# “Wonderful”: In 1983, Bob Weir witnessed the greatest live act of his life

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/wonderful-in-1983-bob-weir-witnessed-the-greatest-live-act-of-his-life/
- Published: 2026-08-03T21:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-25T11:32:32+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/wonderful-the-greatest-live-act-bob-weir-ever-saw/
- Topics: Music

## Key points

- John Hammond scouted many jazz and rock legends throughout his career
- Count Basie was universally adored, unlike some of Hammond's other signings
- Bob Weir saw Basie live in San Francisco in 1983 and was amazed

## Summary

Talent scout John Hammond signed some of the 20th century's greatest musicians, but among all his discoveries, bandleader Count Basie stood out as an act nobody ever doubted. Hammond first heard Basie's band live on the radio in 1935, was instantly captivated, and quickly signed them, and he later called their 1936 recording session "the only perfect, completely perfect recording session" he ever produced. Basie's music went on to win over an extraordinarily broad range of admirers, from Frank Sinatra to, decades later, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir.

Weir saw Basie perform live at San Francisco's Venetian Room in 1983 and was left awestruck, recalling that the band "swung like angels", particularly the quartet. The article traces Hammond's remarkable track record as a Columbia Records scout, who signed or championed figures including Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Aretha Franklin, often against the doubts of his colleagues, before honing in on Basie as the one artist whose brilliance was unanimously recognised, culminating in Weir's account of that unforgettable 1983 show.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.