Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh turns 81 today, March 15th. In recent years, the venerated musician has celebrated his birthday with an all-star gathering of many musicians he’s inspired for concerts at The Capitol Theatre or his own Terrapin Crossroads. Since COVID-19 has made massive birthday parties a thing of the past, The Terrapin Family Band—led by Phil’s son Grahame—put together a star-studded crew of musicians to cover one of Phil’s signature Dead songs, “Unbroken Chain”.
The 13-minute cover shared to Lesh’s Facebook page on Monday goes far beyond the studio rendition of the track found on 1974’s From The Mars Hotel. This expansive rendition strikes at the heart of Lesh’s legacy as an expansive cast of musicians all get a chance to partake in some extended improvisation. The cover of “Unbroken Chain” features contributions from Mike Gordon, Joe Russo, Warren Haynes, John Scofield, Jeff Chimenti, Adam MacDougall, Stanley Jordan, Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams, Amy Helm, Nicki Bluhm, Karl Denson, Holly Bowling, Eric Krasno, Anders Osborne, Jackie Greene, Tom Hamilton, Luther Dickinson, Jon Graboff, Scott Law, and Dan “Lebo” Lebowitz.
With such an array of musicians, the marathon rendition turns into something of a relay race. Given the sheer amount of guitarists, at times they are seen improvising on top of one another in a feat of production, video editing, and sheer musicianship. The keyboardists aren’t to be forgotten either as MacDougall’s effects-driven style provides color commentary to Chimenti and Bowling’s straightforward play-by-play. The improvisation takes on a jazz-bent as Denson arrives on saxophone before descending back into a virtual Guitar Center to close out the song.
Watch the all-star cover of “Unbroken Chain” led by The Terrapin Family Band in honor of Phil Lesh’s 81st birthday.
The Terrapin Family Band – “Unbroken Chain” (For Phil Lesh’s 81st Birthday)