View source for New Riders of the Purple Sage

{{short description|American country rock band}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{for|the album|New Riders of the Purple Sage (album)}}
{{distinguish|Riders of the Purple Sage|Riders of the Purple Sage (band)}}
{{sources|date=July 2009}}
{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Template:Infobox musical artist -->
| name             = New Riders of the Purple Sage
| image            = File:New-Riders-of-the-Purple-Sage-01.jpg
| landscape        = yes
| caption          = New Riders of the Purple Sage in 2015. Left to right: Buddy Cage, Michael Falzarano, Johnny Markowski, David Nelson, Ronnie Penque.
| origin           = [[San Francisco]], [[California]], U.S.
| genre            = {{Hlist|[[Progressive country]]<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.metrosiliconvalley.com/bohemian/04.05.06/nrps-0614.html |title=Rough & Reddy: NRPS are back in town |last= Cahill|first=Greg |date=April 5, 2006 |work=Metro Silicon Valley|access-date=2023-07-23 |quote=Unbeknownst to Cage, that trip would provide a ticket across a psychedelic landscape and a charter membership in the progressive-country band the New Riders of the Purple Sage.}}</ref>|[[country rock]]}}
| years_active     = 1969–1997, 2005–2017
| label            = [[Columbia Records|Columbia]], [[MCA Records|MCA]], [[A&M Records|A&M]], Relix
| associated_acts  = [[Grateful Dead]], [[Peter Rowan]], [[Donna Jean Godchaux]], [[Robert Hunter (lyricist)|Robert Hunter]], [[David Nelson (musician)|David Nelson Band]]
| website          = {{URL|thenewriders.com}}
| current_members  = [[David Nelson (musician)|David Nelson]]<br />[[Michael Falzarano]]<br />[[Ronnie Penque]]<br />Johnny Markowski
| past_members     = [[John Dawson (musician)|John Dawson]]<br />[[Jerry Garcia]]<br />[[Mickey Hart]]<br />Bob Matthews<br /> [[Robert Hunter (lyricist) | Robert Hunter]]<br />[[Phil Lesh]]<br />[[Dave Torbert]]<br />[[Spencer Dryden]]<br />[[Buddy Cage]]<br />[[Skip Battin]]<br />[[Stephen A. Love]]<br />Patrick Shanahan<br />Allen Kemp<br />Bobby Black<br />Pete Grant<br /> Michael White<br />Billy Wolf<br />[[Val Fuentes]]<br />Rusty Gauthier<br />Greg Lagardo<br />Gary Vogensen<br />Fred Campbell<br />Evan Morgan<br />Bill Laymon
}}
'''New Riders of the Purple Sage''' is an American [[country rock]] band. The group emerged from the [[psychedelic rock]] scene in [[San Francisco]] in 1969 and its original lineup included several members of the [[Grateful Dead]].<ref name="The Great Rock Discography">{{Cite book | first= Martin C. | last= Strong | year= 2000 | title= The Great Rock Discography | edition= 5th | publisher=Mojo Books | location= Edinburgh | page= 694 | isbn= 1-84195-017-3}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Sam |last=Whiting |orig-date=February 7, 2020 |date=February 9, 2020 |title=Buddy Cage, pedal steel guitar player for New Riders of the Purple Sage, dies at 73 |url=https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/buddy-cage-pedal-steel-player-for-new-riders-of-the-purple-sage-dies-at-73 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331060800/https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/buddy-cage-pedal-steel-player-for-new-riders-of-the-purple-sage-dies-at-73 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |access-date=November 28, 2023 |website=Datebook |language=en-US}}</ref> The band is sometimes referred to as the '''New Riders''' or as '''NRPS'''.
==History==
===Origins: early 1960s–1969===
The roots of the New Riders can be traced back to the early 1960s [[San Francisco Peninsula|Peninsula]] [[American folk music revival|folk]]/[[beatnik]] scene centered on [[Stanford University]]'s now-defunct Perry Lane housing complex in [[Menlo Park, California]] where future [[Grateful Dead]] guitarist [[Jerry Garcia]] often played gigs with like-minded guitarist [[David Nelson (musician)|David Nelson]]. The young [[John Dawson (musician)|John Dawson]] (also known as "Marmaduke") also played some concerts with Garcia, Nelson, and their compatriots while visiting relatives on summer vacation. Enamored of the sounds of [[Bakersfield sound|Bakersfield-style country music]], Dawson would turn his older friends on to the work of [[Merle Haggard]] and [[Buck Owens]] and provided a vital link between [[Timothy Leary]]'s International Federation for Internal Freedom in [[Millbrook, New York]] (Dawson having boarded at the [[Millbrook School]]) and the Menlo Park bohemian coterie nurtured by [[Ken Kesey]].
