Grateful Dead: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|American rock band (1965–1995)}}

{{About|the rock band|the folktale|Grateful dead (folklore)|other uses|Grateful dead (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name              = Grateful Dead

| background        = group_or_band

| landscape        = yes

| alt              = The Grateful Dead in 1970, in a rural setting – Bill Kreutzmann, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Phil Lesh

| alias            = The Warlocks

| origin            = [[Palo Alto, California]], U.S.

| genre            = <!--PLEASE SEE TALK PAGE BEFORE ADDING ANY GENRES HERE-->[[Rock music|Rock]]

| works            = {{flatlist|

}}

| years_active      = <!--PLEASE DO NOT ADD 2015, PER THE TALK PAGE-->1965–1995

| label            = {{flatlist|

   }}

| spinoffs          = {{flatlist|

<!--Multiple members-->

<!-- Jerry Garcia -->

<!-- Bob Weir -->

<!-- Phil Lesh -->

<!-- Bill Kreutzmann -->

<!-- Donna Jean Godchaux -->

<!-- Vince Welnick -->

}}

| website          = {{URL|dead.net}}

| past_members      = {{plainlist|

   }}

}}

==Formation (1965–1966)==

[[File:Grateful Dead at the Warfield-01.jpg|thumb|left|Grateful Dead at [[Warfield Theatre]] in 1980. Left to right: [[Jerry Garcia]], [[Bill Kreutzmann]], [[Bob Weir]], [[Mickey Hart]], [[Phil Lesh]]. Not pictured: [[Brent Mydland]].]]

The name "[[Grateful dead (folklore)|Grateful Dead]]" was chosen from a dictionary. According to Lesh, Garcia "picked up an old ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica|Britannica]] World Language Dictionary'' ... [and] ... In that silvery elf-voice he said to me, 'Hey, man, how about the Grateful Dead?'"<ref>{{cite book |last=Lesh |first=Phil |author-link=Phil Lesh |date=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c8MtVkAglysC&q=silvery+elf-voice |title=Searching for the Sound |location=New York, NY |publisher=Little, Brown, and Company |page=62 |isbn=0316009989}}</ref> The definition there was "the soul of a dead person, or his angel, showing gratitude to someone who, as an act of charity, arranged their burial." According to Alan Trist, director of the Grateful Dead's music publisher company Ice Nine, Garcia found the name in the [[Funk & Wagnalls]] ''Folklore Dictionary'', when his finger landed on that phrase while playing a game of [[Fictionary]].<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MfJ7_5rhq28C |title=Perspectives on the Grateful Dead: Critical Writings |first=Robert G. |last=Weiner |year=1999 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing |page=145 |isbn=0-313-30569-2}}</ref> In the Garcia biography ''Captain Trips'', author Sandy Troy states that the band was smoking the psychedelic [[Dimethyltryptamine|DMT]] at the time.<ref name="CT01">Troy, Sandy, [https://books.google.com/books?id=htmNHAAACAAJ ''Captain Trips: A Biography of Jerry Garcia''] (New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 1994). DMT, p. 73; Acid King p. 70; Watts+ p. 85.</ref> The motif of the "grateful dead" appears in folktales from a variety of cultures.<ref name="Boggs, Ralph Steele 1932. p. 113">{{cite book |last1=Boggs |first1=Ralph Steele |last2=Adams |first2=Nicholson B |title=Spanish folktales |date=1932 |publisher=F.S. Crofts |page=113 |oclc=987857114 }}</ref>

