Coming November 11th on Round Records, the Jerry Garcia Family is excited to announce the release of Folk Time by Hart Valley Drifters, Garcia’s folk and bluegrass quartet in 1962! Folk Time holds historical significance as Garcia’s first known studio recording from a radio session in the fall of 1962 at Stanford University’s KZSU station. The group featured a 20-year old Jerry Garcia on lead vocals, banjo and guitar, Robert Hunter on bass, David Nelson on guitar, Ken Frankel on banjo, fiddle and guitar as well as Norm Van Maastricht on dobro.

“What you hear on Folk Time, besides pretty decent banjo playing, is the beginning of Garcia’s quest to explore every aspect of what makes American music so rich. Despite his near deification by overzealous Deadheads, what Garcia was really after — as a musical explorer in the Dead and other projects — was a seamless integration of this music, along with blues and jazz and folk, with just the right amount of psychedelic inspiration.” – NPR First Listen

“’He played the music he loved because he loved it, not because it would make money or make him famous,’ Frankel says. ‘He worked only as much as he absolutely had to, and had no traditional ambitions. [And] he wanted to help other people to enjoy playing music as much as he did.’” – Ken Frankel from “Think of What You’ve Done” Exclusive – Wall Street Journal

Check out additional features from Rolling Stone Country and Relix!