Grateful Dead Family Discography: The Race Is On (Song)

The Race Is On

Composer: Don Rollins

The Race Is On was performed over 50 times by the Grateful Dead between 1969 and 1995. The majority of these performances were in 1973 and 1980. The song was also played by Bobby Ace and the Cards from the Bottom of the Deck, Kingfish, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, The Dead, Furthur, Phil Lesh & Friends and Bob Weir/Phil Lesh/Joe Russo.

The Race Is On appears to have been first released on a single by Jimmy (or Jimmie) Gray. The song was popularised by George Jones whose single version, released in late 1964, reached #3 in the country charts.

Recordings

no info Single (The Race Is On / ?), Jimmy Gray, 1963
no info Single (The Race Is On / She's Lonesome Again), George Jones, 1964
I Get Lonely in a Hurry, George Jones, 1964
no info Single (The Race Is On / Sing The Girls A Song, Bill), Waylon Jennings, 1964
no info Sings Girl on the Billboard, Del Reeves, 1965
no info Plays More Yakety Sax, Boots Randolph, 1965
George Jones Country & Western Song Book, The George Jones, Jones Boys Orchestra, 1965?
The Race Is On, George Jones, 1965
no info Lonesome, Sad and Blue, Kitty Wells, 1965
Queen of the House, Jody Miller, 1965
no info Tippy Toeing, The Harden Trio, 1966
no info Great Country and Western Hits, Arthur Smith, 1965
no info That's My Style, Johnny Tillotson, 1965
no info King of Broken Hearts, George Jones, 1965
no info Chipmunks A Go-Go, Chipmunks, 1965
no info Single (The Race Is On / I Can't Believe I'm Losing You), Jack Jones, 1965
no info Full House, Various Artists (George Jones), 1965
no info Ferlin Husky Sings The Songs Of Music City, U.S.A., Ferlin Husky, 1966
no info Sing And Play The Hits Of Nashville Tennessee, Peter & Gordon, 1966
no info EP, Boots Randolph, 1966
no info Swingin' Country, Si Zentner, 1966
no info Golden Hits, George Jones, 1966
no info Country Hits, Leroy Van Dyke, 1966
no info On the Bandstand, Kenny Vernon, 1966
no info George Jones' Greatest Hits, George Jones, 1967
no info From the Heart, George Jones, 1968
no info Golden Hits! Volume 3, George Jones, 1969
Country Heart, George Jones, 1969
no info The Race Is On, George Jones, 1969
no info Don't Think Twice, Waylon Jennings, 1969
no info I'll Share My World With You, George Jones, 1970
no info Giant Country, Various Artists (George Jones), 1970
no info Superpak, George Jones, 1972
no info This Time I've Hurt Her More, Conway Twitty, 1975
no info The Best of George Jones, Volume 1, George Jones, 1975
no info Shame On Me, Donna Fargo, 1977
no info Counterpoint, Curly Chalker, 1977
no info Greatest Hits, Jack Jones, 1978
no info Single (The Race Is On / She Thinks I Still Care), George Jones, 1978
no info Twangin', Dave Edmunds, 1981
no info Country Music, George Jones, 1981
no info The Best of, Dave Edmunds, 1981
no info Single (The Race Is On / Living Again If It's Kills Me), Dave Edmunds & The Stray Cats, 1981
no info Jack Jones, Jack Jones, 1982
no info Country & Western Classics, George Jones, 1983
no info Girls With Guns, Tommy Shaw, 1984
no info Country Album, Annette Funicello, 1984
no info 20 Best Hits, Faron Young, 1987
no info The Boys Are Back, Sawyer Brown, 1989
no info Greatest Country Hits, George Jones, 1990
no info Billboard Top Country Hits: 1964, Various Artists (George Jones), 1990
no info Country USA: 1964, Various Artists (George Jones), 1990
no info The Best of (1955-1967), George Jones, 1991
no info Greatest Hits, Sawyer Brown, 1991
no info Legendary Country Singers, George Jones, 1995
no info You're The Reason: The Best Of The MGM Years, Johnny Tillotson, 1996
no info The Country Hits Collection, Johnny Tillotson, 1998
no info The Journey: Destiny's Child, Waylon Jennings, 1999
no info The Very Best Of The MGM Years, Johnny Tillotson, 1999
Classic Country: 1960-1964, Various Artists (George Jones), 1999
no info Classic Country: 1950-1964, Various Artists (George Jones), 1999
no info Hits Live, Sawyer Brown, 2000
Tippy Toeing / Sing Me Back Home, The Harden Trio, 2002
no info Classic Country: The Kings of Country, Various Artists (George Jones), 2002
no info Five Live, Texas Renegade, 2004
no info Fifty Years Of Hits, George Jones, 2004
DSO Live: Jan 25, 2004, Charlottesville, VA, Dark Star Orchestra, 2004
DSO Live: Feb 17, 2004, Albuquerque, NM, Dark Star Orchestra, 2004
DSO Live: Mar 19, 2004, Teaneck, NJ, Dark Star Orchestra, 2004
Jones Sings Haggard, Haggard Sings Jones: Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again, George Jones/Merle Haggard, 2006
The Essential, George Jones, 2006
She Thinks I Still Care: The Complete United Artists Recordings, 1962-1964, George Jones, 2007
no info Kickin' Out the Footlights, George Jones and Merle Haggard, 2007
no info Thanks A Lot, Robert Mizzell, 2008
no info The Hits ... Then 'Til Now, George Jones, 2009
no info A Good Year For Roses: The Complete Musicor Recordings, Pt 2, George Jones, 2009

Grateful Dead

Reckoning, 1981
Beyond Description, 2004
Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings, 2008
Road Trips: Vol 2, Number 3: June 1974, Wall Of Sound, 2009
Dave's Picks Vol. 5: Pauley Pavilion, 17/11/73, 2013
Live Albums Collection, 2013
Dave's Picks Vol 16: Springfield, 3/28/73, 2015
30 Trips Around The Sun Box Set, 2015
Pacific Northwest '73-'74: Complete Recordings, 2018
The Warfield, 10/9/80 & 10/10/80, Grateful Dead, 2019
Dave's Picks Vol 32: Philadelphia, 3/24/73, 2019
The Story Of The Grateful Dead, 2020
Listen to the River: St. Louis '71 '72 '73, 2021
Here Comes Sunshine 1973, 2023
RFK St., Washington, 6/10/73, Grateful Dead, 2023

The Dead

Camden, NJ: June 28, 2003

Furthur

Feb 6, 2010, Orlando, FL
Feb 23, 2010, New York, NY
March 29, 2011, Binghamton, NY

New Riders of the Purple Sage

Dawn of the New Riders of the Purple Sage, New Riders of the Purple Sage, 2020