Why "Jerry's Favorite Guitar Player" Walked Away from the Dead

Jerry Garcia called Steve Kimock his favorite unknown guitar player. In October 1999, Kimock played one show on Phil Lesh's tour with Bob Dylan — and drove back to California forever. Kimock had been the anchor of Phil Lesh & Friends since the summer of 1998, when he joined the Other Ones — the first post-Jerry reunion featuring Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, and Bruce Hornsby. By April 1999, Kimock was holding down lead guitar at the legendary Warfield Theater run in San Francisco alongside Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, and John Molo. Phil was less than six months out from his liver transplant. Those three nights — April 15 through 17, 1999 — produced a 39-minute "Viola Lee Blues," an instrumental "Dark Star" that dissolved into Kimock's own composition "It's Up To You," and a blend of Grateful Dead and Phish material that had Deadheads talking about what the post-Jerry era could become. Six months later, October 27, 1999, Assembly Hall in Champaign, Illinois. Opening night of the Bob Dylan and Phil Lesh & Friends tour. Kimock played "Cryptical Envelopment" into "The Other One," "Pride of Cucamonga," "The Wheel," and "Not Fade Away." The next morning he posted: "I ain't gonna work on Maggie's Farm no more." Phil responded under his pen name Reddy Kilowatt. Behind the scenes, longtime Dead road crew Steve Parish and Ramrod had been dismissed. The full story of what happened — the confrontations, the crew firings, the politics Phil said he was fighting — has never been fully told. Derek Trucks took over the guitar chair. Warren Haynes and Rob Barraco joined for the rest of the tour. Sources: Relix Magazine (April 2000 tour feature), Blair Jackson "Garcia: An American Life," Bill Kreutzmann "Deal," Dennis McNally "A Long Strange Trip," Glide Magazine, contemporary rec.music.gdead forum posts, Archive.org live recordings (Champaign 10/27/99, Warfield 4/15-17/99). Chapters: 0:00 Jerry Garcia's Favorite Unknown Guitar Player 0:42 October 27, 1999 — Champaign, Illinois 1:22 The Other Ones and How Kimock Got In 2:27 The Warfield Shows — Phil Lesh and Trey Anastasio 3:59 The Dylan Tour and the Crew Firings 4:22 Jill Lesh and What Went Wrong 5:20 Kimock Never Explained Why 5:48 "What Would George Harrison Do?" 6:45 Why He Walked Away 7:31 What the Warfield Shows Could Have Been 8:14 Old Politics in a Vintage T-Shirt 9:38 Listen to April 17th, 1999 🎬 The Shakedown Archives — Research-driven Grateful Dead documentaries. #GratefulDead #PhilLesh #SteveKimock 🔔 Subscribe for Dead stories, history, and culture:    / @theshakedownarchives   About The Shakedown Archives Welcome to The Shakedown Archives — a home for Grateful Dead stories, sound, and history. I'm a lifelong Deadhead using this channel to explore and preserve the music, the moments, and the culture that made the Dead legendary. I create original documentaries, song histories, and storytelling pieces that keep the band's legacy alive for future generations. Whether you're rediscovering legendary nights or learning the stories behind the music, this channel is built for people who love the Dead as much as I do. Contact for inquiries, questions and comments: [email protected] © 2025 The Shakedown Archives #GratefulDead #GratefulDeadReactions #Documentary #GratefulDead #GratefulDeadReactions #Documentary