Pullin’ ‘Tubes: Monkey’s Uncle
As I was trolling through YouTube looking for some tasty clips for our second Grateful Dead themed week, I stumbled across a rather interesting video of a young Joni Mitchell performing the Bobby cowboy classic Me & My Uncle – a song that up until now, I had always thought was a Dead original.
After doing some digging, it turns out the song was originally written by John Phillips – of Mama & Papas fame – in a hotel room during a rousing night of Tequila drinking with folkie Judy Collins, Stephen Stills and Neil Young way back in 1963. Collins would go on to release the song on her live album The Judy Collins Concert, while The Dead started performing it in 1966.
Let’s check out Ms. Mitchell’s strummy, folk-jazz performance from the Oscar Brandt show – Let’s Sing Out in 1965…
Is it me or does the “it being summer I took off my shirt” line take on a whole new meaning coming out of her mouth?
- Previously On HT: Playin’ Dead – Pt. 1, Pt. 2, Pt. 3, Pt. 4, Pt. 5
- The Dead: Gettin’ Ready For The Road
More Me & My Uncle:
- John Phillips – Me & My Uncle (Album Version)
- Grateful Dead – Me & My Uncle -> Big River – NYE ’78
- Grateful Dead – Me & My Uncle -> Cumberland Blues – July 17, 1989
