''May 1977'' is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It contains five complete concerts, on 14 CDs. It was recorded at five consecutive shows, from May 11–17, 1977. Packaged as a box set, it includes a booklet with a historical essay and photos from the concerts, along with individual liner notes for each show. Produced as a limited edition of 15,000 numbered copies, it was released on June 11, 2013.

Concerts

The concerts included in ''May 1977'' are: *May 11, 1977 – St. Paul Civic Center,

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center ...

*May 12, 1977 –

Auditorium Theatre The Auditorium Theatre is a music and performance venue located inside the Auditorium Building at 50 Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, Illinois. Inspired by the Richardsonian Romanesque Style of architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the building was ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

*May 13, 1977 – Auditorium Theatre, Chicago *May 15, 1977 – St. Louis Arena,

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

*May 17, 1977 –

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal and Piedmont plains meet. Alabama's fifth-largest city, it had an estimated population o ...

Critical reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote, "The Dead were a couple months away from releasing ''

Terrapin Station ''Terrapin Station'' is the ninth studio album by the Grateful Dead, released July 27, 1977. It was the first Grateful Dead album on Arista Records and the first studio album after the band returned to live touring, following a nearly two-year ...

'', an album that isn't particularly beloved, but the slickness that subsumed the studio record is a plus on-stage, as they're tighter than ever before. This is a Grateful Dead that is less about sonic exploration than it is about grooving, letting slow, easy rhythms ride out for as long as they can. At times, this does mean that " Fire on the Mountain" goes on for a very long time, taking detours into drum solos, but the comfort and ease here are appealing, along with a precision in the rhythms and solos. What impresses most is the consistency: perhaps there are slight lags in momentum along the way, but each of the five concerts is wonderfully entertaining, the sound of the Dead at something of a laid-back peak." In ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'',

Will Hermes Will Hermes (born December 27, 1960 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City) is an American author, broadcaster, journalist and critic who has written extensively about popular music. He is a longtime contributor to ''Rolling Stone'' and to National Pu ...

said, "The Grateful Dead's May 8th, 1977 gig at Cornell University is widely considered the ne plus ultra of Dead bootlegs. This 14-disc set, packed in a psychedelic sarcophagus, documents five gigs from later that month. It puts the consensus-maker in perspective, occasionally rivals it and, flaws notwithstanding, shows a band on a hell of a hot streak. Compared to the hard-tripping Sixties edition, this is comfort-food Dead, long on unhurried jams and raggedy country harmonies sweetened by their only-ever female band member, Donna Jean Godchaux."

Track listing

May 11, 1977 – St. Paul Civic Center, Saint Paul, Minnesota

Disc one :''First set:'' #"

Promised Land The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...

" (

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

) – 4:54 #"They Love Each Other" ( Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter) – 7:38 #" Big River" ( Johnny Cash) – 6:25 #"Loser" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:39 #"Looks Like Rain" ( Bob Weir,

John Perry Barlow John Perry Barlow (October 3, 1947February 7, 2018) was an American poet, essayist, cattle rancher, and cyberlibertarian political activist who had been associated with both the Democratic and Republican parties. He was also a lyricist for th ...

) – 9:18 #"Ramble On Rose" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:48 #"

Jack Straw John Whitaker Straw (born 3 August 1946) is a British politician who served in the Cabinet from 1997 to 2010 under the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He held two of the traditional Great Offices of State, as Home Secretary ...

" (Weir, Hunter) – 5:54 #"

Peggy-O The Bonnie Lass o' Fyvie (Roud # 545) is a Scottish folk song about a thwarted romance between a soldier and a girl. Like many folk songs, the authorship is unattributed, there is no strict version of the lyrics, and it is often referred to by its ...

" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 8:43 #"

El Paso El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the seat of El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the U.S. Census Bureau was 678,815, making it the 23rd-largest city in the U.S., the s ...

" (

Marty Robbins Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and succ ...

) – 4:44 #"Deal" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:49 Disc two #"Lazy Lightning" > (Weir, Barlow) – 3:32 #"Supplication" (Weir, Barlow) –5:20 #"

Sugaree "Sugaree" is a song written by long-time Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and composed by guitarist Jerry Garcia. It was written for Jerry Garcia's first solo album '' Garcia'', which was released in January 1972. As with the songs on the re ...

" (Garcia, Hunter) –13:49 :''Second set:'' #

Samson and Delilah Samson and Delilah are Biblical figures. Samson and Delilah may also refer to: In music * ''Samson and Delilah'' (opera), an opera by Camille Saint-Saëns * ''Samson & Delilah'' (album), released in 2013 by V V Brown * "Samson and Delilah" (t ...

" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:08 #"Brown-Eyed Women" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:28 #"Estimated Prophet" (Weir, Barlow) – 8:38 Disc three #" Scarlet Begonias" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:47 #" Fire on the Mountain" > ( Mickey Hart, Hunter) – 11:02 #"

Good Lovin' "Good Lovin is a song written by Rudy Clark and Arthur Resnick that was a #1 hit single for the Young Rascals in 1966. Original version The song was first recorded by Lemme B. Good (stage name of singer Limmie Snell) in March 1965 and written ...