Earlier [[demo tape]]s have survived, but the first of over 2,000 concerts known to have been recorded by the band's fans was a show at the [[The Fillmore|Fillmore Auditorium]] in San Francisco on January 8, 1966.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/gd1966-01-08.sbd.bershaw.5410.shnf|title=Grateful Dead Live at Fillmore Auditorium on 1966-01-08 |via=Archive.org|access-date=July 16, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813153712/http://www.archive.org/details/gd1966-01-08.sbd.bershaw.5410.shnf|archive-date=August 13, 2011|date=January 8, 1966}}</ref> Later that month, the Grateful Dead played at the Trips Festival, a three-day [[psychedelic rock]] weekend party and event produced by [[Ken Kesey]], [[Stewart Brand]], and [[Ramón Sender (composer)|Ramon Sender]], that, in conjunction with the [[Merry Pranksters]], brought the nascent [[hippie]] movement together for the first time.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ultimateclassicrock.com/trips-festival/|title=50 Years Ago: Grateful Dead and Big Brother & the Holding Company Begin the Haight-Ashbury Era at the Trips Festival|website=Ultimate Classic Rock. |date=January 31, 2016|access-date=May 26, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://experiments.californiahistoricalsociety.org/what-was-the-trips-festival/|title=The Trips Festival explained|first=Adam|last=Hirschfelder|date=January 14, 2016|website=Experiments in Environment: The Halprin Workshops, 1966-1971}}</ref>

[[File:1967 Mantra-Rock Dance Avalon poster.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Mantra-Rock Dance]] promotional poster, published in 1967, featuring Grateful Dead]]

One of the group's earliest major performances in 1967 was the [[Mantra-Rock Dance]], a musical event held on January 29, 1967, at the [[Avalon Ballroom]] by the San Francisco [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness|Hare Krishna]] temple. The Grateful Dead performed at the event along with the Hare Krishna founder [[Bhaktivedanta Swami]], poet [[Allen Ginsberg]], bands [[Moby Grape]] and [[Big Brother and the Holding Company]] with [[Janis Joplin]], donating proceeds to the temple.<ref>{{citation|last1=Bromley|first1=David G.|author-link1=David G. Bromley|last2=Shinn|first2=Larry D.|author-link2=Larry Shinn|title=Krishna consciousness in the West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F-EuD3M2QYoC&pg=PA106|year=1989|page=106|publisher=[[Bucknell University Press]]|isbn=978-0-8387-5144-2|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610215011/https://books.google.com/books?id=F-EuD3M2QYoC&pg=PA106|archive-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last1=Chryssides|first1=George D.|author-link=George D. Chryssides|last2=Wilkins|first2=Margaret Z.|title=A reader in new religious movements|year=2006|publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HgFlebSZKLcC&pg=PA213|isbn=978-0-8264-6168-1|page=213|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610160834/https://books.google.com/books?id=HgFlebSZKLcC&pg=PA213|archive-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref> The band's first LP, ''[[The Grateful Dead (album)|The Grateful Dead]]'', was released on Warner Brothers in 1967.

Classically trained trumpeter [[Phil Lesh]] performed on [[bass guitar]]. [[Bob Weir]], the youngest original member of the group, played [[rhythm guitar]]. [[Ron "Pigpen" McKernan]] played [[Hammond organ|keyboards]], [[Percussion instrument|percussion]], and [[harmonica]] until shortly before [[27 Club|his death in 1973 at the age of 27]]. Garcia, Weir, and McKernan shared the lead vocal duties more or less equally; Lesh sang only a few leads, but his tenor was a key part of the band's three-part vocal harmonies. [[Bill Kreutzmann]] played [[drum]]s, and in September 1967 was joined by a second drummer, New York City native [[Mickey Hart]], who also played a wide variety of other [[percussion instrument]]s.

Following the Grateful Dead's "[[Europe '72]]" tour, Pigpen's health had deteriorated to the point that he could no longer tour with the band. His final concert appearance was June 17, 1972, at the [[Hollywood Bowl]], in Los Angeles;<ref>{{cite web|title=Pigpen Played His Final Show with the Grateful Dead Today in 1972|url=https://www.relix.com/blogs/detail/pigpen_played_his_final_show_with_the_grateful_dead_today_in_1972|website=Relix|access-date=December 6, 2017|date=June 17, 2017}}</ref><ref>Scott, Dolgushkin, Nixon, "Deadbase X", New Hampshire, p. 23. {{ISBN|1-877657-21-2}}</ref> he died on March 8, 1973, of complications from liver damage.<ref>McNally, Dennis, "A Long Strange Trip", New York 2002, p. 584. {{ISBN|0-7679-1186-5}}</ref>

=== Mydland/Welnick era (1979–1995) ===

[[File:Jerry-Mickey at Red Rocks taken 08-11-87.jpg|left|thumb|Grateful Dead performing at [[Red Rocks Amphitheatre]] in 1987]]

Mydland died in July 1990 and [[Vince Welnick]], former keyboardist for [[the Tubes]], joined as a band member, while [[Bruce Hornsby]], who had a successful career with his band the Range, joined temporarily as a bridge to help Welnick learn songs. Both performed on keyboards and vocals—Welnick until the band's end, and Hornsby mainly from 1990 to 1992.

