While most of us toil away at our day jobs, Jay Blakesberg is one of those rare birds who has managed to cultivate both a dream career as well as a lifestyle: not only is Blakesberg a world renowned rock photographer, filmmaker, author, and publisher, he’s also a Deadhead.

Most decidedly a Deadhead.

And that’s what makes Blakesberg’s story so compelling: no other rock photographer has been able to gain such unlimited access to the band, as well as with the fans. Deadheads recognize Jay as one of our own, and for that reason, he is able to capture our joy of being in “that moment”.

Jay Blakesberg with Jerry couch — Jay at repose with Jerry

The best part of Jay’s story is that he started out just like so many fans who came of age in the late seventies. Young and itching for adventure, we were lucky enough to stumble into the traveling three-ring circus that was the colorful Dead scene. As Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux so aptly describes it, the Dead offered a “come run away to the circus vibe” to anyone who was open to it. From the first show, Jay took one look around, saw the calliopes and clowns, and knew without asking that this was one circus train that he was enthusiastically hopping on.

“Jerry Garcia once said following the Grateful Dead truly is the great American adventure,” Blakesberg says. “And we took that to heart and we did that. We went on the great American adventure with the American rock band that had a great American songbook. We lived by those words and traveled by those words and grew to that music and became a family of freaks and misfits. It was the greatest time of our lives. And so, zero regrets. Bittersweet? Sure. Sweet? Absolutely. Beautiful? For sure. Tragic? Absolutely. All of the above, because we watched Jerry decline in front of our eyes…though we didn’t realize that was happening at the time, it was. But at the same time, we were having a lot of fun and we were grooving to that music and that scene all the time, and we loved every minute of it.” ~ Jay Blakesberg, (Inside Hook newsletter)

The Bus Came By: Labor Day Show Trifecta

Jay’s older sister Jan brought him to his first Dead show at Raceway Park in Englishtown over a very steamy Labor Day weekend in 1977, when he was just 16 years old. This epic show drew approximately 102,000 deadheads, backing up traffic for 10 miles, in the largest scale Dead show to that date, marking a new era of larger scale productions for the band and the fans. As a 16 year old myself, living in suburban New York, with no older sib to bring me, I waited at home in the air conditioning, drowning my sorrows by listening to albums and patching my jeans.

Jay wasn’t focused on snapping pictures at this show, but luckily, one of his pals did, capturing him at repose: bong on his Stealie T-shirt, lighter in hand, igloo cooler at the ready; a 16-year-old burgeoning Deadhead in nirvana.

Jay Blakesberg, Age 15: 1st Grateful Dead concert. Englishtown, NJ 9/3/77. SSIA.

Escaping through the lily fields, I came across an empty space
It trembled and exploded, left a bus stop in its place
The bus came by and I got on, that's when it all began
There was Cowboy Neal at the wheel of the bus to never ever land…

grateful dead raceway park 1977 ticket stub — Jay’s $10 G.A. ticket for Englishtown NJ 9/3/77. Opening acts: Marshall Tucker and NRPS.

Jay's second Dead show was exactly a year later, Labor Day Weekend, 1978 at Giant’s Stadium in Rutherford, N.J. While I sat in the stands for my first show, singing along to Jack Straw, Blakesberg, about to start senior year in high school, meandered his way up front, snapping his very first concert photographs with his father’s Pentax. Little did he know that several of those very photos would be featured 24 years later, in his critically acclaimed book, “Between the Dark and Light: The Grateful Dead Photography of Jay Blakesberg”.

Jay blakesberg photo Garcia meadowlands — Jay Blakesberg's first photo of Jerry Garcia; Meadowlands. Giant Stadium, NJ. 9/2/78

Jay’s final lap in the Labor Day Show trifecta, was September 1, 1979, when he trekked up from Jersey to Holleder Stadium in Rochester to grab some shots for the free Jersey fanzine, The Aquarian Weekly. Jay received his first paycheck of $15 for the two photos— and the rest is history. Not even a week later, Jay found himself on tour, for the Madison Square Garden 3- night-run and captured the shots below. Speaking from first hand experience, these shows were great fun with high energy tunes typical of the late seventies, as well as some of the “newer” tunes, such as Althea, and new band member Brent Mydland’s soft rock “Easy to Love”.

