Grateful Dead Family Discography: Jordan (aka Cold Jordan)

Jordan (aka Cold Jordan)

Composer: Traditional

Jordan was performed once by the Grateful Dead in the summer of 1969 and then about a dozen times in the summer of 1970. The majority of these performances were in acoustic sets. The song was always listed as Cold Jordan on Dead setlists and on subsequent releases of shows that include the song. However on the majority of other releases the title of the song is just Jordan.

The song appears to have been first recorded by the Stanley Brothers and released on their For The Good People album in 1960 and then on a single in 1961. Some recordings credited Fred Rich, a songwriter from Georgia, as the writer of the song. Other recordings credit the Stanley Brothers or list the song as traditional or public doman.

Grateful Dead

Dick's Picks, Vol. 8, Grateful Dead, 1997
Road Trips: Vol 3, No 3: Fillmore East, 5/15/70, Grateful Dead, 2010
Road Trips: Vol 3, No 3: Fillmore East, 5/15/70 Bonus CD, 2010

Other recordings

For The Good People, Stanley Brothers, 1960
no info Single (Angel Of Death / Jordan), Stanley Brothers, 1961
no info EP (Jacob's Vision / Four Books In The Bible / Jordan / Lonely Tombs), Stanley Brothers, 1961
Sing Me A Gospel Song, The Lewis Family, 1962
no info Jesus Has Called Me, Lilimai Whitaker & The Gospelaires, 196?
Rank Strangers, Stanley Brothers, 1973
Livin' In The Past, The Kentucky Colonels, 1975
no info Standing In The Shadows, David Lambeth & the High Lonesome Ramblers, 1975
no info Stanley Brothers On Air, Stanley Brothers, 1976
Long Time Gone, John Starling, 1977
no info 16 Greatest Gospel Hits, Stanley Brothers, 1978
Roses In The Snow, Emmylou Harris, 1980
no info Live! In Concert, The Opryland Gospel Quartet, 1981
no info In Concert, The Lewis Family, 1983
Stanley Series, Vol. 2 # 2, Stanley Brothers, 1984
no info Southbound Express, Blanchard Valley Bluegrass Boys, 1984
no info The Early Starday/King Years, 1958-1961, Stanley Brothers, 1993
no info Our Style, The Isaacs, 1993
Clinch Mountain Bluegrass, Stanley Brothers, 1994
no info Rambler's Blues, Laurel Canyon Ramblers, 1995
Gospel According to Country, Various Artists (Emmylou Harris), 1996
no info The Very Best Of The Isaacs, 1997
no info Best Of The Best: All Bluegrass, All Gospel, Stanley Brothers, 1998
Plays Bluegrass, The David Thom Band, 2000
no info Jesus Will Be With Me, Green Valley Grass, 2002
American Folk and Country Music Festival, Various Artists (Stanley Brothers), 2003
no info (Sinner) You Better Get Ready, The Packway Handle Band, 2005
no info The Bluegrass Bible: 40 Bluegrass Gospel Classics, Various artists (Lillimae & The Gospelaires), 2005
no info The Best of Bluegrass Gospel, Vol. 1, Various Artists (Lillimae & The Gospelaires), 2006
no info There Must Be Another Way to Live, Patuxent Partners, 2006
no info Strangers in Meshech, Green Pastures, 2006
Songbird: Rare Tracks & Forgotten Gems, Emmylou Harris, 2007
Spirit, The Garcia Project, 2020