The Grateful Dead performed its final concert on July 9, 1995, at [[Soldier Field]] in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grateful Dead Plays Final Show On This Date 25 Years Ago |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-plays-final-show-on-this-date-25-years-ago |website=JamBase |access-date=July 12, 2020 |date=July 9, 2020}}</ref>

Following the 2009 Dead tour, Lesh and Weir formed the band [[Furthur (band)|Furthur]], which debuted in September 2009.<ref>Budnick, Dean (September 18, 2013). [http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/furthur-s-origin-story-dead-behind-furthur-ahead-relix-revisited "Dead Behind, Furthur Ahead"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708205617/http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/furthur-s-origin-story-dead-behind-furthur-ahead-relix-revisited |date=July 8, 2015 }}, ''Relix''. Retrieved July 7, 2015.</ref> Joining Lesh and Weir in Furthur were Chimenti (keyboards), [[John Kadlecik]] (guitar), [[Joe Russo (musician)|Joe Russo]] (drums), [[Jay Lane]] (drums), [[Sunshine Becker]] (vocals), and Zoe Ellis (vocals). Lane and Ellis left the band in 2010, and vocalist [[Jeff Pehrson]] joined later that year. Furthur disbanded in 2014.<ref>Blistein, Jon (November 4, 2014). [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/furthur-call-quits-ahead-grateful-deads-50th-anniversary-20141104 "Phil Lesh and Bob Weir Disband Furthur"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714094359/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/furthur-call-quits-ahead-grateful-deads-50th-anniversary-20141104 |date=July 14, 2015 }}, ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved July 7, 2015.</ref>

