Originally released in 1972, Garcia is Jerry Garcia's first solo album and was recorded over a three-week period almost entirely by Jerry with assistance from Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann and lyricist Robert Hunter. Six songs - 'Deal', 'Bird Song', 'Sugaree', 'Loser', 'To Lay Me Down', and 'The Wheel' - contained on the album would become staples within the Grateful Dead catalog. Garcia reached #35 on the Billboard album charts, making it the top charting album of Jerry's solo career. Warner Bros. Records offered the Grateful Dead the opportunity to cut their own solo records, and Garcia was released around the same time as Bob Weir's Ace and Mickey Hart's Rolling Thunder.