David Gans Papers MS.341
Nicholas G. Meriwether / Debra Roussopoulos
University of California, Santa Cruz
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz 95064
speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Title: David Gans Papers
creator:
Gans, David
Identifier/Call Number: MS.341
Physical Description:
5.5 Linear Feet
8 boxes
Date (inclusive): circa 1977-2008
Physical Description: 5.5 linear feet (8 boxes), including approximately 785 unprocessed CDs.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. The use of certain media requires advance notice. Please contact Special Collections
and Archives in advance to request access.
Digital files may be made available in the UCSC Special Collections and Archives reading room. Some files may require reformatting
before they can be accessed. Technical limitations may hinder the Library's ability to provide access to some digital files.
Access to digital files on original carriers is prohibited; users must request to view access copies. Contact Special Collections
and Archives in advance to request access to digital files.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights for this collection reside with the University of California. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. The publication or use of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use
for research or educational purposes requires written permission from the copyright owner. Responsibility for obtaining permissions,
and for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information on copyright or to order a reproduction, please visit
guides.library.ucsc.edu/speccoll/reproduction-publication.
Preferred Citation
David Gans Papers. MS 341. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Acquisition Information
Gift of David Gans, 2010.
Biography
David Gans is a musician, writer, journalist, record producer, photographer, and radio host who has written on the Grateful
Dead for more than three decades. A professional musician, he has also performed songs from the Grateful Dead songbook as
part of his solo act and with numerous bands. His long-running syndicated radio show,
The Grateful Dead Hour, is heard nationwide, and he consults for the Grateful Dead channel on Sirius XM. Author of the seminal Grateful Dead books
Playing in the Band (St. Martin's, 1996) and
Conversations with the Dead (Da Capo, 2002), he is also a longtime presenter at Grateful Dead Scholars Caucus meetings.
Some of his recordings include
Home By Morning (with Eric Rawlins; 1997); "Monica Lewinsky" (CD single, David Gans and the Broken Angels);
Solo Electric (2000);
Live at the Powerhouse (DVD; 2002);
Solo Acoustic (2003);
Twisted Love Songs (2007); and
The Ones That Look the Weirdest Taste the Best (2008).
Among the releases he produced or co-produced are
The Music Never Stopped: Roots of the Grateful Dead (1995),
Grateful Dead: So Many Roads, 1965-1995 (1999);
Might as Well: The Persuasions Sing Grateful Dead (2000);
Stolen Roses: Songs of the Grateful Dead (2000);
Postcards of the Hanging: Grateful Dead Perform the Songs of Bob Dylan (2002);
All Good Things: Jerry Garcia Studio Sessions (2004); Live From Berkeley: Performances from KPFA's Dead to the World (2005); Well-Matched: The Best of Jerry Garcia and
Merl Saunders (2006).
Scope and Contents
This collection comprises research materials for and drafts of the book
Playing in the Band: An Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead (New York: St. Martin's, 1985), writings sent to David Gans, VHS tapes of the Garcia trial, CDs of the radio show
The Grateful Dead Hour, and interviews on cassette tapes.
Processing Information
The physical portion of the collection was processed by Nicholas Meriwether and Lexi Pennebaker, and completed in 2019 by
Debra Roussopoulos. The digital portion of the collection is unprocessed.
Existence and Location of Copies
Audio recordings have been reformatted and are available via the Library Catalog.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Grateful Dead (Musical group)
Playing in the Band: An Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead
circa 1979-1984
Scope and Contents
This series contains proposals, interviews, notes, photos, and drafts related to David Gans' 1985 publication of Playing in
the Band.
