New Grateful Dead Song Discovered On Long-Lost Recordings From 1966 [Listen]

The earliest days of the Grateful Dead were an interesting time. Somewhere in the midst of the psychedelia-crazed San Francisco, a band emerged that had true staying power. Sure, they played the Acid Tests for Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters, but the Dead were able to capture some musical magic like never before. While the band was transitioning from psychedelic novelty to legitimate musicians, they began writing songs. One such tune that never made the cut has finally seen the light of day, thanks to some newly-surfaced recordings.

As JamBase points out, an original composition recorded in 1966 has been found. Titled “Wandering Man,” the song was pulled from a rehearsal session with just Phil Lesh and Jerry Garcia in 1966. Very few additional details are available, but the song seems to be in the hollering blues style that influenced a lot of the Dead’s earliest music.

Listen to the newly-discovered “Wandering Man” track, below.

For more on these new recordings that have circulated on eTree, you can head here.