Photo Credit: Bruce Polonsky, Retro Photo Archive
In a 1972 interview, Jerry Garcia shared his enthusiasm for Dolly Parton. He identified Parton to Ed McClanahan as “my favorite girl singer.” Then he found Parton’s 1970 album The Fairest of Them All and played both sides of the record for journalist, sharing particular enthusiasm for the opening track, “Daddy Come and Get Me.”
The Grateful Dead started performing Parton’s “Tomorrow Is Forever,” in ’72. The band debuted the song at The Palace Theater in Waterbury, CT on 9/24/72 midway through the second set with Garcia and Donna Jean Godchaux sharing vocal duties. The Dead played the tuned eight additional times, through 10/19/74, at Winterland Arena.
Listen to the group’s initial performance of the song below, which appears on 30 Trips Around the Sun: The Definitive Live Story (1965-1995).
