Deep Elem Blues

Song composer(s)

Traditional

Grateful Dead Recordings

Reckoning (1981)
Dick's Picks Vol. 8 (1997)

Dead Related Recordings

Pistol Packin' Mama : Good Old Boys (1976) (Produced by Garcia)
Almost Acoustic : Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band (1989)

Other Recordings

Tuff : Ace Cannon (1962)
Bluegrass : Red Allen, Frank Wakefield & the Kentuckians (1964)
Progressive Bluegrass, Vol. 3 : Roger Sprung (1965)
Country Comeback : Johnny Cash (1970)
Ole Tyme Country Music : Jerry Lee Lewis (1971)
Bucktime! : Kenny Baker and Josh Graves (1974)
Blackland Farm Boy : Bill Neely (1974)
Whiskey Before Breakfast : Arkansas Sheiks (1975)
Songs, Ballads and Fiddle Tunes : Jay Ungar and Lynn Hardy (1975)
Mountain Man : gary Hill (1975)
Plains, Georgia Rock : Uncle John Patterson (1977)
Folk Music in America, Vol.12, Songs of Local History & Events : Lone Star Cowboys (1978)
Still Cooney After All These Years : Michael Cooney (1979)
Rockabilly Jamboree : Various Artists (Jerry Lee Lewis) (1981)
The Sun Years : Jerry Lee Lewis (1982)
No One to Bring Home Tonight : Brad Leftwich and Linda Higginbotham (1984)
Rare and Rockin': Original Sun Recordings : Jerry Lee Lewis (1987)
Are You From Dixie? Great Country Brother Teams of the 1930's : Various Artists (Lonestar Cowboys) (1988)
Classic : Jerry Lee Lewis (1989)
Texas Sand; Anthology of Western Swing : Various Artists (Prairie Ramblers) (198?)
Threadgill's Supper Session : Threadgill's Troubadours (1991)
Frank Wakefield & the Good Ol' Boys : Frank Wakefield (1992)
White Country Blues, 1928-36 A Lighter Shade Of Blue : Various Artists (Prairie Ramblers) (1993)
Dead Ringers : Dead Ringers (1993)
Music in the Air : Woodrow Boone and Roger Howell (1993)
The Complete Decca Trios -- Plus (1936-1947) : Les Paul (1997)
Live : Asylum Street Spankers (1997)
Blues Hat : Charles Daniels (1997) Early Radio 1941 : Rambling Tommy Scott and Curly Seckler (19??)
Ballads & Songs : Various Artists (Lone Star Cowboys) (19??)
The Smithsonian Collection Of Classic Country Music : Various Artists (Shelton Brothers) (19??)

Performance History

Played by Garcia and Nelson at the College of San Mateo in San Mateo on November 10th 1962.

Played by Jerry and Sarah Garcia at the Tangent in Palo Alto in May 1963.

Possibly played at Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions rehearsals in Palo Alto sometime in 1964 but no tape circulates.

Notes

Lead vocals - Garcia.

Garcia introduces this at the Garcia/Nelson set on 11/10/62 by saying that Deep Elem Street is a street in Dallas (as far as he knows) ... that's notorious 'if you want cocaine'.

Sometimes occurs as Deep Ellum Blues or as Deep Elm Blues.

Deep Elem Blues is similar in some ways to Deep River Blues, another traditional song. Versions of Deep River Blues can be found on;

Doc Watson : Doc Watson (1964)
Doc Watson On Stage : Doc Watson (1971)
Eric Schoenberg, Acoustic Guitar : Eric Schoenberg (1977)
Sounds Like Home : Warrior River Boys (1993)
Rodeo Waltz : Sweethearts Of The Rodeo (1993)
The Vanguard Years : Doc Watson (1995)
Brown's Ferry Blues : Delmore Brothers (as Big River Blues) (19??)

Possibly also related to Coal Tipple Blues and Georgia Black Bottom.