@wsjrock reminded me on Twitter that today would have been Grateful Dead leader Jerry Garcia’s 67th birthday.

It took me a longtime to find an appreciation for the Dead, and by the time I did, they had stopped touring, and Jerry was gone.  I’ll always wish that I would have caught a show, but over the years, I’ve been fortunate to discover and enjoy plenty of Garcia’s playing, both with the Dead, and with other artists.

One of my favorite Garcia collaborations, is the guitar work that he contributed to A Night On The Town, the 1990 swan song release from Bruce Hornsby and the Range.  Garcia’s enthusiasm always came through, both with his playing, and via the smile on his face as he played the riffs.

“Across That River,” from A Night On The Town is a favorite of mine, and I highly recommend the live DVD release featuring Hornsby and the Range performing the album live with a ton of special guests, including Garcia.

Here is some additional video of Garcia and Hornsby performing with the Dead.