Jerry Garcia’s 1962 Bluegrass Recordings Are Now Streaming In Full

For months, we’ve been eager to hear what the Hart Valley Drifters are all about. The band’s recording from 1962 was recently discovered and remastered, capturing one of the earliest known recordings of a 20-year-old Jerry Garcia. With Robert Hunter and David Nelson in the band, this Bay Area crew would certainly go on to inspire and influence Garcia for the remainder of his life.

Fortunately, we’re in luck, as the new Folk Time album is streaming in full via NPR Music’s First Listen program. NPR frames the album as a group of 20-somethings searching for true Americana music, rising past the notion of bluegrass into folk and beyond.

Listen to Folk Time below, and judge for yourself.