The Link, No Longer Missing

I come not to bury the great Jesse Jarnow, but to praise him and simultaneously call the wrath of The Lord upon his bearded face.

As you know, Enthusiasts, there are certain maxims that apply to the Grateful Dead. We know that Life is Short, and therefore we must Listen to ’73. We recognize that the proper unit of the Grateful Dead is not the song, or album, but the show. If it’s ’71, then Garcia is out of tune. We hold these truths to be self-evident. And this: There is always a Dead connection. NASA, Whitney Houston, the Soviet Bloc: all hitched and roped to our dissolute heroes.

Even Elvis.

But there was no connection to Roy Head, that razzlin’, dazzlin’, pay-for-your-vajazzlin’ superstar from Cascabel, Texas. Roy didn’t travel in the same circles as the Dead; they both knew Doug Sahm, but Roy kicked Doug Sahm’s ass every St. Patrick’s Day from 1963-82, and so they weren’t really what you’d call friends. All roads dead-ended, all tethers withered, all paths turned grassy and vague.

Until now. The great Jesse Jarnow reveals that Sarah Fulcher sang with both Roy Head’s back up band, the Traits, and the ’73 version of Garcia’s Jerry Band. Everyone here at Fillmore South thanks Mr. Jarnow for this tip. However, he must also be indicted in the harshest of terms. Why was I not notified immediately of this news? Why was the interview not paused so he could text me, and allow me to process the information in a civilized fashion, instead of having to read it along with the rest of the world like a rando?

I will not be treated like a goddamned rando. I await rectification of the insult.

This is why you don’t have friends.

I HAVE STANDARDS.

Non-sequitur. Let the nice people hear Ms. Fulcher sing.

Whatever. Here’s her with Garcia, Merl Saunders, a bass-playing drug dealer, and an uninspiring drummer:

And here she is with Roy Head: