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How Sweet It Is (To Get To Speak To You)
A Conversation with Melvin Seals by Ali Kaufman
I
had the good fortune to speak with Melvin Seals right after he returned from his 5th sailing on Jam Cruise. If you have ever been to one of his shows, you are most likely already smiling, just thinking about him joyfully playing the Hammond B-3. Melvin is one of those rare human beings who is as well known for his light and love as he is for his chosen career. He has worked with many giants in the industry, but is probably best known for the 18 years he spent with the Jerry Garcia Band. In the last 22
sign of slowing down. I love how Melvin refers to this demographic as “Jerry’s kids,” and seems tickled that the long strange trip just keeps rolling on. His journey did not start with the music of the Dead; it was Elvin Bishop that he was with when Jerry first saw Melvin. That festival in San Diego included both of them on the bill, and truth be told,
the Oasis fame. Maria’s then-boyfriend was John Kahn, bassist with Jerry for over 20 years outside of his work with the Dead. So in knowing Maria, a friendship between John and Melvin developed, leading to a phone call to see if Melvin might be available to work on something together. “As a musician, you take opportunities that come to you, so I accepted,” Melvin quipped. We can all be glad that he did, because he showed up, and that was the beginning of his relationship with the Jerry Garcia Band. Fans might be surprised to learn that classical, jazz, blues, gospel and opera are all part of Mr. Seals repertoire as well. Some years back, he put out an album with John Kadlecik exploring other sounds, but at the time the
or so years, Melvin has kept the flame alive touring as Melvin Seals and JGB. Young audiences, now the children of the Dead Heads, seem to be just as enamored with the connection to Jerry as we were back in the day, maybe even more so. The jam scene has continued to explode in popularity and shows no
Melvin didn’t even know who Garcia was! In a very uncharacteristic move, Jerry came out from the hospitality area to check out their set. Merle Saunders was playing with Jerry at the time and friends with both artists, so that put Melvin on Jerry’s radar. Melvin next started working with Maria Muldaur of Midnight at