Since 1995, the former members of the Grateful Dead have also pursued solo music careers. Both [[Bob Weir & RatDog]]<ref>Selvin, Joel (February 2006). [http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/ratdog-s-return-bob-weir-and-life-after-dead-relix-revisited/ "RatDog's Return: Bob Weir and Life After Dead"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712072618/http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/ratdog-s-return-bob-weir-and-life-after-dead-relix-revisited/ |date=July 12, 2015 }}, ''Relix''. Retrieved July 11, 2015.</ref><ref>Greenhaus, Mike (February 14, 2014). [http://www.jambands.com/features/2014/02/14/bob-weir-ramps-up-ratdog "Bob Weir Ramps Up RatDog"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408085427/http://www.jambands.com/features/2014/02/14/bob-weir-ramps-up-ratdog |date=April 8, 2014 }}, jambands.com. Retrieved July 11, 2015.</ref> and [[Phil Lesh and Friends]]<ref>Simon, Richard B. (June 2002). [http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/phil-lesh-goes-there-and-back-again-relix-revisited/ "Phil Lesh Goes There and Back Again"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712044629/http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/phil-lesh-goes-there-and-back-again-relix-revisited/ |date=July 12, 2015 }}, ''Relix''. Retrieved July 11, 2015.</ref><ref>Sisario, Ben (March 15, 2015). [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/arts/music/phil-lesh-a-grateful-dead-founder-strikes-promotion-deal.html "Ex-Bassist for the Grateful Dead Strikes a Deal"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314091717/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/04/arts/music/phil-lesh-a-grateful-dead-founder-strikes-promotion-deal.html |date=March 14, 2017 }}, ''New York Times''. Retrieved July 11, 2015.</ref> have performed many concerts and released several albums. Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann have also each released a few albums. Hart has toured with his [[world music]] percussion ensemble Planet Drum<ref>Foster-Patton, Kathy (September 2006). [http://www.jambase.com/Articles/9136/MICKEY-HART%27S-PLANET-DRUM-RETURNS/0 "Micky Hart's Planet Drum Returns"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711144809/http://www.jambase.com/Articles/9136/MICKEY-HART%27S-PLANET-DRUM-RETURNS/0 |date=July 11, 2015 }}, JamBase. Retrieved July 10, 2015.</ref> as well as the Mickey Hart Band.<ref>[http://digitalinterviews.com/digitalinterviews/views/hart.shtml "Interview: Mickey Hart"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150712085525/http://digitalinterviews.com/digitalinterviews/views/hart.shtml |date=July 12, 2015 }}, Digital Interviews, August 2000. Retrieved July 10, 2015.</ref> Kreutzmann has led several different bands, including [[BK3]],<ref>Hutchinson, Nick (March 16, 2009). [http://www.jambands.com/reviews/shows/2009/03/16/bill-kreutzmann-featuring-oteil-burbridge-and-scott-murawski-great-american-taxi-fox-theater-boulder-co-2-21 "Concert Review: Bill Kreutzmann Featuring Oteil Burbridge and Scott Murawski, Fox Theater, Boulder, CO"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709202400/http://www.jambands.com/reviews/shows/2009/03/16/bill-kreutzmann-featuring-oteil-burbridge-and-scott-murawski-great-american-taxi-fox-theater-boulder-co-2-21 |date=July 9, 2015 }}, jambands.com. Retrieved July 8, 2015.</ref> [[7 Walkers]] (with [[Papa Mali]]),<ref>Powell, Austin (November 25, 2010). [http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2010-11-26/swampadelic/ "Swampadelic: 7 Walkers Rise from the Dead"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710011844/http://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2010-11-26/swampadelic/ |date=July 10, 2015 }}, ''Austin Chronicle''. Retrieved July 8, 2015.</ref> and [[Billy & the Kids]].<ref>Bernstein, Scott (March 29, 2015). [http://www.jambase.com/Articles/124483/Review-and-Photos-Billy-and-The-Kids-With-Robert-Randolph-Port-Chester "Concert Review: Billy & the Kids, Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709234444/http://www.jambase.com/Articles/124483/Review-and-Photos-Billy-and-The-Kids-With-Robert-Randolph-Port-Chester |date=July 9, 2015 }}, JamBase. Retrieved July 8, 2015.</ref> Donna Godchaux has returned to the music scene, with the [[Donna Jean Godchaux Band]],<ref>Selvin, Joel (June 3, 2008). [http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Donna-Jean-Godchaux-grateful-to-sing-again-3281812.php "Donna Jean Godchaux Grateful to Sing Again"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708185434/http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Donna-Jean-Godchaux-grateful-to-sing-again-3281812.php |date=July 8, 2015 }}, ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Retrieved June 7, 2015.</ref> and [[Tom Constanten]] also continues to write and perform music.<ref>Tamarkin, Jeff (September 2, 2014). [http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/deadicated_tom_constanten "Deadicated: Tom Constanten"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708152802/http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/deadicated_tom_constanten |date=July 8, 2015 }}, ''Relix''. Retrieved July 7, 2015.</ref> All of these groups continue to play Grateful Dead music.

