AccuRadio Song Of The Day-New Riders of the Purple Sage

Artist: New Riders of the Purple Sage
Song:Panama Red
Album:Original Album Classics





New Riders of the Purple Sage (NRPS) started out as a Grateful Dead spinoff band. But they established their own identity with the 1973 album The Adventures of Panama Red. The song Panama Red is their signature song. In the late 60s, it was not unusual for Jerry Garcia and the other Grateful Dead members to jam with all kinds of musicians when they weren't touring. And Garcia wanted to start a country rock band where he could play pedal steel guitar. And that's how New Riders of the Purple Sage started in 1969. They were named after the 40s country swing band. John Dawson and David Nelson would become leaders of NRPS. Garcia played pedal steel and Mickey Hart played drums. Recording engineer Bob Matthews or Phil Lesh played bass until Dave Torbert was hired permanently. They recorded an album and signed with Columbia. Hart left and was replaced by former Jefferson Airplane drummer Spencer Dryden. Garcia played on the 1971 album New Riders of the Purple Sage and the album did well. But Garcia had to return to the Dead so he was replaced by Buddy Cage of Ian and Sylvia's Great Speckled Bird. That was the lineup for the next few years. The 1973 album The Adventures of Panama Red was their most successful album as it was certified Gold. The song Panama Red was written by bluegrass musician Peter Rowan. He was in the Grateful Dead spinoff band Old & In The Way. Torbert was replaced by Skip Battin in 1974 and then Stephen Love in 1976. Meanwhile NRPS left Columbia for MCA and eventually the band split up in 1982. You can get five NRPS albums on Original Album Classics. There are comps available but they are too short in length. Dawson led a version of NRPS from 1986 until he retired in 1997. They recorded for the Grateful Dead fanzine Relix. Nelson led his own band which he and Buddy Cage turned into NRPS in 2005. That was after Dryden died in 2005. Dawson died in 2009. And sadly Buddy Cage died last week. So I don't know if Nelson will continue New Riders of the Purple Sage. Here's New Riders of the Purple Sage performing Panama Red at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ Oct. 31, 1975.