Warner Bros. Records offered the Grateful Dead the opportunity to cut their own solo records, and Garcia was released around the same time as Bob Weir's Ace and Mickey Hart's Rolling Thunder. Unlike Ace, which was practically a Grateful Dead album, Garcia was more of a solo effort, as Garcia played almost all the instrumental parts. Six tracks (specifically those coauthored by lyricist Robert Hunter) eventually became standards in the Grateful Dead concert repertoire.

Some reprints of the album are self-released. "Loser" was covered by Cracker on their 1993 album Kerosene Hat.

The album was reissued in the All Good Things: Jerry Garcia Studio Sessions box set with the following bonus tracks:

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