The 18 Best Jam Bands of All Time

Some of these bands sold out stadiums, others built a following one festival field at a time. Sixteen-minute solos welcome.

1. 1
   Grateful Dead

   The San Francisco band whose open-ended improvisation and touring culture founded the jam scene.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Blues Traveler

   New York band led by John Popper's harmonica, a key act of the early H.O.R.D.E. tours.
   954pts
3. 3
   Phish

   Vermont quartet that became the defining jam band of the 1990s and still sells out multi-night runs.
   930pts
4. 4
   The String Cheese Incident

   Colorado band mixing bluegrass, funk and electronic jams, a festival staple since the 1990s.
   930pts
5. 5
   Gov't Mule

   Warren Haynes's power trio turned quartet, built on heavy blues-rock improvisation.
   891pts
6. 6
   Lettuce

   Boston-born funk band whose horn-heavy grooves made it a modern jam festival headliner.
   818pts
7. 7
   Dave Matthews Band

   Charlottesville group whose horn-and-violin jams made it one of the biggest touring acts in America.
   636pts
8. 8
   The Allman Brothers Band

   Georgia band that fused blues, rock and long twin-guitar improvisations, captured on At Fillmore East.
   636pts
9. 9
   Medeski Martin & Wood

   Jazz trio whose organ-led grooves crossed over into the jam band circuit.
   520pts
10. 10
    Leftover Salmon

    Boulder band that blends bluegrass, Cajun and rock into what it calls polyethnic Cajun slamgrass.
    520pts
11. 11
    Sound Tribe Sector 9

    Atlanta-born instrumental band mixing post-rock, electronica and improvisation.
    520pts
12. 12
    Umphrey's McGee

    Chicago band blending progressive rock and metal with improvised jams.
    520pts
13. 13
    Béla Fleck and the Flecktones

    Banjo-led fusion group that won multiple Grammys mixing jazz, bluegrass and funk.
    382pts
14. 14
    Tedeschi Trucks Band

    Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks's large soul-blues ensemble, known for its extended live arrangements.
    382pts
15. 15
    Widespread Panic

    Athens, Georgia band known for Southern-rock jams and marathon live shows since 1986.
    382pts
16. 16
    moe.

    Buffalo band known for long, twisting rock jams and a devoted touring following.
    0pts
17. 17
    The Disco Biscuits

    Philadelphia band that pioneered jamtronica, fusing rock improvisation with electronic dance music.
    0pts
18. 18
    Dead & Company

    Grateful Dead members with John Mayer, carrying the Dead's songbook to stadiums from 2015.
    0pts

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