Grateful Dead Family Discography: Cumberland Blues

Cumberland Blues

Composer: Jerry Garcia / Robert Hunter

Cumberland Blues was first performed by the Grateful Dead in November 1969. It was played very regularly during the following few years and then less regularly during the 1972 to 1974 period. After October 1974 the song was not performed again until August 1981. It then became an occasional part of the repertoire through to 1995. Cumberland Blues was last performed live by the Grateful Dead on July 9, 1995.

Robert Hunter commented on this song in Box Of Rain: Lyrics 1965-1993;

The best compliment I ever had on a lyric was from an old guy who'd worked at the Cumberland mine. He said, 'I wonder what the guy who wrote this song would've thought if he'd ever known something like the Grateful Dead was gonna do it.'

Grateful Dead recordings

Workingman's Dead, 1970
Europe '72, 1972
The Rock Revelation, Various Artists, 1975
What A Long Strange Trip It's Been, 1977
American Beauty / Workingman's Dead, 198?
Dick's Picks, Vol. 8, 1997
Downhill from Here (DVD), 1997
Dick's Picks, Vol. 11, 1998
Dick's Picks, Vol. 16, 2000
Ladies and Gentlemen ... The Grateful Dead, 2000
The Golden Road (1965-1973), 2001
Workingman's Dead, 2003 exp CD has extra version
Dick's Picks, Vol. 30, 2003
Dick's Picks, Vol. 35, 2005
Dick's Picks, Vol. 36, 2005
Trilogy, 2005
Grateful Dead Download Vol. 3: 10/26/71, 2005
Grateful Dead Download Vol. 5: 3/27/88, 2005
Grateful Dead Download Vol. 10, 7/21/72, 2006
Three From The Vault, 2007
Eternally Grateful, 2007
Road Trips: Vol 1, Number 3: Summer 1971 Bonus CD, 2008

Phil Lesh & Friends

June 18, 2006: Bonnaroo Music Festival, 2006
Instant Live: June 25, 2006, Atlanta, GA, 2006
Instant Live: July 1, 2006, Holmdel, NJ, 2006
Instant Live: July 9, 2006, Bethel, NY, 2006

The Dead

Holmdel, NJ: June 24, 2003
Austin, TX: July 4, 2003
Ft Lauderdale, FL: July 29, 2003
Columbus, OH: August 6, 2003
Morrison, CO: June 18, 2004
San Diego, CA: June 23, 2004
Sacramento, CA: June 27, 2004
George, WA: July 3, 2004
Indianapolis, IN: July 25, 2004
Holmdel, NJ: August 10, 2004
Bristow, VA: August 15, 2004
Dead ’09: Albany, NY, April 17, 2009
Dead ’09: Hartford, CT, April 26, 2009
Dead ’09: Philadelphia, PA, May 2, 2009
Dead ’09: Denver, CO, May 7, 2009

Other recordings

Step Up To Big Pay, Cache Valley Drifters, 1979
Dead Ringers, Dead Ringers, 1994
Deadbeats Acoustic, Deadbeats, 1996
Pickin' On The Grateful Dead, Various Artists, 1997
Dead Delites, Vol. 3, Various Artists, 1998
Release 1, The Schwag, 1998
Swingin' To The Grateful Dead, Various Artists, 1999
Stolen Roses, Various Artists, 2000
Live At Twenty North, Jake's Leg, 2001
Long Strange Trip: Swingin' and Pickin' on the Grateful Dead, Various Artists, 2001
The Electric Roses Tour, Elegy, 2001?
Jerry Jams, Jerry Cares, Various Artists, 2005
Deadgrass, Deadgrass, 2005
I Don't Miss Trains, The Orchard Boys, 2006
Live In The Northeast, Hot Buttered Rum, 2007