David Nelson

Co-founder of the New Riders and a key link between Jerry Garcia's early folk circles and country rock.

David Brian Nelson (born June 12, 1943) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a co-founder and longtime member of the New Riders of the Purple Sage. Before forming that band, he played folk and bluegrass with Jerry Garcia in The Wildwood Boys and later joined the New Delhi River Band. While Garcia moved to San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, Nelson remained in East Palo Alto, where his group became the house band at The Barn in Scotts Valley by late 1966. He served as lead guitarist for Big Brother and the Holding Company briefly before joining Garcia and John Dawson to launch the New Riders of the Purple Sage in 1969.

Quick Facts

Born

12 June 1943

Birthplace

Seattle, Washington, U.S.

Origin

San Francisco Bay Area

Genre

Rock
country rock
bluegrass
folk

Occupation

Musician, songwriter

Instrument

Electric guitar
vocals
mandolin

Years active

Early 1960s – present

Current member of

New Riders of the Purple Sage, David Nelson Band

Lore & Background

Nelson's career is defined by his deep roots in the Palo Alto folk scene. He started with The Wildwood Boys alongside Jerry Garcia, then moved to the New Delhi River Band. Unlike Garcia, who relocated to San Francisco to join The Warlocks (later the Grateful Dead), Nelson kept his group in East Palo Alto, establishing them as the house band at The Barn by late 1966. This group maintained a cult following through the Summer of Love until dissolving in early 1968. In 1969, while playing with ephemeral groups like High Country, Nelson was approached to join the reformed Big Brother and the Holding Company as lead guitarist. However, before auditions for Janis Joplin's replacement began, Garcia and John "Marmaduke" Dawson recruited him instead for their new psychedelic country rock venture: the New Riders of the Purple Sage.

Reader's Guide

Nelson's discography includes significant work with the New Riders of the Purple Sage from their self-titled debut in 1971 through albums like Powerglide (1972), Gypsy Cowboy (1972), and The Adventures of Panama Red (1973). He is well known as the lead singer on "Panama Red," a 1973 countercultural anthem. His solo work with the David Nelson Band began in 1996 with Limited Edition, followed by Keeper of the Key (1997), Visions Under the Moon (1999), High Adventure in Japan (1999), and Once in a Blue Moon (2014). He also performed as a guest artist on three Grateful Dead albums: Aoxomoxoa, Workingman's Dead, and American Beauty. In 2006, while recording with Jesse McReynolds in Nashville, Nelson played "Ripple" at the Grand Ole Opry, marking the first-ever Grateful Dead song performed there. He also co-founded The Papermill Creek Rounders with Lowell "Banana" Levenger.