Album Premiere: Luther Dickinson Baptizes Songs the Grateful Dead Covered in the Mississippi River on New Record 'Dead Blues Vol. I'

Album Premiere: Luther Dickinson Baptizes Songs the Grateful Dead Covered in the Mississippi River on New Record ‘Dead Blues Vol. I’

Hana Gustafson on October 16, 2025

Photo: Camilla Calnan

Today, Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars) shares his new Grateful Dead-inspired album, Dead Blues Vol. 1, in its entirety with Relix.

The nine-track collection presents songs the Grateful Dead covered throughout their career, baptized in the great Mississippi River, and bopping with the buoyancy of funk, Delta blues, and jazz callbacks, reflecting Dickinson’s own musical footing and life experiences. Dedicated to the late Phil Lesh, the set signals artistic catharsis, a tangible display of material, thoughtfully curated for longtime fans of the Dead’s songbook who are seeking open correspondence between the head and the heart and a willingness to hear them played in new ways.

Dead Blues Vol. 1 breaks the expected mold. The tracks, which range from material by Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bo Diddley, the Mississippi Sheiks, Willie Dixon, and others, are nearly indistinguishable from the Dead’s covers, bolstering Dickinson’s musical fluency and distinct ability to transform songs once considered San Francisco jam vehicles into harbingers of adaptability: new melodies, same lyrics, and renewed grit.

Dickinson’s choice of songs comes in tribute to Phil Lesh. While the artist did not grow up listening to the Grateful Dead, he did receive an invitation to play with the late musician, known for dropping bass bombs, in 2013. Along with his brother Cody, Dickinson jammed with Lesh & Friends, gaining experience with the songbook and with the Dead’s original member.

“I honestly hadn’t spent much time with the Dead’s music growing up,” Dickinson admits. “But when Phil invited Cody and I to play with him, we jumped at the opportunity.” Before stepping on stage with Lesh, the brothers conditioned themselves, becoming comfortable with the material and easing their way into the Dead world.

“The more we performed together, the more I realized how many great old blues songs the Dead had played in their time, which led to the Dead Blues concept.” Dickinson asserts, “Phil changed my life. He welcomed me into his crew, taught me his repertoire, shared his improvisational approaches, and introduced me to a whole new community of musicians. This record reflects Phil’s wild musical spirit and approach to re-interpretation.”

The record presents new takes on the Blind Lemon Jefferson song, “One Kind Favor,” Ellas McDaniel’s “Who Do You Love,” The Mississippi Sheiks “Sitting on Top of the World,” James H Moore’s “King Bee,” Herman Parker and Sam Phillips’ “Mystery Train,” Noah Lewis’ “Minglewood Blues,” Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want to Make Love to You” and “Little Red Rooster,” joined by Robert Higgenbotham’s “High Heeled Sneakers.”

These songs are sung by special guest contributor Datrian Johnson, who assists Dickinson in maintaining the album’s tonal through-line. “When John Medeski introduced me to Datrian Johnson, I had this revelation that he could sing the lyrics from the Dead blues catalog on top of my instrumentals,” Dickinson says of his collaborator.

“He’s one of the most moving vocalists I’ve ever worked with on stage, and recording with him was just so effortless. He understood exactly what I was trying to do, and brought this record to a whole new level,” Dickinson adds, flaunting the best of his musical colleague’s capacity.

Dickinson also pulls in assistance from Phil Lesh’s son, Grahame Lesh, Steve Selvidge of The Hold Steady, Dickinson’s brother and North Mississippi Allstars bandmate, Cody Dickinson, Ray Ray Holloman (Eminem, NMA), and more guests to assist in infusing the music with a sense of intimacy, steeped in blues-tinged expressions and a tinge of cosmic chaos.

Dead Blues Vol. 1 will be available across digital platforms, compact disc, and standard black vinyl beginning tomorrow, Friday, October 17.

Take a first listen to the record by clicking the link below, and let there be songs to fill the air.