" (

Rudy Clark Rudy or Rudi is a masculine given name, sometimes short for Rudolf, Rudolph, Rawad, Rudra, Ruairidh, or variations thereof, a nickname and a surname which may refer to: People Given name or nickname *Rudolf Rudy Andeweg (born 1952), Dutch poli ...

Arthur Resnick Arthur Resnick (born 1937) is an American songwriter, record producer and musician. His most successful songs as a writer include " Under the Boardwalk" (co-written with Kenny Young), "Good Lovin'" (co-written with Rudy Clark), and " Yummy Yumm ...

) – 6:29 #"

Uncle John's Band "Uncle John's Band" is a song by the Grateful Dead that first appeared in their concert setlists in late 1969. The band recorded it for their 1970 album '' Workingman's Dead''. Written by guitarist Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter, "U ...

" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:11 #"Space" > (Garcia,

Keith Godchaux Keith Richard Godchaux (July 19, 1948 – July 23, 1980) was a pianist best known for his tenure in the rock group the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1979. Biography Godchaux was born in Seattle, Washington, and grew up in Concord, California ...

, Phil Lesh, Weir) – 5:48 #"Wharf Rat" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:51 #"

Around and Around "Around and Around" is a 1958 rock song written and first recorded by Chuck Berry. It originally appeared under the name "Around & Around" as the B-side to the single " Johnny B. Goode". Cover versions The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stone ...

" (Berry) – 8:48 :''Encore:'' #

"Brokedown Palace" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:34

May 12, 1977 – Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

Disc one :''First set:'' #"Bertha" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:16 #" Me and My Uncle" ( John Phillips) – 3:04 #"Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:32 #"

Cassidy Cassidy may refer to: Personal names * Cassidy (given name) * Cassidy (surname) People * Cassidy (musician) (born 1979), lead singer of Antigone Rising * Cassidy (rapper) (born 1982), American rapper * DJ Cassidy (born 1981), New York DJ * Jame ...

" (Weir, Barlow) – 5:05 #"Peggy-O" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:52 #"Jack Straw" (Weir, Hunter) – 5:45 #"They Love Each Other" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:47 #"New Minglewood Blues" (

Noah Lewis Noah Lewis (September 3, 1891 – February 7, 1961)Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara, California: Praeger. p. 238. . Previously, his birth year was also reported as 1890 or 1895. 1891 is general ...

) – 5:20 Disc two #"Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:54 #"

Dancing in the Street "Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William "Mickey" Stevenson and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 ...

" ( Marvin Gaye, Ivy Jo Hunter,

William "Mickey" Stevenson William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967. Life and career He was born William Stevenson and, a ...

) – 14:19 :''Second set:'' #

"Samson and Delilah" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:07 #"Brown-Eyed Women" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:28 #"Estimated Prophet" (Weir, Barlow) – 9:25 #"Sunrise" (

Donna Jean Godchaux Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux-MacKay (born August 22, 1947) is an American singer who was a member of the Grateful Dead from 1972 until 1979. Biography Donna Jean Thatcher was born in Florence, Alabama. Prior to 1970, she had worked as a sessi ...

) – 3:46 Disc three #"Terrapin Station" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:13 #"

Playing in the Band "Playing in the Band" is a Grateful Dead song. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir composed the music, with some assistance from percussionist Mickey Hart. The song first emerged in embryonic form on the s ...

" > (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 8:36 #"Drums" > (Hart,

Bill Kreutzmann William Kreutzmann Jr. ( ; born May 7, 1946) is an American drummer and founding member of the rock band Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, usually alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart, and has continued to ...

) – 4:06 #" Not Fade Away" > ( Charles Hardin,

Norman Petty Norman Petty (May 25, 1927 – August 15, 1984) was an American musician, record producer, publisher, radio station owner, and considered to be one of the founding fathers of early rock & roll. Biography Petty was born in the small town of Clo ...

) – 14:15 #"Comes a Time" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:20 #"Playing in the Band" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 7:00 :''Encore:'' #

" Johnny B. Goode" (Berry) – 4:18

May 13, 1977 – Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

Disc one :''First set:'' #"The Music Never Stopped" (Weir, Barlow) – 8:37 #"Ramble On Rose" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:33 #"Cassidy" (Weir, Barlow) – 4:46 #"Brown-Eyed Women" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:35 #"New Minglewood Blues" (Lewis) – 5:06 #" Friend of the Devil" (Garcia, John Dawson, Hunter) – 8:38 #"El Paso" (Robbins) – 4:55 #" Jack-a-Roe" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 5:56 #"Looks Like Rain" (Weir, Barlow) – 8:17 #"Scarlet Begonias" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:05 #"Fire on the Mountain" (Hart, Hunter) – 13:19 Disc two :''Second set:'' #"Samson and Delilah" > (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:24 #"Bertha" (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:52 #"Estimated Prophet" > (Weir, Barlow) – 9:51 #"Drums" > (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 5:47 #"The Other One" > (Weir, Kreutzmann) – 16:28 #"Stella Blue" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 11:51 #"Goin' Down the Road Feeling Bad" > (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 8:05 (NB: due to tape damage, is from June 8, 1977) #" One More Saturday Night" (Weir) – 5:21 (NB: due to tape damage, is from May 28, 1977) :''Encore:'' #