Box 1, Folder 2
Interview: Band, Crew, and Office
Box 1, Folder 9
Interview: Recording, Part 1
Box 1, Folder 13
Interview: Recording, Part 2
Box 1, Folder 15
Interview: Outtakes: Introduction
Box 1, Folder 16
Interview: Outtakes: The Players
Box 1, Folder 17
Interview: Outtakes: Acid Test
Box 1, Folder 18
Interview: Outtakes: Crazy Fingers
Box 1, Folder 19
Interview: Outtakes: Songwriting
Box 1, Folder 20
Interview: Outtakes: Gigs
Box 1, Folder 21
Interview: Outtakes: Pigpen
Box 1, Folder 22
Interview: Outtakes: Keyboards
Box 1, Folder 23
Interview: Outtakes: Self-Determination
Box 1, Folder 24
Interview: Outtakes: Recording, Part 2
Box 1, Folder 25
Interview: Outtakes: Deadheads
Box 1, Folder 26
Interview: Outtakes: Band, Crew, and Office
Box 1, Folder 27
Interview: Outtakes: Unknown
Box 1, Folder 28
Interview: Outtakes: Self-Determination
Box 1, Folder 29
Interview: Narrative: Introduction
Box 1, Folder 30
Interview: Narrative: The Players
Box 1, Folder 31
Interview: Narrative: The Band
Box 1, Folder 32
Interview: Narrative: Acid Test
Box 1, Folder 33
Interview: Narrative: Dark Star
Box 1, Folder 34
Interview: Narrative: Songwriting
Box 1, Folder 35
Interview: Narrative: Recording, Part 1
Box 1, Folder 36
Interview: Narrative: Gigs
Box 1, Folder 37
Interview: Narrative: Pigpen
Box 1, Folder 38
Interview: Narrative: Keyboards
Box 1, Folder 39
Interview: Narrative: Self-Determination
Box 1, Folder 40
Interview: Narrative: Recording, Part 2
Box 1, Folder 41
Interview: Narrative: Deadheads
Box 1, Folder 42
Interview: Narrative: Band, Crew, and Office
Box 2, Folder 1
Interview: Outtakes: Introduction
Box 2, Folder 2
Interview: Outtakes: Crazy Fingers
Box 2, Folder 3
Interview: Outtakes: Self-Determination
Box 2, Folder 4
Interview: Outtakes: Deadheads
Box 2, Folder 5
Interview: Outtakes: Band, Crew, and Office
Box 2, Folder 6
Interview: Outtakes: Unknown
Box 2, Folder 22
Drafts: Self-Determination
Box 2, Folder 23
Drafts: Recording, Part 2
Box 2, Folder 25
Drafts: Band, Crew, and Office
Box 2, Folder 26
Outtakes: Interview: Introduction
Box 2, Folder 27
Outtakes: Interviews: The Players
Box 2, Folder 28
Outtakes: Interview: The Band
Box 2, Folder 29
Outtakes: Interview: Acid Test
Box 2, Folder 30
Outtakes: Interview: Dark Star
Box 2, Folder 31
Outtakes: Interview: Crazy Fingers
Box 2, Folder 32
Outtakes: Interview: Songwriting
Box 2, Folder 33
Outtakes: Interview: Recording, Part 1
Box 2, Folder 34
Outtakes: Interview: Gigs
Box 2, Folder 35
Outtakes: Interview: Pigpen
Box 2, Folder 36
Outtakes: Interview: Self-Determination
Box 2, Folder 37
Outtakes: Interview: Recording, Part 2
Box 2, Folder 38
Outtakes: Interview: Deadheads
Box 2, Folder 39
Outtakes: Interview: Band, Crew, and Office
Box 2, Folder 40
Outtakes: Interview: Unknown
Box 2, Folder 41
Outtakes: Narrative: Acknowledgments
Box 2, Folder 42
Outtakes: Narrative: Preface
Box 2, Folder 43
Outtakes: Narrative: Notes
Box 2, Folder 44
Outtakes: Narrative: Introduction
Box 2, Folder 45
Outtakes: Narrative: Crazy Fingers
Box 2, Folder 46
Outtakes: Narrative: Dark Star
Box 2, Folder 47
Outtakes: Narrative: Songwriting
Box 2, Folder 48
Outtakes: Narrative: Pigpen
Box 2, Folder 49
Outtakes: Narrative: Self-Determination
Box 2, Folder 50