Inspired by [[American folk music]], [[rock and roll]], and [[blues]], Garcia formed the [[Grateful Dead]] (initially known as The Warlocks) with blues singer [[Ron "Pigpen" McKernan]], while Nelson joined the similarly inclined New Delhi River Band (which would eventually come to include bassist [[Dave Torbert]]) shortly thereafter. Although they lacked the managerial acumen and [[Acid Tests|cultural cachet]] of the Grateful Dead and elected to remain in [[East Palo Alto, California]] unlike the former group, which soon relocated to the [[Haight-Ashbury]] district of San Francisco, the New Delhi River Band were considered{{cn|date=May 2021}} by late 1966 to be the house band of [[Scotts Valley, California#The Barn|The Barn]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Baine |first1=Wallace |title=Santa Cruz County Stories: UCSC's Ralph Abraham keeps alive the memories of Santa Cruz's hip golden era |url=https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2016/07/15/santa-cruz-county-stories-ucscs-ralph-abraham-keeps-alive-the-memories-of-santa-cruzs-hip-golden-era/ |access-date=May 31, 2021 |work=Santa Cruz Sentinel |date=July 15, 2016 |quote=Came to Santa Cruz: 1968. Abraham was a professor at Princeton University in his early 30s when a UCSC recruiter visited him. He had developed an interest in psychedelic culture and mystical experience, but had no interest in relocating to California. 'I accepted the free airline ticket to see friends,' he said. His interview didn't go well, he said. But before leaving, he went to find a friend at the Barn in Scotts Valley, where "I saw the musicians playing inside large metal sculptures, psychedelic paintings on the wall and 300 people stoned on LSD dancing to the music.' Soon after, he changed his thinking: 'I was interested in Santa Cruz the town, not Santa Cruz the university. But it was a job, so I accepted it.'}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=David Nelson and The New Delhi River Band, Fall 1966 (Nelson II) |url=https://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2012/03/david-nelson-and-new-delhi-river-band.html |access-date=May 31, 2021 |work=Lost Live Dead |date=March 22, 2012 |language=en |quote=The configuration of Highway 17 and Scotts Valley has completely changed, and no trace of The Barn remains. The site is now the parking lot of The Baymonte Christian School}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Arnold |first1=Corry |title=The Barn, Scotts Valley, California 1965-1968 |url=http://www.chickenonaunicycle.com/Barn%20Scotts%20History.htm |website=chickenonaunicycle |access-date=May 31, 2021 |date=February 9, 2013}}</ref> (one of the region's few viable concert venues outside of San Francisco) in [[Scotts Valley, California]]. The group continued to enjoy a cult following in [[Santa Clara County, California|Santa Clara]] and [[Santa Cruz County, California|Santa Cruz Counties]] through the [[Summer of Love]] until their dissolution in early 1968.
After a period of inactivity Nelson contributed to the Grateful Dead's ''[[Aoxomoxoa]]'' (1969) sessions and served as the caretaker of [[Big Brother and the Holding Company]]'s rehearsal space while guitarist Peter Albin and drummer David Getz undertook a European tour with [[Country Joe & the Fish]] following the schismatic departure of [[Janis Joplin]] and [[Sam Andrew]] from the former band in December 1968. During this period Nelson and Garcia played intermittently in an early iteration of High Country, a [[traditional bluegrass]] ensemble formed by the remnants of the Peninsula folk scene. Nelson was set to serve as lead guitarist in the reconstituted lineup of Big Brother that coalesced later in 1969 and thus may have contributed to some of the recordings on ''[[Be a Brother]]'' (1970) during this transitional period.
Dawson—who dropped out of [[Occidental College]] in December 1965 and remained in [[Los Angeles]] for several years thereafter, "hanging out with musicians and weirdos"—had returned to Los Altos Hills by early 1969, allowing him to contribute to the ''Aoxomoxoa'' sessions and briefly enroll at [[Foothill College]].<ref name=Early-Days>{{cite web |url=http://www.nrpsmusic.com/band/earlydays.html |title=The Early Days of the New Riders |author=Dawson, John|work=nrpsmusic.com |access-date=January 1, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deaddisc.com/disc/Aoxomoxoa.htm|title=Grateful Dead Family Discography: Aoxomoxoa|work=deaddisc.com|access-date=January 1, 2017}}</ref> After a [[mescaline]] experience at [[Pinnacles National Park]] with Torbert and [[Matthew Kelly (musician)|Matthew Kelly]], he began to compose songs on a regular basis.<ref name=Early-Days/> Some (such as "Glendale Train" and "I Don't Know You") were traditional country pastiches; a number of others ("Last Lonely Eagle", "Garden of Eden", and "Dirty Business") found him working in a "psychedelic country" fusion milieu redolent of [[Gram Parsons]]' nascent [[Flying Burrito Brothers]]. "Henry", a traditional shuffle with contemporary lyrics about marijuana smuggling, also dates from this period.
