Jerry Garcia and David “Dawg” Grisman’s ‘Not For Kids Only’ Coming to Vinyl for First Time with New Outtakes and Alternative Cuts

In 1993, Jerry Garcia and David “Dawg”  Grisman combined their talents to release the seminal children’s album Not for Kids Only, which provided a generation of ‘90s kids with a set of songs to grow up on. As that age group embarks on their next chapter and welcomes parenthood, the first-ever vinyl edition of the album is set for release on November 21, 2025. 

The forthcoming pressing, which the American Library Association has awarded a Notable Children’s Recording, represents an expanded offering of the original “Not for Kids Only” album. Remastered by Grisman, the forthcoming deliverable features outtakes and alternative versions of “Jenny Jenkins,” “When First Unto This Country,” “Teddy Bear’s Picnic,” and “Shenandoah,’ pulled from Dawg’s vault. 

The set presents a playful side to Garcia and Grisman’s musical relationship, fueling each side of the set from the “foldy-roldy, tildy-toldy” tongue-twisting nature of the color-calling “Jenny Jenkins” to the acoustic intimacy of nightcap, “A Shenandoah Lullaby.”

In an interview, Garcia has reflected on the set and said: “Kids like weird shit in there, they like crazy stuff lurking around, things with teeth, crazy people. They’re realistic. They know the world is full of weird stuff, and kids sort of prefer weird stuff; they rejoice in it.”

“It’s no big thing, but it’s nice to be able to throw some music back in there that’s originally from that world; bring some of the weirdness back, take a chance a little. I mean it’s sort of trusting the kids that they can handle something more than terminal niceness,” he imparted. 

David “Dawg” Grisman’s son and legacy foreman, Sam Grisman, reflected on the nature of the release, “The music that my dad and Jerry made for their Not For Kids Only album has been especially dear to me because these are songs I remember hearing them play around our house for my friends and me when we were little. It is a great honor to get to play this music with some of my dearest friends for a growing generation of music lovers and their parents.”

Sam’s reflections were shared beside a show announcement for his own Sam Grisman Project, which will pay homage to the album on October 26, 2025, at One Fellow Square in Portland, Maine, where they will present two sets, an afternoon frame slated for 2 p.m., and a later slot, at 7:30 p.m. Both are all-ages concerts. Tickets are available now.

Not for Kids Only (Deluxe Edition) will feature an exclusive edition available via Garcia Family Provisions, pressed on “Jenny Jenkins” green vinyl in a limited edition of 1,000. A black vinyl edition will also be made available online and in stores.

Not for Kids Only (Deluxe Edition) 

Side A

Jenny Jenkins

Freight Train

A Horse Named Bill

Three Men Went A-Hunting 

Side B

When First Unto This Country

Arkansas Traveler

Hopalong Peter

Teddy Bear’s Picnic

Side C

There Ain’t No Bugs on Me

The Miller’s Will

Hot Corn, Cold Corn

A Shenandoah Lullaby

Side D

Jenny Jenkins (Alternate Take)

When First Unto This Country (Previously Unissued Alternate Take)

Teddy Bear’s Picnic (Alternate Take)

Shenandoah (Previously Unissued Take)