==="Fare Thee Well"===

{{Main|Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead}}

In 2015, Weir, Lesh, Kreutzmann, and Hart reunited for five concerts called "Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years of the Grateful Dead".<ref name="Pareles">{{cite web|last=Pareles|first=Jon|title=Review: No Song Left Unsung, Grateful Dead Plays Its Last|website=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 6, 2015|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/07/arts/music/no-song-left-unsung-grateful-dead-plays-its-last.html|access-date=July 10, 2015|quote="When the Dead's music was working best, it always sounded like a healthy argument among old friends—one that could spark new ideas."|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709032026/http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/07/arts/music/no-song-left-unsung-grateful-dead-plays-its-last.html|archive-date=July 9, 2015}}</ref> The shows were performed on June 27 and 28 at [[Levi's Stadium]] in [[Santa Clara, California]], and on July 3, 4 and 5 at [[Soldier Field]] in [[Chicago]].<ref name="Pareles"/><ref>Sallo, Stewart (July 10, 2015). [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-sallo/grateful-dead-fare-thee-well-report-card_b_7771296.html "Grateful Dead 'Fare Thee Well' Report Card"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150714212014/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stewart-sallo/grateful-dead-fare-thee-well-report-card_b_7771296.html |date=July 14, 2015 }}, ''Huffington Post''. Retrieved July 12, 2015.</ref> The band stated that this would be the final time that Weir, Lesh, Hart, and Kreutzmann would perform together.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/article/grateful-dead-farewell-concert-chicago|title=Grateful Dead 50th-Anniversary Reunion in the Works|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=January 19, 2015|access-date=April 8, 2015|author=Nelson, Jeff|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150122211604/http://www.people.com/article/grateful-dead-farewell-concert-chicago|archive-date=January 22, 2015}}</ref> They were joined by [[Trey Anastasio]] of [[Phish]] on guitar, Jeff Chimenti on keyboards, and Bruce Hornsby on piano.<ref>Halperin, Shirley (January 16, 2015). [http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6443522/grateful-dead-reunion-shows-trey-anastasio-chicago-anniversary "Grateful Dead to Reunite, Jam with Trey Anastasio for Final Shows"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630035619/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6443522/grateful-dead-reunion-shows-trey-anastasio-chicago-anniversary |date=June 30, 2015 }}, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. Retrieved July 6, 2015.</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Leopold|first1=Todd|title=Grateful Dead Reuniting for 50th-Anniversary Shows|date=January 16, 2015|url=http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/16/entertainment/feat-grateful-dead-50-anniversary-show/index.html|access-date=January 16, 2015|publisher=[[CNN]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116205503/http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/16/entertainment/feat-grateful-dead-50-anniversary-show/index.html|archive-date=January 16, 2015}}</ref> Demand for tickets was very high.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6487516/grateful-deads-fare-thee-well-tickets-offered-for-116000-on-secondary|title=Grateful Dead's 'Fare Thee Well' Tickets Offered for $116,000 on Secondary Market|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=March 2, 2015|access-date=March 9, 2015|author=Brandle, Lars|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310002507/http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6487516/grateful-deads-fare-thee-well-tickets-offered-for-116000-on-secondary|archive-date=March 10, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/chi-grateful-dead-concert-soldier-field-20150306-story.html|title=Op-Ed: Grateful Dead fans need a miracle, or big bucks, to see final Chicago shows|work=Chicago Tribune|date=March 6, 2015|access-date=March 10, 2015|author=Bernstein, Lenny|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150310022036/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/chi-grateful-dead-concert-soldier-field-20150306-story.html|archive-date=March 10, 2015}}</ref> The concerts were simulcast via various media.<ref>[http://www.relix.com/news/detail/peter_shapiro_were_working_on_a_way_to_bring_the_show_to_fans_who_arent_in_soldier_field "Peter Shapiro: "We're Working on a Way to Bring the Show to Fans Who Aren't in Soldier Field"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707061323/http://www.relix.com/news/detail/peter_shapiro_were_working_on_a_way_to_bring_the_show_to_fans_who_arent_in_soldier_field |date=July 7, 2015 }}, ''[[Relix]]'', March 3, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.</ref><ref>Coscarelli, Joe (July 2, 2015). [https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/03/arts/music/as-dead-exit-a-debate-will-not-fade-away.html "As Grateful Dead Exit, a Debate Will Not Fade Away"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170416081227/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/03/arts/music/as-dead-exit-a-debate-will-not-fade-away.html |date=April 16, 2017 }}, ''The New York Times''. Retrieved July 6, 2015.</ref> The Chicago shows have been released as a box set of CDs and DVDs.<ref>Grow, Kory (June 25, 2015). [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grateful-dead-announce-box-set-releases-of-final-concerts-20150625 "Grateful Dead Announce Box Set Releases of Final Concerts"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150627223148/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grateful-dead-announce-box-set-releases-of-final-concerts-20150625 |date=June 27, 2015 }}, ''Rolling Stone''. Retrieved June 28, 2015.</ref>

