unlike one another these songs can be: “Uncle John’s Band” is No. 1, “Dark Star” No. 2, and “Wharf Rat” No. 7.
Three songs that show the range
“Uncle John’s Band”: folk roots and cultural threads
Rolling Stone describes the No. 1 song as an acoustic ballad with folk and cultural roots. The Grateful Dead’s official feature connects Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter’s folk interests to the New Lost City Ramblers and old-time music, while cautioning against pinning the title on one literal inspiration. Hunter acknowledged John Cohen as a possible influence. The Grateful Dead’s feature on “Uncle John’s Band” lays out those overlapping threads. In Rolling Stone’s account, Garcia summed up one influence with the brief remark, “So I stole it!”
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“Dark Star”: a song that opens into improvisation
At No. 2, “Dark Star” represents the expansive live side of Garcia’s work. Rolling Stone emphasizes its role as an improvisational vehicle: a song whose performance could stretch far beyond a compact, fixed arrangement.
“Wharf Rat”: a lasting live presence
At No. 7, “Wharf Rat” illustrates a different kind of live identity. Rolling Stone describes it as a sustained live staple, showing how a song’s importance can be shaped by repeated performance as well as by its recorded version.
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How the songs differ in sound and setting
Not every entry is built for open-ended exploration. Rolling Stone describes “Shakedown Street” as disco-boogie, “Here Comes Sunshine” as melodic and spacey, and “They Love Each Other” as a gentle song from Garcia’s solo album Reflections. “Sugaree” began as a track on a Garcia solo album and also became part of the Dead’s live repertoire. These examples make the list useful as a map of distinct song forms, not just a ranking of performances.
For a first listen, choose by the sound or setting you want rather than treating the order as a required sequence:
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- Folk and acoustic songwriting: start with “Uncle John’s Band.”
- Open-ended live improvisation: try “Dark Star.”
- Groove: choose “Shakedown Street.”
- Melodic, exploratory texture: try “Here Comes Sunshine.”
- A song with both solo and Dead performance contexts: listen to “Sugaree” in each setting.
Garcia and Robert Hunter’s songwriting partnership
Garcia’s repertoire is closely tied to lyricist Robert Hunter. The Songwriters Hall of Fame says Garcia’s best-known Grateful Dead songs were largely co-written with Hunter. Its examples include “Casey Jones,” “China Cat Sunflower,” “St. Stephen,” “Truckin’,” “Dark Star,” “Friend of the Devil,” “Uncle John’s Band,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Touch of Grey.” The Hall of Fame also records their early folk partnership and their first concert together in 1961. See the Songwriters Hall of Fame profile of Jerry Garcia.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A solo-album starting point
For several songs in their original solo-album context, begin with Garcia, Garcia’s first solo album. The official Jerry Garcia site says it was recorded almost entirely by Garcia, with Bill Kreutzmann on drums and Hunter providing lyrics. The track list includes “Deal,” “Bird Song,” “Sugaree,” “Loser,” and “The Wheel.” It is a useful entry point to the solo side of the ranking, though it does not contain all 50 selections. View the official album page and track list.
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