Grateful Dead Madison Square Garden 1979 review Blakesberg — Courtesy of J Blakesberg MSG 9/6/79

Joining the ‘Psychedelic Caravan of Misfits’

Blakesberg early college days Grateful Dead — Jay Blakesberg, Deadhead

jay blakesberg Dead parking lot tour — Blakesberg in an iconic parking lot shot, Grateful Dead Tour

By 1980, Jay’s tour wings had spread from the East Coast to the West Coast and all points between, supporting his touring habit by selling photos in the parking lot while having the time of his life. Jay wistfully recalls this time as a “psychedelic cowboy out on the road with a camera, embarking on the grandest adventure you could ever imagine.”

grateful dead ticket stubs Jay Blakesberg — Ticket stubs from some of Blakebergs adventures

Jay Blakesberg tour plan 1980 — Jay Blakesberg: 1980 late summer tour plans

jay blakesberg grateful dead tickets — When money orders were used at the record store for dead tix

Don’t You Let That Deal Go Down

But even the most psychedelic adventure can come crashing down mid-trip, as Blakesberg was to learn, when he was arrested at a FedEx office with two thousand hits of LSD, which he had been selling to his friends back home in Jersey. Jay was sentenced to 5 years in state prison, which in characteristic Blakesberg fashion, he describes as “a fascinating education”. Luckily, he served only 8 months, and was released in September 1983, just before the mandatory minimum sentence of the Reagan era was radically increased to 15 to 20 years in jail.

Grateful to have his life back, Jay soon followed his muse to the stunning Pacific Northwest coastal city of Olympia, WA, to study photography and filmmaking at the non-traditional and Deadhead-heavy Evergreen State College, before moving south to Bay area in the mid-80’s. This turned out to be just the right move at the right time for Blakesberg, as his determination began to pay off. Still, it was hard to get the big dogs to publish a relative “unknown,” and despite his connections, Jay continued to wait for that big break; a call from Rolling Stone.

“...The thrill that'll getcha when ya get ya picture on the cover of the Rollin' Stone…”

The call did come in 1987, when at the absolute pinnacle of their success, mega-group U2 played their (now iconic) free rooftop concert (using the Grateful Dead’s sound system) in San Francisco, announced only 2 hours prior to the event, and still drawing 20,000 fans. As Jay was headed out to try his luck, he got the official go-ahead from creative director Jodi Peckman. Out of five vetted photographers, his shots were chosen, and our star was born. Parenthetically, U2 used the Grateful Dead’s sound system, and the concert was featured in their movie Rattle and Hum. Watch the rooftop footage for guaranteed goosebumps. Following this assignment, Jay became one of Rolling Stone’s go-to rock photographers, frequently working alongside staff writer Michael Goldberg.

Blakesberg photo Bono rooftop — Bono by Blakesberg

Always the master of being in the right place at the perfect time, Jay heard a rumour that the Grateful Dead was going to film a video for their new single “Throwing Stones” in an abandoned city high school. Unbelievably, Blakesberg just happened to live across the street from the school, and simply walked over and insinuated himself into the scene, managing to snap a beautiful and timeless photo of Garcia.

Blakesberg photo Garcia Throwing Stones video — BLAKESBERG 1987 Garcia at Throwing Stones video shoot

More of Jay’s shenanigans ensued in 1988, as he finagled his way to the to the winning spot of a postcard contest through KFOG to attend the 13 hour 40th Anniversary Celebration for Atlantic Records at Madison Square Garden, featuring many giants of rock and roll. Of particular interest to Jay was the U.S. reunion of Led Zeppelin, so Jay wangled his way backstage using a bogus pass, snapped phenomenal photos, and submitted them to KFOG, who quickly hired him on as their main freelance photographer.

blakesberg photo Led Zep atlantic 1988 — J.Blakesberg: Plant/Page @Atlantic record anniversary celebration

Throughout this period of the late 80’s, Jay firmly established himself as one of top Rock photographers. and went on to shoot over 300 assignments for Rolling Stone, among many other print magazines and record labels. In more recent years, Jay has directed and produced live concert video for many festivals, including Phil Lesh and Friends, Live at the Warfield and lots of others. Jay has published at least 15 books of photo essay collections, hundreds of album covers, and his works are revered in the Jam Band community. During the pandemic, Jay’s daughter Ricki, also a photographer, curated his early photos for an Instagram account called @RetroBlakesberg, which has since been published as the first collection of his film photography (before switching to digital format) for a fascinating coffee table book.

A quick YouTube search will also point one to countless guest spots on well respected video blogs, each jam-packed with equal measures of facts, amusing esoterica, and invaluable stories of touring and of psychedelic experiences. Prepare to be amazed by Jay’s astounding recall as well as his ability to tell a damn great story. Jay isn’t just a photographer, he’s a personality.

