Peter Rowan – 'Panama Red'

Peter Rowan reveals the origin of his signature song - and explains how to play it.

- By Jimmy Leslie

"PANAMA RED" IS well known in the jam-grass scene, but it's perhaps not as widely known that Peter Rowan wrote the song. It was originally a 1973 hit for the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and the first popular version with Rowan singing and playing it came when the supergroup Old & In the Way, released their eponymous album in 1975, two years after their seminal time, in 1973, and a year after they disbanded. Jerry Garcia was the connective tissue between the two projects, playing pedal steel in the early New Riders and banjo in Old & In the Way. During Rowan's Frets feature interview [see page 72], he spoke fondly of Old & In the Way, saying, "Jerry gave us a tremendous gift, he gave us his blessing." Rowan went on to offer his insights into “Panama Red," which was perfect for a complementary Learn column.