This article dives into GarciaLive Volume 22—a two-set performance by Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders from September 25, 1971, at the Lion’s Share in San Anselmo. The venue, a Marin County favorite, set the scene for a night that still buzzes in local memory.
Tom Fogerty had just left Creedence Clearwater Revival and joined in, while Bill Kreutzmann filled in for Bill Vitt on drums. That night in San Anselmo turned into a showcase for Marin’s early-’70s live music scene.
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Betty Cantor Jackson and Bob Matthews oversaw the recording. Their touch helped capture a band locked into fluid, disciplined improvisation and a Bay Area vibe that’s hard to bottle.
A Marin County Gem: GarciaLive Volume 22 at the Lion’s Share
San Anselmo’s Lion’s Share sat just north of San Rafael, offering the kind of close-up concert experience that’s become legend. The 1971 sets catch a band completely in the moment—Garcia’s guitar and Saunders’ organ twisting together while the rhythm section walks the line between loose and precise.
This release is a snapshot of Marin’s live music world as it was evolving. It weaves a jazz-club feel with rock energy, and the sound still echoes for fans from Corte Madera to Larkspur.
The Cast: A California Dream Team
Garcia’s band during this era pulled in talent from all over the Bay Area. Tom Fogerty, newly out on his own after CCR, adds a bluesy edge, while Kreutzmann keeps the beat steady, Dead-style. John Kahn’s bass gives the whole thing a backbone.
Merl Saunders drives the organ, shaping the night’s texture. The group focuses on collective sound, not showy solos—something you can really feel in the recording.
- Jerry Garcia – guitar and vocals
- Merl Saunders – organ
- Tom Fogerty – guitar, vocals
- Bill Kreutzmann – drums
- John Kahn – bass
Musical Moments That Define the Night
The night opens with a moody, ten-minute Manchild—it’s got the feel of a late-night jazz club in Sausalito or Tiburon, with improvisation and atmosphere in equal measure. The show wraps up with a wild W-P-L-J, a rhythm and blues romp that leaves the Marin crowd grinning.
Garcia’s voice drops to a hush on One Kind Favor, a Blind Lemon Jefferson tune that lands with quiet force. Imagine gets stripped back, more raw and intimate than Lennon’s version—kind of brave, honestly.
I Was Made To Love Her brings some Motown swing, and Baby What You Want Me To Do leans into Fogerty’s bluesy shuffle. That one’s a real highlight for longtime listeners.
Biloxi puts Saunders’ organ in conversation with Garcia’s melancholy guitar. Marin folks still talk about that pairing as a high point.
The second set widens the scope with Winchester’s That’s A Touch I Like and a Gershwin classic, Summertime. Garcia’s taste for American standards was really starting to show here.
Context, Craft, and the Marin Sound
This release stands out not just for the music, but for how it was captured. Betty Cantor Jackson’s recording style and Bob Matthews’ engineering let the band’s interplay breathe in a way you rarely get in a studio.
Fred Kevorkian handled the mastering on GarciaLive Volume 22, and honestly, it’s one of the best-sounding entries in the whole series. If you’re curious about Garcia’s solo years outside the Dead, this one’s a gem.
Why Marin Readers Will Return to This Night
This isn’t just some historical footnote. It’s a vivid snapshot of Marin County’s intimate venues—the Lion’s Share in San Anselmo, for one, with echoes that spill into Fairfax, San Rafael, and Corte Madera.
The lineup, the moods, the entire repertoire—they all sit right in the heart of the Bay Area’s tradition of musical collaboration and fearless improvisation. For fans of live music in Marin, GarciaLive Volume 22 shows how a small club can spark big musical conversations.
Those conversations still ripple through Sausalito cafes, Mill Valley stages, and honestly, the whole Marin shoreline. Marin’s music writers would probably agree: this release captures a luminous chapter in the county’s sonic history.
It’s an intimate night in San Anselmo that still speaks to longtime residents—and to visitors wandering Larkspur trails, just looking for a good groove.
Here is the source article for this story: GarciaLive Volume 22: Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders, September 25th, 1971 – Lion’s Share, San Anselmo, CAÂ (ALBUM REVIEW)
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