Scarlet Begonias
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scarlet Begonias is a song originally performed by the Grateful Dead. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter, and the music was written by Jerry Garcia. The song first appears on the Grateful Dead's 1974 release, From the Mars Hotel. Its live debut came on March 23, 1974 at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California.
When performed live, Scarlet Begonias would usually (though not always) seamlessly transition into Fire on the Mountain. Perhaps the most famous and popular version of Scarlet --> Fire occurred on May 8, 1977 at Cornell, which features strong, heavy bass playing by Phil Lesh.
On at least a few memorable occasions, the Dead were accompanied by Donna Jean Godcheaux during the performance of this song, lending an earthier feel to the more usually smooth quality of vocal work typical to most Dead performances and recordings.
[edit] Notable covers
The song has been covered many times by a variety of artists. Its most famous covers are by Sublime (on the album 40 oz. to Freedom[1]) and Phish. The song has also been covered by Jimmy Buffett on his album "License to Chill" and by Bruce Hornsby in concert.