Dawson's vision was prescient, as 1969 marked the emergence of country rock via [[Bob Dylan]], [[The Band]], [[The Flying Burrito Brothers]], [[Poco (band)|Poco]], the [[Dillard & Clark]] Band, and the [[Clarence White]]-era [[Byrds]]. Around this time, Garcia was similarly inspired to take up the [[pedal steel guitar]], and an informal line-up including Dawson, Garcia, and Peninsula folk veteran Peter Grant (on banjo) began playing coffeehouse and [[hofbrau]] concerts together when the Grateful Dead were not touring. Their repertoire included country standards, traditional bluegrass, Dawson originals, and a few Dylan [[Cover version|covers]] ("[[Lay Lady Lay]]", "[[You Ain't Goin' Nowhere]]", "[[Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)|Mighty Quinn]]"). By the summer of 1969 it was decided that a full band would be formed and David Nelson was recruited to play lead guitar.
In addition to Nelson, Dawson (on [[Steel-string acoustic guitar|acoustic guitar]]), and Garcia (continuing to play pedal steel), the original line-up of the band that came to be known as the New Riders of the Purple Sage (a nod to the [[Foy Willing]]-led [[Western swing]] combo from the 1940s, [[Riders of the Purple Sage (band)|Riders of the Purple Sage]], which borrowed its name from the [[Riders of the Purple Sage|Zane Grey novel]]) consisted of [[Alembic Inc|Alembic]] Studio engineer Bob Matthews on electric bass and [[Mickey Hart]] of the Grateful Dead on drums; bassist [[Phil Lesh]] also played sporadically with the ensemble in lieu of Matthews through the end of the year, as documented by the late 1969 demos later included on the ''[[Before Time Began]]'' archival release. Lyricist [[Robert Hunter (lyricist)|Robert Hunter]] briefly rehearsed with the band on bass in early 1970 before the permanent hiring of Torbert in April of that year.<ref>{{cite web |date=March 16, 2011 |url=http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/2011/03/new-riders-of-purple-sage-bassist-1969.html |title=New Riders Of The Purple Sage, Bassist: 1969-70 |website=Lost Live Dead |access-date=November 27, 2019}}</ref> The most commercially successful configuration of the New Riders would come to encompass Dawson, Nelson, Torbert, [[Spencer Dryden]], and [[Buddy Cage]].
===Vintage NRPS: 1969–1982===
[[File:Michael E. Arth-New Riders of the Purple Sage poster 1974-lo rez.jpg|thumb|"New Riders of the Purple Sage" Armadillo World Headquarters poster by Michael E. Arth 1974]]
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:NRPSPowerglide.jpg|thumb |260px | Album cover art from ''Powerglide'' (1972). Left to right: David Nelson, John Dawson, Spencer Dryden, Dave Torbert, Buddy Cage.]] -->
After a few warmup gigs throughout the Bay Area in 1969, Dawson, Nelson, and Torbert began to tour in May 1970 as part of a tripartite bill advertised as "An Evening with the Grateful Dead". An acoustic Grateful Dead set that often included contributions from Dawson and Nelson would then segue into New Riders and electric Dead sets, obviating the need to hire external opening acts.
By the time the New Riders recorded their first album in late 1970, there were several personnel changes. Hart temporarily left the Grateful Dead in February 1971. Although Hart contributed to two tracks on the album, former [[Jefferson Airplane]] drummer Spencer Dryden replaced him in the New Riders prior to his departure from the parent group. Dryden would remain with the group for ten years, ultimately serving as the band's manager.
[[New Riders of the Purple Sage (album)|Their first album]], eponymously titled was released on [[Columbia Records]] (under a contract informed by [[Clive Davis]]'s long-term aspiration to sign the Grateful Dead) in late 1971. It proved to be a moderate success comparable to the Dead's releases of the era, peaking at No. 39 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart.<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> Entirely composed by Dawson (in comparison to the more egalitarian songwriting of later releases), the record was driven by Garcia's pedal-steel playing.
With the New Riders desiring to become more of a self-sufficient group and Garcia needing to focus on his other responsibilities, the musician parted ways with the group in November 1971. Seasoned pedal steel player Buddy Cage was recruited from [[Ian and Sylvia]]'s [[Great Speckled Bird (band)|Great Speckled Bird]] to replace Garcia. The band's second album, ''[[Powerglide (album)|Powerglide]]'' (1972), was the first to feature this line-up. The ''Powerglide'' album art included a notable caricature of the band members drawn by Lore Shoberg.
1973's ''[[The Adventures of Panama Red]]'' included a Nelson-sung cover of [[Peter Rowan]]'s "Panama Red" that steadily gained traction as an enduring FM radio staple. The album peaked at No. 55 in ''Billboard''<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> and, albeit as a [[sleeper hit]], marked the band's commercial zenith; in 1979, it was [[certified gold]] by [[RIAA]].
In the mid-1970s, [[Radio Caroline]] adopted the song "On My Way Back Home" from the ''[[Gypsy Cowboy]]'' album as the station's theme tune. The song was well-suited to the station's album-oriented format of the time, and included the lyric "Flying to the sun, sweet Caroline".