One of the highlights of Jay’s photographic career was surely meeting and photographing Jerry. It’s no secret that Jerry disliked being photographed, so although Jay was able to get

blakesberg garcia hunter photo interview Jackson — Accompanying the Blair Jackson piece for The Golden Road, Spring 1991.

some excellent candid solo shots of him, as well as with the Grateful Dead, it wasn’t until January 1991 that Jay was invited to take his first formal portrait of Garcia with Robert Hunter to accompany historian and author Blair Jackson’s interview for the fanzine, The Golden Road. Jay managed to snap several wonderful and well known portraits of both Garcia and Hunter before his time was cut short, and some of these ended up being included in his splendid book of Jerry photos which were taken between1978-1995 called, Jerry Garcia: Secret Space of Dreams. This collection captures Jerry’s essence, alongside some of his friends, on and offstage.

While scores of music fans dream of being a rock photographer, very few have achieved the level of success and recognition that Jay has. This is fascinating, considering the availability of camera phones and the unlimited social media platforms to share one’s work on. It seems clear that Jay’s success can be credited to equal parts timing, talent, personality, and magic. Jay wasn’t afraid to show up, act as if he belonged (which he did) and then produce quality art by honing his craft behind the scenes. Jay often mentions that he always delivered the product on time, when other’s did not—and in show business, you’re only as good as your word. When asked what drives Jay’s incredible work ethic and productivity, he answers without a hint of humor: fear of losing the life that he has created and of having to work a regular job, as well as a healthy dose of FOMO, as he is obviously a huge music fan.

And as Jay says, “If you’re not turned on, why are you doing it?”

A Deadhead Ambassador

Jay might outwardly cringe to hear anyone call him a celebrity, but indeed he is, and in the best of ways, a bridge between the band and the fans. Standing with Jay, chatting as he grabbed shots of the costume clad crowd in the venue at the Hollywood Bowl during Dead & Company’s Halloween run this year, countless fans approached him with variations of, “Hey Dude! I just wanted to tell you what a huge fan I am of your work. Can I get a picture?” or, “Hey, I met you through (insert random deadhead or celebrity) back in the day. Remember?” Each and every time, Jay smilingly responded with gratitude and humility. He has a genuine interest in us Deadheads, and when he asks a question, it’s because he truly wants to know. I smile as I recall his questions to me as we were chatting at the Hollywood Bowl. He was part journalist and part friend as he queried me about my life and background, all while greeting folks and snapping shots of the freaks in all their finery.

Hollywood Bowl shots 10/22 “Dude, I love your work”.

Photo: S. Kroll, Author. Hollywood Bowl 2021

blakesberg Dead Company hollywood bowl — **Author and friend Terri Visiting JB at the Hollywood Bowl 10/29/21**

Jay has the dubious distinction of Deadhead Ambassador, where at a very youthful 60, he has seen and experienced decades of prime Grateful Dead road tripping. Those of us who have been seeing incarnations of the band and the fans since the seventies are in a unique position to try and describe who and what the Dead and Deadheads are…yet Jay’s photojournalism indisputably reflects the joy and magic of the band and the scene in an elegant and clear way.

Intimate familiarity and love of the Grateful Dead catalogue, coupled with anticipation of “that moment” where the magic happens, is reflected in the upturned gaze of a blissed out fan, or in the posture of a band member as they squeeze out an impossibly beautiful musical phrase: this is where Blakesberg shines. He knows because is right there with you; he is you. and his photographs reflect this perfect alchemy.

Joy and bliss captured by Jay Blakesberg: Michele Citifield 2022

skull roses festival Blakesberg deadhead — Yours truly with pal Jackie at Skull and roses 2022. Photo: Jay Blakesberg.

Binky, Supreme Gratitude. J. Blakesberg.

Laura and Liz, Citifield 2022, Jay Blakesberg Portrait.

Jay Blakesberg Garcia Silver Bowl grateful dead — Jerry Garcia Sam Boyd Silver Bowl 5/15/93

“Jerry Garcia once said following the Grateful Dead truly is the great American adventure,” says Blakesberg. “And we took that to heart and we did that. We went on the great American adventure with the American rock band that had a great American songbook. We lived by those words and traveled by those words and grew to that music and became a family of freaks and misfits. It was the greatest time of our lives. And so, zero regrets. Bittersweet? Sure. Sweet? Absolutely. Beautiful? For sure. Tragic? Absolutely. All of the above, because we watched Jerry decline in front of our eyes. Though we didn’t realize that was happening at the time, it was. But at the same time, we were having a lot of fun and we were grooving to that music and that scene all the time, and we loved every minute of it.” Inside Hook newsletter 10/11/29

Authors note: Much gratitude to Jay Blakesberg for his generosity in sharing his photos and memorabilia. Stay tuned for an interview with Jay in the near future!

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