Outtakes: Narrative: Deadheads
Box 2, Folder 51
Outtakes: Narrative: Band, Crew, and Office
Box 2, Folder 52
Outtakes: Narrative: Unknown
Box 2, Folder 58
Outtakes: Phil Lesh Forward Draft
Box 2, Folder 59
Raw Pieces: Interview: Introduction
Box 2, Folder 60
Raw Pieces: Interview: The Players
Box 2, Folder 61
Raw Pieces: Interview: The Band
Box 2, Folder 62
Raw Pieces: Interview: Acid Test
Box 2, Folder 63
Raw Pieces: Interview: Dark Star
Box 2, Folder 64
Raw Pieces: Interview: Crazy Fingers
Box 2, Folder 65
Raw Pieces: Interview: Songwriting
Box 2, Folder 66
Raw Pieces: Interview: Recording, Part 1
Box 3, Folder 1
Raw Pieces: Interview: Gigs
Box 3, Folder 2
Raw Pieces: Interview: Pigpen
Box 3, Folder 3
Raw Pieces: Interview: Keyboards
Box 3, Folder 4
Raw Pieces: Interview: Self-determination
Box 3, Folder 5
Raw Pieces: Interview: Recording, Part 2
Box 3, Folder 6
Raw Pieces: Interview: Deadheads
Box 3, Folder 7
Raw Pieces: Interview: Band, Crew, and Office
Box 3, Folder 8
Raw Pieces: Interview: Unknown
Box 3, Folder 9
Raw Pieces: Interview: Caption
Box 3, Folder 10
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Introduction
Box 3, Folder 11
Misc. Drafts: Interview: The Players
Box 3, Folder 12
Misc. Drafts: Interview: The Band
Box 3, Folder 13
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Acid Test
Box 3, Folder 14
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Crazy Fingers
Box 3, Folder 15
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Songwriting
Box 3, Folder 16
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Gigs
Box 3, Folder 17
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Pigpen
Box 3, Folder 18
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Keyboards
Box 3, Folder 19
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Deadheads
Box 3, Folder 20
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Self-determination
Box 3, Folder 21
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Band, Crew and Office
Box 3, Folder 22
Misc. Drafts: Interview: Unknown
Box 3, Folder 23
Misc. Drafts: Chapt. Draft: Introduction
Box 3, Folder 24
Misc. Drafts: Chapt. Draft: Songwriting
Box 3, Folder 25
Misc. Drafts: Chapt. Draft: Recording, Part 1
Box 3, Folder 26
Misc. Drafts: Chapt. Draft: Gigs
Box 3, Folder 27
Misc. Drafts: Chapt. Draft: Self-Determination
Box 3, Folder 28
Misc. Drafts: Chapt. Draft: Recording, Part 2
Box 4
14 VHS tapes of the Garcia trial on Court TV
1996-1997
Box 5
Collection of writings sent to David Gans. Includes drafts of book manuscripts, scholarly writings, and articles by authors
Scott Allen, Howard F. Park, Robert G. Weiner, David Womack, et al.
circa 1984-1998
Box 6
Master CDs of the
Grateful Dead Hour radio shows: 420-571; 544; 751-850; 901-950; 1021-1120; 1291-1366.
1998-2006
Box 7
Master CDs of the
Grateful Dead Hour radio shows: 320-419; 572-720; 771-900; 971-1020; 1121-1290.
1996-2008
Box 8
Master CDs from the
Grateful Dead Hour radio shows: 451-525; 721-770; 871-970.
1998-2007
Box 8
Interviews on cassette tapes, aired on
The Grateful Dead Hour, and a single tape of a business meeting circa 1968. Includes John Perry Barlow, Jerry Garcia, Bill Graham, Robert Hunter,
Phil Lesh, Lenny Waronker, Bob Weir
circa 1977-1987