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The Grateful Dead Play Chuck Berry

The Grateful Dead played 6 Chuck Berry songs during their existence. One of these, Thirty Days, was played only once at a soundcheck and never performed live. Another, Let It Rock, was performed live only once at a 1974 show. A third, Run Rudolph Run (not written by Chuck Berry but associated with him) was performed only a handful of times. However the other three songs, Around and Around, Johnny B. Goode and The Promised Land, were in total performed over 1,100 times.

Ratdog, The Dead, Phil Lesh & Friends and various Jerry Garcia bands all performed some of these songs and other Chuck Berry songs and, in some cases, continue to do so.

This page documents the songs played by the Grateful Dead and related bands and officially released recordings of those songs.

The Grateful Dead Play Chuck Berry: The songs and recordings

Around and Around

Around And Around was first performed by the Grateful Dead in November 1970. It was then performed every year through to July 1995. In total the song was performed well over 400 times.

Grateful Dead recordings that include Around and Around

info Steal Your Face, 1976
info One From The Vault, 1991
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 1, 1993
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 5, 1996
info Dozin' At The Knick, 1996
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 11, 1998
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 18, 2000
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 25, 2002
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 29, 2003
info The Closing of Winterland, 2003
info The Closing of Winterland (DVD), 2003
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 31, 2004
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 34, 2005
info Live at the Cow Palace: New Year's Eve 1976, 2006
info Grateful Dead Download Series Vol 9, 4/2 & 3/89, 2006
info Road Trips: Vol 1, Number 2: October 1977, 2008
info Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings, 2008
info Rocking The Cradle: Egypt 1978, 2008
info Road Trips: Vol 1, Number 4: Winterland 1978 Bonus CD, 2008
info Road Trips: Vol 2, Number 4: Cal Expo 1993, 2009


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Johnny B. Goode

Johnny B Goode was performed just under 300 times by the Grateful Dead between 1971 and 1995.

Grateful Dead recordings that include Johnny B. Goode

info Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses), 1971
info Johnny B. Goode / So Fine, 1972
info Fillmore, The Last Days, Various Artists, 1972
info Johnny B. Goode / Truckin', 1972
info Superstars of the 70's, Vol 2, Various Artists, 1974
info Truckin' / Sugar Magnolia, 1974?
info The Grateful Dead Movie (video), 1981
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 5, 1996
info Downhill from Here (video), 1997
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 10, 1998
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 18, 2000
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 19, 2000
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 20, 2001
info The Golden Road (1965-1973), 2001
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 25, 2002
info The Closing of Winterland, 2003
info The Closing of Winterland (DVD), 2003
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 33, 2004
info Grateful Dead Movie Soundtrack, 2004
info The Grateful Dead Movie (exp DVD), 2004
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 35, 2005
info Grateful Dead Download Series Vol. 3: 10/26/71, 2005
info Grateful Dead Download Series Vol. 9: 4/2 & 3/89, 2006
info Grateful Dead Download Series Vol. 11: 6/20/91, 2006
info Three From The Vault, 2007
info Eternally Grateful, 2007
info Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings, 2008
info Road Trips: Vol 1, Number 3: Summer 1971, 2008
info Road Trips: Vol 3, Number 2: Austin, Nov 15, 1971, 2010


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Let It Rock

Let it Rock was performed on only one occasion by the Grateful Dead on June 23, 1974.

Grateful Dead recordings that include Let It Rock

info Beyond Description, 2004
info Grateful Dead From The Mars Hotel (Exp CD), 2006

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Let It Rock was also performed by various Jerry Garcia bands between 1974 and 1995 and appears on a number of recordings.

Jerry Garcia recordings that include Let It Rock

info Garcia (Compliments of Garcia), 1974
info Single (Let It Rock / Midnight Town), 1974
info Shining Star, 2001
info All Good Things: Jerry Garcia Studio Sessions, 2004
info Pure Jerry: Lunt-Fontanne, NYC, 10/31/87, 2004
info The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 1, 2005
info The Very Best Of Jerry Garcia, 2006
info Let It Rock: The Jerry Garcia Collection, Vol. 2: Keystone Berkeley '75, 2009



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The Promised Land

The Promised Land was first performed by the Grateful Dead in April 1971. The song was played regularly through the 1970's then less often, but still usually nearly 10 times a year, through to 1995. In total it was performed over 400 times.

Grateful Dead recordings that include The Promised Land

info Steal Your Face, 1976
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 5, 1996
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 10, 1998
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 11, 1998
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 12, 1998
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 15, 1999
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 19, 2000
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 23, 2001
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 24, 2002
info View From The Vault IV, 2003
info View From The Vault IV (DVD), 2003
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 28, 2003
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 29, 2003
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 33, 2004
info Rare Cuts and Oddities 1966, 2005
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 35, 2005
info Dick's Picks, Vol. 36, 2005
info Grateful Dead Download Series Vol. 1: 4/30/77, 2005
info Grateful Dead Download Series Vol. 4: 6/18/76, 2005
info Grateful Dead Download Series Vol. 8: 12/10/73, 2005
info Live at the Cow Palace: New Year's Eve 1976, 2006
info Road Trips: Vol 1, Number 1: Fall 1979, 2007
info Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings, 2008
info Road Trips Download: Philadelphia, Nov 6, 1979, 2008
info To Terrapin: Hartford '77, 2009


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Run Rudolph Run

Run Rudolph Run was performed a handful of times by the Grateful Dead in December 1971. There are no Grateful Dead recordings of the song.

The song was not written by Chuck Berry (the song writers were Marvin Brodie and Johnny Marks) but was first recorded by Berry and is usually associated with him.


Thirty Days

The Grateful Dead performed part of this song during a soundcheck in December 1973 but never performed it live.


Jerry Garcia Plays Chuck Berry: The Songs

info Johnny B. Goode
info Let It Rock
info Maybellene
info You Never Can Tell
-     once by JGB, once with NRPS, once w/Santana
-     performed over 140 times between 1974 and 1995
-     performed once with Keith & Donna Band
-     performed nearly 40 times by JGB in 90's
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The Dead Play Chuck Berry (2003/2004/2009): The Songs

info Around and Around
info Johnny B. Goode
info The Promised Land
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Ratdog Play Chuck Berry

info Around and Around
info Johnny B. Goode
info The Promised Land
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Phil Lesh & Friends Play Chuck Berry

info Johnny B. Goode
info The Promised Land
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Last updated June 2009