The New Riders of the Purple Sage continued touring and releasing albums throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s to an increasingly fallow reception;<ref name="The Great Rock Discography"/> none of the albums that followed ''[[New Riders (album)|New Riders]] ''(1976) charted on the ''Billboard ''200 in antipodal contrast to the widespread mainstream success of the [[outlaw country]] movement (exemplified by [[Willie Nelson]] and [[Waylon Jennings]]) and such second-wave country rock groups as [[The Eagles]], [[Pure Prairie League]], and [[Firefall]]. The band continued to open several Grateful Dead and [[Jerry Garcia Band]] shows in 1977 and 1978, including the final concert preceding the closure of [[Winterland Ballroom]] on December 31, 1978.
In 1974, Torbert left NRPS; he and Matthew Kelly co-founded the band [[Kingfish (band)|Kingfish]] (best known for [[Bob Weir]]'s membership during the Grateful Dead's late-1974 to mid-1976 touring hiatus) the year before. Initially he was replaced by [[Skip Battin]] (formerly of [[Skip & Flip]] and the early 1970s lineup of The Byrds), who briefly emerged as the dominant creative force in the band due to his prolific songwriting collaboration with controversial Hollywood impresario [[Kim Fowley]]. [[Stephen A. Love]] of [[Ricky Nelson|Rick Nelson]]'s Stone Canyon Band and the [[Roger McGuinn]] Band replaced Battin after he left the group to co-found a reconstituted lineup of The Flying Burrito Brothers in 1976. Shortly thereafter, Spencer Dryden relinquished his performance duties to manage the group in 1977. His musical replacement was Patrick Shanahan. Allen Kemp joined on bass in 1978 before emerging as a co-frontman on guitar and vocals, contributing prominently to the songwriting for the band's last major label release, 1981's  ''[[Feelin' All Right]]''.<ref>Thomson, Gus. [http://auburnjournal.com/detail/118942.html "Auburn's Allen Kemp Part of Rick Nelson, New Riders of Purple Sage Bands"], [[Auburn Journal]], July 9, 2009</ref>
In 1982, Nelson and Cage left the band, leaving Dawson as the sole remaining member from the classic lineup.
===New New Riders: 1982–1997===
From the early 1980s to the late 1990s Dawson continued as leader of the New Riders of the Purple Sage. He was joined by [[bluegrass music|bluegrass]]-oriented multi-instrumentalist Rusty Gauthier, who sang and played acoustic guitar, [[slide guitar]], [[mandolin]], banjo, and [[fiddle]].<ref>Brown, Toni (June 1991). [http://www.kippel.com/archives/journalism/files/18-3-newriders.html "New Riders of the Purple Sage Interview"], ''Relix''. Retrieved May 7, 2014.</ref> During this fifteen-year period, an evolving lineup of musicians played with Dawson and Gauthier in the New Riders.  These included among others, guitarists Allen Kemp, Gary Vogensen, and Evan Morgan; bass players Fred Campbell, Bill Laymon, and Michael White; and drummers [[Val Fuentes]], and Greg Lagardo.
Some projects had the current line-up performing new material and others reworked older material.  On some albums, such as ''[[Midnight Moonlight]]'', the band's sound was less influenced by electric country rock and more by acoustic bluegrass music.
===Retirement: 1997–2005===
In 1997, the New Riders of the Purple Sage split up. Dawson retired from music and moved to Mexico to become an [[English language|English]] teacher. By this time, [[David Nelson (musician)|Nelson]] had started his own David Nelson Band. There was a reunion performance in 2001. In 2002, the New Riders accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award from ''[[High Times]]'' magazine. On hand were a frail Dawson (suffering from [[emphysema]]), Nelson, Cage, Dryden and Torbert's widow Patti.  The band performed "Panama Red" and "Lonesome LA Cowboy" with Peter Rowan as part of the celebration. In the spring of 2004, Cage sat in at several gigs with the David Nelson Band.
===NRPS revival: 2005–present===
Shortly after the death of Spencer Dryden, a reconstituted line-up of the New Riders began touring in late 2005. It features David Nelson and Buddy Cage, alongside guitarist [[Michael Falzarano]], bassist [[Ronnie Penque]], and drummer [[Johnny Markowski]].<ref name=HeraldPalladium/><ref name=NewsHerald/>  They have released a live album, ''[[Wanted: Live at Turkey Trot]]'', and two studio albums, ''[[Where I Come From (New Riders of the Purple Sage album)|Where I Come From]]'' and ''[[17 Pine Avenue]]''.
Allen Kemp died on June 25, 2009.<ref>{{cite news |first=Gus |last=Thomson |date=July 9, 2009 |url=http://www.auburnjournal.com/article/media-lifeauburn%E2%80%99s-allen-kemp-part-rick-nelson-new-riders-purple-sage-bands |title=Auburn's Allen Kemp Part of Rick Nelson, New Riders of Purple Sage Bands |newspaper=Auburn Journal |access-date=September 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=July 5, 2009 |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/auburnjournal/obituary.aspx?pid=129332627 |title=Allen Kemp Obituary |newspaper=Auburn Journal |access-date=September 25, 2017}}</ref> John "Marmaduke" Dawson died in Mexico on July 21, 2009, at the age of 64.<ref>{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Liberatore |date=July 22, 2009 |url=http://www.marinij.com/general-news/20090722/john-dawson-a-founder-of-the-new-riders-of-the-purple-sage-dies-at-64 |title=John Dawson, a Founder of the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Dies at 64 |newspaper=Marin Independent Journal |access-date=September 25, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Aidin |last=Vaziri |date=July 25, 2009 |url=http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Country-rock-musician-John-Dawson-dies-3291244.php |title=Country Rock Musician John Dawson Dies |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=September 25, 2017}}</ref>
Pedal steel guitarist Buddy Cage died on February 5, 2020, at age 73.
