Though the Grateful Dead and Carlos Santana emerged from the same psychedelic San Francisco scene, their career trajectories veered off quite differently throughout the 70s and 80s. Still, the roots between both artists provided a strong foundation, and every so often, those seeds would blossom into full-fledged collaborations.
On the first night of a two-night stand at the Calaveras County Fairgrounds, the Dead spoke about how they had been friends with the legendary guitarist for many years. They continued, saying that they were going to prove it by having Santana come up on stage and join them for some music. The Dead played two songs with Santana each night, including great versions of “Good Morning Little Schoolgirl” and “In The Midnight Hour” on 8/22/87.
Fortunately, thanks to the DeadLists Project, a full audio recording of this Angels Camp, CA performance is still in circulation. Listen in below and enjoy the fruits of top-notch musicians joining forces!
[Audio:Â Jonathan Aizen]