Garcia & Hunter Nominated For Songwriters Hall Of Fame

It shouldn’t be any surprise that Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter have been nominated to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame next year. The duo shared ties all the way back to the early 1960s, sans Grateful Dead, when the two shared the stage in a number of bluegrass bands, Jerry playing banjo and Hunter on mandolin and upright bass.

Hunter and Garcia would go on to pen some of the most classic cuts in the Dead’s catalog, including, “Friend Of The Devil,” “Truckin,'” “Casey Jones,” “New Speedway Boogie,” “Sugaree.” Hunter even wrote the first verse to the band’s colossal “Dark Star.” When the Grateful Dead went into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994, Hunter was inducted, too: the only time a non performer has ever been honored.

Other noteworthy nominees include Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Steve Winwood, Steve Miller, Ann & Nancy Wilson (Heart), and Cat Stevens. Voters will have until December 15 to cast their ballot.