==Discography==
===Studio and live albums===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Release date
! Title
! [[Billboard 200|US Chart]]<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/new-riders-of-the-purple-sage/chart-history/tlp/ |title=New Riders of the Purple Sage Chart History |magazine=Billboard |access-date=February 2, 2019}}</ref>
! Label
! Notes
|-
| 1971
| ''[[New Riders of the Purple Sage (album)|New Riders of the Purple Sage]]''
|39
| [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
|
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Powerglide (album)|Powerglide]]''
|33
| Columbia
|
|-
| 1972
| ''[[Gypsy Cowboy]]''
|85
| Columbia
|
|-
| 1973
| ''[[The Adventures of Panama Red]]''
|55
| Columbia
| US: Gold<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/|title=Gold & Platinum|website=RIAA|language=en-US|access-date=September 11, 2019}}</ref>
|-
| 1974
| ''[[Home, Home on the Road]]''
|68
| Columbia
|
|-
| 1974
| ''[[Brujo]]''
|68
| Columbia
|
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Oh, What a Mighty Time]]''
|144
| Columbia
|
|-
| 1976
| ''[[New Riders (album)|New Riders]]''
|145
| [[MCA Records|MCA]]
|
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Who Are Those Guys?]]''
|
| MCA
|
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Marin County Line]]''
|
| MCA
|
|-
| 1981
| ''[[Feelin' All Right]]''
|
| [[A&M Records|A&M]]
|
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Before Time Began]]''
|
| [[Relix Records|Relix]]
|
|-
| 1986
| ''[[Vintage NRPS]]''
|
| Relix
|
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Keep On Keepin' On (New Riders of the Purple Sage album)|Keep On Keepin' On]]''
|
| Mu
|
|-
| 1992
| ''[[Midnight Moonlight]]''
|
| Relix
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Live on Stage (New Riders of the Purple Sage album)|Live on Stage]]''
|
| Relix
|
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Live in Japan (New Riders of the Purple Sage album)|Live in Japan]]''
|
| Relix
|
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Live (New Riders of the Purple Sage album)|Live]]''
|
| Avenue
|
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Worcester, MA, 4/4/73]]''
|
| Kufala
|
|-
| 2003
| ''[[Boston Music Hall, 12/5/72]]''
|
| Kufala
|
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Veneta, Oregon, 8/27/72]]''
|
| Kufala
| Re-issued in 2020 as ''Field Trip''<ref>{{cite web |first=Doug |last=Collette |date=May 2, 2020 |url=https://glidemagazine.com/243211/new-riders-of-the-purple-sage-deliver-smokin-1972-set-via-field-trip-remix-remaster-album-review/ |title=New Riders of the Purple Sage Deliver Smokin' 1972 Set via 'Field Trip' Remix/Remaster |website=Glide Magazine |access-date=March 4, 2024}}</ref>
|-
| 2005
| ''[[Armadillo World Headquarters, Austin, TX, 6/13/75]]''
|
| Kufala
|
|-
| 2007
| ''[[S.U.N.Y., Stonybrook, NY, 3/17/73]]''
|
| Kufala
|
|-
| 2007
| ''[[Wanted: Live at Turkey Trot]]''
|
| Fa-Ka-Wee
|
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Winterland, San Francisco, CA, 12/31/77]]''
|
| Kufala
|
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Where I Come From (New Riders of the Purple Sage album)|Where I Come From]]''
|
| Woodstock
|
|-
| 2012
| ''[[17 Pine Avenue]]''
|
| Woodstock
|
|-
| 2013
| ''[[Glendale Train]]''
|
| Smokin'
|
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Thanksgiving in New York City]]''
|
| [[Omnivore Recordings|Omnivore]]
|
|-
| 2020
| ''[[Bear's Sonic Journals: Dawn of the New Riders of the Purple Sage]]''
|
| Owsley Stanley Foundation
|
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Lyceum '72]]''
|
| Omnivore
|
|-
| 2024
| ''[[Hempsteader]]''
|
| Omnivore
|
|}
===Compilation albums===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Release date
! Title
! Label
|-
| 1976
| ''[[The Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage]]''
| Columbia
|-
| 1987
| ''Take a Red''<ref>{{cite web |first=William |last=Ruhlmann |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/take-a-red-mw0000615916 |title=Take a Red |website=AllMusic |access-date=November 23, 2017}}</ref>
| MCA
|-
| 1991
| ''L.A. Lady''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deaddisc.com/disc/L_A_Lady.htm |title=L.A. Lady |website=Grateful Dead Family Discography |access-date=January 6, 2018}}</ref>
| [[Sony Records|Sony]]
|-
| 1992
| ''[[The Relix Bay Rock Shop, No.&nbsp;1]]''
| Relix
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Wasted Tasters]]''
| [[Raven Records|Raven]]
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Relix's Best of the Early New Riders of the Purple Sage]]''
| Relix
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Relix's Best of the New New Riders of the Purple Sage]]''
| Relix
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Ridin' with Panama Red]]''
| Sony
|-
| 2006
