The Jerry Garcia Band - Garcia, his frequent collaborator bassist John Kahn and drummer Ron Tutt - played its first show with Nicky Hopkins on piano in August 1975. The ultimate session player, Hopkins' credits include work with the Beatles, The Who, The Rolling Stones, and Jefferson Airplane to name a very few. While Hopkins' residency was brief with the Jerry Garcia Band, it played an important role in the group's shift away from big jams toward song-oriented material.
