Sugaree

"Sugaree" is a song written by long-time Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and composed by guitarist Jerry Garcia.[1] It was written for Jerry Garcia's first solo album Garcia, which was released in January 1972. As with the songs on the rest of the album, Garcia plays every instrument himself (except drums, played by Bill Kreutzmann), including acoustic guitar, bass guitar, and an electric guitar played through a Leslie speaker.

For the Indian tribe, see Catawba people.
"Sugaree"
Song by Jerry Garcia
from the album Garcia
ReleasedJanuary 1972
Recorded1971
GenreFolk rock
Length5:54
LabelWarner Bros. Records
Composer(s)Jerry Garcia
Lyricist(s)Robert Hunter
Producer(s)Bob Matthews
Betty Cantor
Bill Kreutzmann

The song was first performed live by the Grateful Dead on July 31, 1971, at the Yale Bowl at Yale University, as was the song "Mr. Charlie".[1] They played the song in numerous other concerts, including those later released as Dick's Picks Volume 3 and One from the Vault.[1]

Predecessors

Rusty York recorded a Marty Robbins-penned song in 1959 (Chess 1730) also called, "Sugaree."[2]

Elizabeth Cotten, a North Carolina folksinger, wrote and recorded a song called "Shake Sugaree" in 1966.[3] The chorus of Cotten's song is "Oh lordie me/Didn't I shake sugaree?" Hunter was aware of this song when he wrote "Sugaree."[4] Elizabeth Cotten's song was about the exploitation of black people, while the Grateful Dead song can be interpreted as discouraging "snitching". Cotten's version is featured in the 2013 video game Bioshock: Infinite within the Finkton Shantytown where Booker DeWitt can encounter a group of impoverished children singing it.

Fred Neil released a song in 1966 on his eponymous album called "I've Got a Secret (Didn't We Shake Sugaree)." It can also be heard on "Echoes of My Mind - The Best of Fred Neil 1963-1971".

The song is mentioned in Stephen King's 1981 novel Cujo.

Graham Parker covered the track on his 2004 album, Your Country.[5]

Nick Barker covered this song on his album Black Water Blues released in 2009.

Jackie Greene recorded a cover for his 2009 release The Grateful EP.

On the 2016 charity album Day of the Dead, "Sugaree" was covered by Jenny Lewis and the band Phosphorescent.[6]

See also

References
  1. Dodd, David. "The Annotated "Sugaree"". The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics. Retrieved 2007-03-11.
  2. "Rusty York | Songs". AllMusic. 1935-05-24. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  3. "Shake Sugaree - Elizabeth Cotten | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 2004-09-21. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  4. Trager, Oliver (1997). The American Book of the Dead. New York: Touchstone. p. 292. ISBN 0684814021.
  5. "Your County". Allmusic. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  6. "Day of the Dead". Day of the Dead. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
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