The recordings were mostly layed down 50 years ago, in 1973. The self-titled album, all recorded live, wasn’t released until 1975.

Old & In the Way was:
Peter Rowan on guitar and vocals;
David Grisman on mandolin and vocals;
Jerry Garcia on banjo and vocals;
John Kahn on stand-up bass;
and Vassar Clements on fiddle.

The recording engineer for the roughly 50 shows Old & In the Way performed was Owsley Stanley, and if you’re at all familiar with Ken Kesey, The Merry Pranksters, Tom Wolfe, and the early years of the Grateful Dead, you probably know a bit about Owsley.

Lest you believe all the guys were whacked out San Francisco hippies. Both Rowan and Vassar Clements played in Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Boys; Clements for 7 years.

Vassar Clements also played fiddle on the “Circle” album. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band went to Nashville and recorded many, many legends of Bluegrass. Clements’ fiddle is believed to be more than 300 years old. Link provided below to show you its beauty.

That fiddle is beautiful!