Article Contributed by Press Here Publicity
Published on 2026-05-20
J.P. Reali Releases New Single "I Need A Miracle" & Announces New EP 'Grateful Blues' Out July 31st
Veteran guitarist and singer-songwriter J.P. Reali has released his new single “I Need A Miracle” and announced his new EP, Grateful Blues – a blues tribute to the Grateful Dead – will be released on Friday, July 31st. Keeping in the spirit of blues guitar giants, Reali’s take on “I Need A Miracle” serves as the perfect introduction to the 6-song valentine to the iconic and enduring ensemble. Here, the Bob Weir-penned bopper, originally featured on 1978’s Shakedown Street, gets a lyrical shave, and an infusion of Texas shuffle a la Stevie Ray Vaughn, before dovetailing into a tease of “Bertha.” PRESS HERE to listen.
“‘I Need A Miracle’ is one of my favorite Bob Weir songs,” shares Reali. “Recognizing that it is written in a commonly used blues format, I thought this song has great potential to be a blues guitar rave up. I loved it wherever it appeared in the Dead’s set, but my favorite spot for ‘Miracle’ was always post drum solo!”
The half-dozen Dead nuggets featured on Grateful Blues run the range – from early, blues-laden rarities to deeper album cuts to fan favorites – each reimagined in Reali’s own vernacular. Just like the notoriously adventurous group that sparked the project, Reali sought to create new, atypical versions of these decades-old songs. Recorded at Turtle Studios in Philadelphia, mixed and mastered by GRAMMY-nominated engineer Andy Kravitz, and produced by Reali’s longtime friend and drummer Jim Larson, Grateful Blues is as unique a compilation as its creator. Too, it’s as fitting a tribute to the Grateful Dead itself. Track listing for Grateful Blues below. PRESS HERE to pre-order.
For J.P. Reali, his love for the Grateful Dead all began when he spotted a bumper sticker in a Long Island record store. To his teenage mind, on that fateful day nearly five decades ago, that gleaming, glossy, rectangular vessel of rock-and-roll promotion spoke like a muse: On the Eighth Day God Created The Grateful Dead. Reali was hooked. Raised on a steady stream of Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, and the blues, Reali gravitated towards artists that alchemized it all into arena rock gold. Whether Jimi Hendrix, or Yes, or The Allman Brothers Band - and, of course, the Dead - Reali found overflowing founts of inspiration. He studied guitar, formed bands, and played the blues. And of course, there were the concerts. Reali consumed dozens upon dozens of Dead shows in the 1980s, while pulling double duty as an aspiring musician and audio engineering student at American University in Washington, DC. The obligations and opportunities of Reali’s life merged into a successful career as an audio engineer, working in recording studios alongside the greats and a tenured stint at the venerable Kennedy Center in the nation’s capital. Along the way, the now Delaware-based Reali has made records of his own, releasing a trio of independent self-produced blues albums over the last nearly 20 years. Grateful Blues will mark the follow-up to 2024’s Blues Since Birth, which featured acclaimed originals and garnered widespread airplay.
Performing alongside J.P. Reali (vocals, guitars) on Grateful Blues are: Jim Larson (drums, percussion), Rich Budesa (keyboards), and Monty Cullum (bass).
Grateful Blues Track Listing
1. Easy Wind
2. Loose Lucy
3. West L.A. Fadeaway
4. I Need A Miracle
5. Mr. Charlie
6. Tennessee Jed