"U.S. Blues" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:57

May 15, 1977 – St. Louis Arena, St. Louis, Missouri

Disc one :''First set:'' #"Bertha" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:34 #"Good Lovin'" (Clark, Resnick) – 6:07 #"Row Jimmy" (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:51 #"New Minglewood Blues" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 5:33 #"Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:35 #"Lazy Lightning" > (Weir, Barlow) – 3:34 #"Supplication" (Weir, Barlow) – 4:42 #"Jack-a-Roe" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 6:24 #"Passenger" (Lesh, Peter Monk) – 4:31 #"Brown-Eyed Women" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:16 Disc two #"Dancing in the Street" (Gaye, Ivy Jo Hunter, Stevenson) – 18:49 :''Second set:'' #

"Estimated Prophet" > (Weir, Barlow) – 11:32 #"Eyes of the World" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 12:48 #"Drums" > (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 3:13 #"Samson and Delilah" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 7:28 #"Ship Of Fools" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:41 Disc three #" St. Stephen" > (Garcia, Lesh, Hunter) – 5:28 #"

Iko Iko "Iko Iko" () is a much-covered New Orleans song that tells of a parade collision between two tribes of Mardi Gras Indians and the traditional confrontation. The song, under the original title "Jock-A-Mo", was written and released in 1953 as a sin ...

" > (James "Sugar Boy" Crawford, Barbara Ann Hawkins, Rosa Lee Hawkins, Joan Marie Johnson) – 3:54 #"Not Fade Away" > (Hardin, Petty) – 9:38 #" Sugar Magnolia" (Weir, Hunter) – 9:58 :''Encore:'' #

"Uncle John's Band" (Garcia, Hunter) – 9:06

May 17, 1977 – University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Disc one :''First set:'' #"New Minglewood Blues" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 5:46 #"Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 10:28 #"El Paso" (Robbins) – 4:48 #"They Love Each Other" (Garcia, Hunter) – 7:42 #"Jack Straw" (Weir, Hunter) – 5:37 #"Jack-a-Roe" (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 5:59 #"Looks Like Rain" (Weir, Barlow) – 8:10 #"Tennessee Jed" (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:46 #"Passenger" (Lesh, Monk) – 3:36 #"High Time" (Garcia, Hunter) – 8:32 #"Big River" (Cash) – 6:39 Disc two #"Sunrise" (D.J. Godchaux) – 4:35 #"Scarlet Begonias" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 13:02 #"Fire on the Mountain" (Hart, Hunter) – 13:14 :''Second set:'' #

"Samson and Delilah" > (traditional, arranged by Grateful Dead) – 6:43 #"Bertha" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 6:16 #"Good Lovin'" (Clark, Resnick) – 6:02 #"Brown-Eyed Women" (Garcia, Hunter) – 5:34 Disc three #"Estimated Prophet" (Weir, Barlow) – 8:55 #"Terrapin Station" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 11:23 #"Playing in the Band" > (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 12:20 #"Drums" > (Hart, Kreutzmann) – 4:49 #"Wharf Rat" > (Garcia, Hunter) – 12:53 #"Playing in the Band" (Weir, Hart, Hunter) – 6:06 :''Encore:'' #

"Sugar Magnolia" (Weir, Hunter) – 9:15 Notes

Personnel

;Grateful Dead * Jerry Garcia –

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

– vocals *

–

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Mickey Hart – drums *

– drums * Phil Lesh –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

* Bob Weir – rhythm guitar, vocals ;Production *Produced by Grateful Dead *Produced for release by David Lemieux *Executive producer: Mark Pinkus *Associate producer: Doran Tyson *Mastering: Jeffrey Norman *Recording:

Betty Cantor-Jackson Betty Cantor-Jackson (born 1948) is an American audio engineer and producer. She is best known for her work recording live concerts for the Grateful Dead from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, including the '' Cornell 5/8/77'' album. She is not ...

*Tape transfer, time-base correction, restoration: John K. Chester, Jamie Howarth *Archival research: Nicholas Merriwether *Tape research: Michael Wesley Johnson *Art direction, design: Masaki Koike *Photography: James R. Anderson, Alexandra May Hunter *Liner notes: Steve Silberman, Blair Jackson

References

{{Authority control 2013 live albums Grateful Dead live albums Rhino Records live albums