| ''[[Cactus Juice]]''
| Arcadia
|-
| 2009
| ''[[Very Best of the Relix Years]]''
| Retro World
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Setlist: The Very Best of New Riders of the Purple Sage Live]]''
| [[Legacy Records|Legacy]]
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Instant Armadillo Blues]]''
| Raven
|-
| 2017
| ''Original Album Classics''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://deaddisc.com/disc/NRPS_OAClassics.htm |title=Original Album Classics |website=Grateful Dead Family Discography |access-date=January 16, 2020}}</ref>
| Sony
|}
=== Singles ===
[[Seven-inch single]]s released by the New Riders of the Purple Sage are:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://deaddisc.com/GDFD_NRPS.htm#s1 |title=New Riders of the Purple Sage Discography: Singles |website=Grateful Dead Family Discography |access-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/476171-New-Riders-Of-The-Purple-Sage?filter_anv=0&subtype=Singles-EPs&type=Releases |title=New Riders of the Purple Sage Discography: Singles and EPs |website=Discogs |access-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Release date
! Title
! Album
! Label
|-
| 1971
| "Louisiana Lady" / "Last Lonely Eagle"
| ''[[New Riders of the Purple Sage (album)|New Riders of the Purple Sage]]''
| [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
|-
| 1971
| "I Don't Know You" / "Garden of Eden"
| ''New Riders of the Purple Sage''
| Columbia
|-
| 1972
| "[[I Don't Need No Doctor]]" / "Runnin' Back to You"
| ''[[Powerglide (album)|Powerglide]]''
| Columbia
|-
| 1972
| "[[Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)]]" / "Rainbow"
| ''Powerglide''
| Columbia
|-
| 1973
| "Groupie" / "She's No Angel"
| ''[[Gypsy Cowboy]]''
| Columbia
|-
| 1973
| "Panama Red" / "Cement, Clay and Glass"
| ''[[The Adventures of Panama Red]]''
| Columbia
|-
| 1974
| "You Angel You" / "Parson Brown"
| ''[[Brujo]]''
| Columbia
|-
| 1976
| "Fifteen Days Under the Hood" / "Don't Put Her Down"
| ''[[New Riders (album)|New Riders]]''
| [[MCA Records|MCA]]
|-
| 1976
| "[[Dead Flowers (Rolling Stones song)|Dead Flowers]]" / "She's Looking Better Every Beer"
| ''New Riders''
| MCA
|-
| 1977
| "Love Has Strange Ways" / "Red Hot Women and Ice Cold Beer"
| ''[[Who Are Those Guys?]]''
| MCA
|-
| 1977
| "Just Another Night in Reno" / "Home Grown"
| ''Who Are Those Guys?''
| MCA
|-
| 1980
| "Night for Making Love" / "Fly Right"
| ''[[Feelin' All Right]]''
| [[A&M Records|A&M]]
|-
| 1980
| "No Other Love" / "Full Moon at Midnight"
| ''Feelin' All Right''
| A&M
|}
==Lineups==
The membership of the New Riders of the Purple Sage has changed many times.  The following table shows a somewhat simplified version of the history of the band's lineups.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newridersofthepurplesage.com/new_riders.htm |title=NRPS |access-date=September 12, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416161015/http://www.newridersofthepurplesage.com/new_riders.htm |archive-date=April 16, 2009 }} </ref>
{| class="toccolours" border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 style="float: width: 375px; margin: 0 0 1em 1em; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px solid #E2E2E2;"
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1969–1970
|
* [[John Dawson (musician)|John Dawson]]  – guitar, vocals
* [[David Nelson (musician)|David Nelson]] – guitar, vocals
* [[Jerry Garcia]] – pedal steel guitar
* [[Bob Matthews (musician)|Bob Matthews]], [[Robert Hunter (lyricist) | Robert Hunter]], or [[Phil Lesh]] – bass guitar
* [[Mickey Hart]] – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1970
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Jerry Garcia – pedal steel guitar
* [[Dave Torbert]] – bass guitar
* Mickey Hart – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;" | 1971
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Jerry Garcia – pedal steel guitar
* Dave Torbert – bass guitar
* [[Spencer Dryden]] – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1971–1974
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* [[Buddy Cage]] – pedal steel guitar
* Dave Torbert – bass guitar, vocals
* Spencer Dryden – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1974–1976
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Buddy Cage – pedal steel guitar
* [[Skip Battin]] – bass guitar
* Spencer Dryden – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1976–1977
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Buddy Cage – pedal steel guitar
* [[Stephen A. Love]] – bass guitar
* Spencer Dryden – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1977–1978
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Buddy Cage – pedal steel guitar
* Stephen A. Love – bass guitar
* Patrick Shanahan – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1978
