The Badwater Valley Boys seem to have existed for a single road trip. Garcia, Hunter, Ken Frankel and Marshall Leicester, who was home from Yale on a school break, put a band together to compete in a talent contest at the Ash Grove. The Los Angeles club was Southern California’s main folk and bluegrass room. They didn’t win. Most of what is known comes from Frankel’s memories. Hunter recalled sharing the bill with the Kentucky Colonels, the Clarence White-led band that played the Ash Grove in late April 1963, which is how the date is usually placed. The episode shows how seriously the Palo Alto crowd was taking bluegrass by then. They were willing to drive the length of the state to measure themselves against the best young pickers in California.
Badwater Valley Boys
Years active
11963–1963 Inactive
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Members
Lineup timeline
A one-off bluegrass group that drove to Los Angeles to enter a talent contest at the Ash Grove.
Member
Jerry Garcia
Ken Frankel
Marshall Leicester
Robert Hunter
1963
| Person | Role | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|
| Member | 1963-04 | 1963-04 | |
| Jerry Garcia | Vocals, Guitar, Banjo | 1963-04 | 1963-04 |
| Ken Frankel | Vocals, Fiddle, Banjo | 1963-04 | 1963-04 |
| Marshall Leicester | Vocals, Mandolin | 1963-04 | 1963-04 |
| Robert Hunter | Vocals, Bass | 1963-04 | 1963-04 |
