Does anyone know the difference between a Legion of Mary show and just a Jerry & Merl show? Was there a lineup difference at this time? Or were they actually billed differently depending on the day? Or is it that collectors sometimes label them wrong? Or something else. I go by whatever the text file says it just seems strange that some get the LoM label and others don’t, but I have no idea if there is a reason.
Great music either way.
Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders – 1974.10.04 – Berkeley, CA
Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders – 1974.10.27 – Huntington Beach, CA
Legion of Mary – 1974.10.31 – San Francisco, CA
Legion of Mary – 1974.11.02 – Berkeley, CA
Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders – 1974.11.05 – New York
themidnightcafe.org 
Mat, I always thought with the horn/flute was LoM, but it was two years before my first Jerry show so I wasn’t there☺️
Hi Mat,
The difference between a Legion of Mary show and just a Jerry & Merl show is small but significant. Both groupings had Jerry, Merl, John Kahn and Martin Fierro. The difference was in the fifth member, the drummer. “Jerry Garcia & Merl Saunders” in their 1974 iteration usually had Paul Humphrey, whereas “Legion of Mary,”which was formed in December 1974, always had Ron Tutt. A lot of people refer to both as “Legion of Mary” but the truth is, the band was never advertised as “Legion of Mary” before Ron Tutt joined on drums. Check out the following three references:
http://hooterollin.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/paul-humphrey-drums.html http://hooterollin.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/paul-humphrey-drums.html
https://relix.com/articles/detail/relix-44-jerry-garcia-legion-of-mary/ https://relix.com/articles/detail/relix-44-jerry-garcia-legion-of-mary/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Mary_(band) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Mary_(band)
Thanks for all the concerts you’ve uploaded over the years, especially the Jerry & Merl material ! Take care,
Mike Tovey.
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Thank you. I figured someone would know. They all made great music is what I know 🙂
I could be wrong but I was thinking about the same thing and the only constant I can find for LOM is Ron Tutt on drums
Legion of Mary incarnation (1974 – 1975} had Martin Fierro on saxophone and flute and Ron Tutt on drums and played more blues, funk, reggae and jazz numbers with extended solos all around.
I was thinking Martin Fierro might be the key. Was he just not available for some dates? Seems weird that the LOM designation comes and goes throughout this period and if it is all down to Fierro and maybe Tutt then I’m wondering what else they were doing.
Ron Tutt was in JGB when I saw them a few years later, so I’m going with Martin Fierro. What did they call the band when Nicky Hoskins was there?
It was the presence of Martin Fierro in Legion of Mary.