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Buddy Cage or Pete Grant – pedal steel guitar
* [[Allen Kemp]] – guitar, vocals
* Patrick Shanahan – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1978–1980
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* [[Bobby Black (musician)|Bobby Black]] – pedal steel guitar
* Allen Kemp –  guitar, vocals
* Patrick Shanahan – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1980
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Bobby Black – pedal steel guitar
* Allen Kemp – guitar, vocals
* Michael White – bass guitar
* Patrick Shanahan – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1980
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Buddy Cage – pedal steel guitar
* Allen Kemp – guitar, vocals
* Michael White – bass guitar
* Patrick Shanahan – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1980–1981
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Buddy Cage – pedal steel guitar
* Allen Kemp – guitar, vocals
* Patrick Shanahan – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1981–1982
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Buddy Cage – pedal steel guitar
* Allen Kemp – guitar, vocals
* Billy Wolf – bass guitar
* Patrick Shanahan – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1982–1984
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* [[Rusty Gauthier]]  –  guitar and other instruments, vocals
* Allen Kemp – guitar
* Billy Wolf – bass guitar
* [[Val Fuentes]] – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1984–1985
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* Rusty Gauthier  –  guitar and other instruments, vocals
* Allen Kemp – guitar, vocals
* Michael White – bass guitar
* [[Greg Lagardo]] – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1985–1987
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* Rusty Gauthier  –  guitar and other instruments, vocals
* [[Gary Vogensen]]  – guitar, vocals
* Billy Wolf – bass guitar
* Val Fuentes – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1987–1990
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* Rusty Gauthier  –  guitar and other instruments, vocals
* Gary Vogensen  – guitar, vocals
* Michael White – bass guitar
* Val Fuentes – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1990–1993
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* Rusty Gauthier  –  guitar and other instruments, vocals
* Gary Vogensen  – guitar, vocals
* [[Fred Campbell (musician)|Fred Campbell]] – bass guitar
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1993–1994
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* Rusty Gauthier  –  guitar and other instruments, vocals
* [[Evan Morgan (musician)|Evan Morgan]]  – guitar, vocals
* [[Bill Laymon]] – bass guitar
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 1997
|
* John Dawson  – guitar, vocals
* Rusty Gauthier  –  guitar and other instruments, vocals
* Gary Vogensen  – guitar, vocals
* Fred Campbell – bass guitar
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 2005–2020
|
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Buddy Cage – pedal steel guitar
* [[Michael Falzarano]]  – guitar, vocals
* [[Ronnie Penque]] – bass guitar, vocals
* [[Johnny Markowski]] – drums
|-
! style="background:#e7ebee;"| 2020–present
|
* David Nelson – guitar, vocals
* Michael Falzarano – guitar, vocals
* Ronnie Penque – bass guitar, vocals
* Johnny Markowski – drums
|}
===Timeline===
{{#tag:timeline|
ImageSize  = width:960 height:auto barincrement:20
PlotArea   = left:110 bottom:100 top:0 right:5
Alignbars  = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period     = from:01/02/1969 till:{{#time:d/m/Y}}
TimeAxis   = orientation:horizontal format:dd/mm/yyyy
Legend     = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3
ScaleMajor = increment:5 start:1970
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1970
Colors =
id:vocals  value:red             legend:Lead_and_backing_vocals
id:bvocals value:pink            legend:Backing_vocals
id:guitar  value:teal            legend:Lead_guitars
id:rg      value:brightgreen     legend:Rhythm_guitars
id:ped     value:green           legend:Pedal_steel_guitar
id:bass    value:blue            legend:Bass
id:drums   value:orange          legend:Drums
id:studio  value:black           legend:Studio_albums
id:live    value:gray(0.7)       legend:Live_recordings
id:bars    value:gray(0.92)
BackgroundColors = bars:bars
LineData =
layer:back
color:studio
at:04/08/1971 width:1
at:17/03/1972 width:1
at:09/12/1972 width:1
at:08/10/1973 width:1
at:03/11/1974 width:1
at:10/09/1975 width:1
at:24/05/1976 width:1
at:21/02/1977 width:1
at:21/10/1977 width:1
at:02/03/1981 width:1
at:01/08/1986 width:1
at:05/06/1989 width:1
at:12/05/1992 width:1
at:02/06/2009 width:1
at:06/03/2012 width:1
BarData =
bar:Dawson      text:John Dawson †
