“Yes. I think it is just being in the right place at the right time in my youth that allowed me to hear the great American musical artists of the 1950’s that influenced most of my favorite artists of the 1960’ and 1970’s.”

J.P. Reali: Keep on Blues Truckin’

For J.P. Reali, it all began when he spotted a bumper sticker in a Long Island record store. To his teenage mind, on that fateful day nearly five decades ago, that gleaming, glossy, rectangular vessel of rock-and-roll promotion spoke like a muse: On the Eighth Day God Created The Grateful Dead. Reali was hooked. There was, serendipitously, a baptism by babysitter; her copy of Shakedown Street, with the welcoming wah-wahs of Jerry Garcia’s trademark guitar, piquing his curiosity. And of course, there were the concerts; the dozens upon dozens of Dead shows in the 1980s Reali consumed (along with some psychedelic companionship) while pulling double duty as an aspiring musician and audio engineering student at American University in Washington, D.C. Now, over forty years later, the veteran guitarist and singer-songwriter’s trip on the bus arrives here, as Reali offers “Grateful Blues” (2026), a six-song valentine to the iconic and enduring ensemble. The half-dozen Dead nuggets in the set run the range - from early, blues-laden rarities to deeper album cuts to fan favorites - each reimagined in Reali’s own vernacular.

(J.P. Reali / Photo © by Michael G Stewart)

This new album marks an exciting chapter for the blues guitarist and singer/songwriter, who currently lives in Newark, Delaware, but originally hails from New York. Before his move, J.P. spent nearly 40 years living and performing in the Washington, D.C. area, where he was nominated for multiple Washington Area Music Awards, won the D.C. Blues Society battle of the bands three times, and competed in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. In 2020, J.P. relocated to Delaware to concentrate on performing and guitar teaching. Today, he shares his passion for the blues by helping the next generation of musicians learn from his decades of stage experience and the invaluable lessons he took with master guitar teachers like Jorma Kaukonen, Ernie Hawkins, and Mike Auldridge.

Interview by Michael Limnios                             Archive: J.P. Reali, 2024 Interview

Special Thanks: Betsie Brown (Blind Raccoon)

Your new EP "Grateful Blues" is described as a love letter to the Grateful Dead. How did you come up with the idea to strip back these tracks and isolate the blues core hidden within the music of such an eclectic rock band?

After playing some of the songs on Grateful Blues, Like Tennessee Jed and West L.A. Fade Away by myself on an acoustic guitar I thought it would be fun to electrify the simple versions of these songs that I play around the house for my own enjoyment.

It all began in your teenage years with a bumper sticker in a record store and a copy of "Shakedown Street." How did Jerry Garcia’s trademark guitar sound influence your own development as a musician and the way you approach the blues today?

Jerry’s guitar sound evolved over the years, and his use of guitar effect pedals showed me that there are and endless number of ways to color your sound. When I play his music, I gravitate towards the type of effects that he used, but when I am playing blues, I prefer to use a more organic and purist approach. That means I usually go straight from my guitar into a tube amplifier that I overdrive to get some nice musical sounding distortion.  

On your take of "Mr. Charlie," you pay a clear homage to Robert Johnson and the hallowed Delta blues style. How did you manage to marry the psychedelic heritage of the Grateful Dead with the traditional roots of authentic blues?

I absolutely love the classic Delta Blues slide guitar style. Recognizing that Mr. Charlie is a three chord 1, 4, 5, progression with a bridge, I was able to see the blues form with in this Pig Pen classic. I picked up my 1932 National Duolian steel body resonator guitar, and it took about 5 minutes of experiment with Mr. Charlie for me to come up with the slide riff I used.

For the track "I Need A Miracle," you chose to infuse a Texas shuffle style reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaughan. What challenges did you face when reshaping Bob Weir’s rhythm approach into this classic blues-rock groove?

Many of Bob Weirs songs are lyrically complex, meaning they can be challenging to sing. My goal was to edit the words, so they roll off your tongue easier allowing for a more rhythmic feel without losing the story. This is another example of a common blues structure that when I focused on the Texas shuffle style of rhythm guitar playing, fell right into the groove I was looking for.

“After playing some of the songs on Grateful Blues, Like Tennessee Jed and West L.A. Fade Away by myself on an acoustic guitar I thought it would be fun to electrify the simple versions of these songs that I play around the house for my own enjoyment.” (J.P. Reali / Photo © by Liz Ryan)

You proudly state that there is not another version in existence like yours for "Tennessee Jed," which incorporates Piedmont blues elements. What is it that makes your approach to this fan-favorite track so completely unique?

When I took a deep dive into Bob Weir’s unique approach to playing rhythm guitar, I discovered that he took ideas from master finger style guitarist Reverand Gary Davis.  After diving into Davis’s style, I was able to see how Weir used these great two and three string riffs to fill the space between lead guitarist Jerry Garcia, and bassist Phil Lesh. The main riff that I employed for Tennessee Jed is straight out of Reverand Davis’s bag of tricks, hence shining light back on a guitarist that influenced both Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia.

You grew up listening to Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, and traditional blues—artists who heavily influenced the Grateful Dead themselves. Do you feel this shared musical foundation is the reason you connected so deeply with their music from the very start?

Yes. I think it is just being in the right place at the right time in my youth that allowed me to hear the great American musical artists of the 1950’s that influenced most of my favorite artists of the 1960’ and 1970’s.

You attended dozens of Grateful Dead shows in the 1980s while studying audio engineering. How did the live, improvisational experience of those Dead shows influence the way you recorded and approached your blues solos in the studio for this EP?

It is well known that on their breakthrough album “In The Dark”, The Grateful Dead recorded the basic tracks live in an empty theater. I always record the basic tracks live to capture the feeling of an actual performance. Because time moves faster in the recording studio, I had guitar solos mapped out, so I was not starting from scratch, there by reducing the need for multiple takes.  

On "West L.A. Fadeaway," your performance echoes a B.B. King minor blues style. How difficult was it to balance a traditional blues structure with the adventurous, free-form nature that the Grateful Dead always brought to their tracks?

We altered the Dead’s arrangement of West L.A. to make it more streamlined, which allowed me to create guitar solos within the specific structure of the song. That was really the mid set of this entire project; Slim down the arrangements and sometimes the lyrics to make these songs more accessible in a blues context.

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(J.P. Reali / Photo © by Fabi Larson)