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Great news for Deadheads: Jerry Garcia can now read a book to you. Or at least an AI version of his voice can. The late legend’s estate has partnered with ElevenLabs to recreate Garcia’s voice to read aloud audiobooks, e-books, articles, poetry, fan stories, PDFs, and more in 32 different languages.
ElevenLabs, an AI voice company and an app, has been rolling out collaborations with many famous estates, such as Judy Garland, James Dean, Burt Reynolds, and more. According to Billboard, a company spokesperson said ElevenLabs worked “in close collaboration with the Jerry Garcia Estate to ensure that the reproduction of Garcia’s voice was as authentic and true to his legacy as possible.”
Garcia’s voice model will also be utilized for forthcoming projects associated with the Jerry Garcia Foundation. About this news, Jerry’s daughter Keelin Garcia said:
My father was a pioneering artist, who embraced innovative audio and visual technologies. In the 1990’s, my dad introduced me to the computer, digital art, and video games. When we traveled on concert tour, we played on Game Boy. At home, we’d have fun playing on the Macintosh in the studio where my father created his first digital art, and housed his MIDI guitar. Now, as technological landscapes continue to expand, ElevenLabs AI Audio technology will offer fans the first opportunity to hear and stream a replica of my father’s voice reading their favorite books and other written content.
Dustin Blank, Head of Partnerships at ElevenLabs, added:
At ElevenLabs, we’re committed to preserving and celebrating cultural legacies while pushing the boundaries of technology. By bringing voices like Jerry Garcia to our platform, we’re not just enhancing our app — we’re creating new ways for people to experience content.This project has been a labor of love, and we couldn’t be happier with how Jerry’s voice has been recreated. It’s a beautiful thing to bring his sound to life again for both longtime fans and a new generation of listeners.