bar:Gary        text:Gary Vogensen
bar:Evan        text:Evan Morgan
bar:Mike        text:Michael Falzarano
bar:Nelson      text:David Nelson
bar:Rusty       text:Rusty Gauthier
bar:Garcia      text:Jerry Garcia †
bar:Cage        text:Buddy Cage †
bar:Black       text:Bobby Black
bar:Lesh        text:Phil Lesh †
bar:Dave        text:Dave Torbert †
bar:Skip        text:Skip Battin †
bar:Love        text:Stephen Love
bar:Kemp        text:Allen Kemp †
bar:White       text:Michael White
bar:Wolf        text:Billy Wolf
bar:Fred        text:Fred Campbell
bar:Bill        text:Bill Laymon
bar:Ron         text:Ronnie Penque
bar:Hart        text:Mickey Hart
bar:Dry         text:Spencer Dryden †
bar:Pat         text:Patrick Shanahan
bar:Val         text:Val Fuentes
bar:Greg        text:Greg Lagardo
bar:Johnny      text:Johnny Markowski
PlotData=
width:13 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(11,-4)
color:vocals
bar:Dawson        from:start        till:30/09/1997 width:3
bar:Nelson        from:start        till:12/08/1982 width:3
bar:Nelson        from:01/01/2005   till:end        width:3
bar:Mike          from:01/01/2005   till:end        width:3
bar:Gary          from:30/04/1985   till:30/04/1993 width:3
bar:Evan          from:30/04/1993   till:30/09/1997 width:3
bar:Dave          from:01/07/1970   till:09/09/1974 width:3
bar:Love          from:04/07/1976   till:02/10/1978 width:3
bar:Kemp          from:02/10/1978   till:30/04/1985 width:3
bar:Ron           from:01/01/2005   till:end        width:3
color:rg
bar:Gary          from:30/04/1985   till:30/04/1993
bar:Evan          from:30/04/1993   till:30/09/1997
bar:Dawson        from:start        till:30/09/1997
bar:Mike          from:01/01/2005   till:end
bar:Kemp          from:04/08/1980   till:30/04/1985
color:guitar
bar:Nelson        from:start        till:12/08/1982
bar:Nelson        from:01/01/2005   till:end
bar:Rusty         from:12/08/1982   till:30/09/1997
color:ped
bar:Garcia        from:start        till:01/10/1971
bar:Cage          from:01/10/1971   till:12/08/1978
bar:Black         from:12/08/1978   till:12/11/1980
bar:Cage          from:12/11/1980   till:12/08/1982
bar:Rusty         from:12/08/1982   till:30/09/1997 width:7
bar:Cage          from:01/01/2005   till:05/02/2020
color:bvocals
bar:Rusty         from:12/08/1982   till:30/09/1997 width:3
bar:Skip          from:09/09/1974   till:04/07/1976 width:3
color:bass
bar:Lesh          from:start        till:01/07/1970
bar:Dave          from:01/07/1970   till:09/09/1974
bar:Skip          from:09/09/1974   till:04/07/1976
bar:Love          from:04/07/1976   till:02/10/1978
bar:Kemp          from:02/10/1978   till:04/08/1980
bar:White         from:04/08/1980   till:01/08/1981
bar:Wolf          from:01/08/1981   till:07/07/1984
bar:White         from:07/07/1984   till:02/04/1985
bar:Wolf          from:02/04/1985   till:02/06/1987
bar:White         from:02/06/1987   till:05/03/1990
bar:Fred          from:05/03/1990   till:01/04/1993
bar:Bill          from:01/04/1993   till:03/08/1994
bar:Fred          from:03/08/1994   till:30/09/1997
bar:Ron           from:01/01/2005   till:end
color:drums
bar:hart          from:start        till:01/12/1970
bar:dry           from:01/12/1970   till:01/05/1977
bar:pat           from:01/05/1977   till:03/05/1982
bar:val           from:03/05/1982   till:04/11/1988
bar:greg          from:04/11/1988   till:03/08/1991
bar:johnny        from:01/01/2005   till:end
}}
==References==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=HeraldPalladium>Bonfiglio, Jeremy D. (December 16, 2010) [http://www.heraldpalladium.com/articles/2010/12/16/features/2807523.txt "More Renaissance than Reunion"]{{dead link|date=February 2016}}, ''[[The Herald-Palladium]]''. Retrieved December 22, 2010'</ref>
<ref name=NewsHerald>Benson, John. (December 17, 2010) [http://www.news-herald.com/articles/2010/12/17/life/nh3419446.txt "New Riders of the Purple Sage Aren't Dead"], ''[[The News-Herald (Ohio)|The News-Herald]]''. Retrieved December 22, 2010</ref>
}}
==External links==
* [http://www.thenewriders.com/ Official web site of the reunion lineup of the New Riders of the Purple Sage]
{{New Riders of the Purple Sage}}
{{Jerry Garcia}}
{{Grateful Dead}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:American country rock groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups from San Francisco]]
[[Category:Grateful Dead]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1969]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1997]]
[[Category:Musical groups reestablished in 2005]]
[[Category:Progressive country musicians]]
[[Category:Rock music groups from California]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:MCA Records artists]]
[[Category:A&M Records artists]]
[[Category:Jerry Garcia]]
[[Category:1969 establishments in California]]
[[Category:Relix Records artists]]