=== Instrumentation and musicianship ===

[[File:TelStar featuring Phil Lesh, 2008 (1).jpg|thumb|[[Phil Lesh]] (left) performing with [[TelStar]] in 2008]]

Garcia often switched [[scale (music)|scales]] in the midst of a solo depending upon the [[chord changes]] played underneath, though he nearly always finished [[musical phrasing|phrases]] by landing on the [[Factor (chord)|chord-tones]]. Jerry most frequently played in the [[Mixolydian mode]], though his solos and phrases often incorporated notes from the [[Dorian mode|Dorian]] and [[pentatonic scale|major/minor pentatonic scales]]. Particularly in the late 1960s, Garcia occasionally incorporated [[melody|melodic lines]] derived from [[Indian classical music|Indian]] [[ragas]] into the band's extended, [[psychedelic music|psychedelic]] [[musical improvisation|improvisation]], likely inspired by [[John Coltrane]] and other jazz artists' interest in the [[sitar]] music of [[Ravi Shankar]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grateful Dead Blair's Golden Road Blog: On Ravi Shankar and the Dead |url=https://www.dead.net/features/blair-jackson/blair-s-golden-road-blog-ravi-shankar-and-dead |access-date=February 28, 2022 |website=Grateful Dead |date=December 14, 2012 |language=en}}</ref>

Weir, too, was not a traditional [[rhythm guitar]]ist, but tended to play unique [[chord inversion|inversions]] at the upper end of the Dead's sound. Weir modeled his style of playing after jazz pianist [[McCoy Tyner]] and attempted to replicate the interplay between John Coltrane and Tyner in his support, and occasional subversion, of the [[harmonic structure]] of Garcia's voice leadings. This would often influence the direction the band's improvisation would take on a given night. Weir and Garcia's respective positions as rhythm and lead guitarist were not always strictly adhered to, as Weir would often incorporate short melodic phrases into his playing to support Garcia and occasionally took solos, often played with a [[slide guitar|slide]]. Weir's playing is characterized by a "spiky, staccato" sound.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=April 25, 2014 |title=Grateful for Bob Weir |url=http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/grateful-for-bob-weir |access-date=February 28, 2022 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 10, 2015 |title=Watch: Bob Weir Talks His Musical Role in the Grateful Dead |url=https://relix.com/blogs/detail/watch_bob_weir_talks_his_musical_role_in_the_grateful_dead/ |access-date=February 28, 2022 |website=Relix Media |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Jarnow |first=Jesse |date=March 5, 2018 |title=Bob Weir and Phil Lesh Get Thrillingly Loose at New York Tour Openers |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-live-reviews/bob-weir-and-phil-lesh-get-thrillingly-loose-at-new-york-tour-openers-197592/ |access-date=February 28, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Dead's live performances featured multiple types of [[musical improvisation|improvisation]] derived from a vast array of musical traditions. Not unlike many rock bands of their time, the majority of the Dead's songs feature a designated section in which an [[Break (music)|instrumental break]] occurs over the [[chord changes]]. These sections typically feature solos by Garcia that often originate as variations on the song's [[melody]], but go on to create dynamic phrases that resolve by returning to the chord-tones. Not unlike traditional [[jazz|improvisational jazz]], they may occasionally feature several solos by multiple instruments within an undecided number of [[Bar (music)|bars]], such as a keyboardist, before returning to the melody. At the same time, Dead shows almost always feature a more collective, [[modal jazz|modal]] approach to improvisation that typically occurs during [[segue]]s between songs before the band [[modulation (music)|modulates]] to a new [[tonal center]]. Some of the Dead's more extended jam vehicles, such as "[[That's It for the Other One|The Other One]]", "[[Dark Star (song)|Dark Star]]", and "[[Playing in the Band]]" almost exclusively make use of modulation between modes to accompany simple two-chord progressions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malvinni |first=David |date=October 21, 2010 |title=The Grateful Dead World: The Modal Basis of the Grateful Dead's Jams and Songs |url=http://gratefuldeadworld.blogspot.com/2010/10/modal-basis-of-grateful-deads-jams-and.html |access-date=February 28, 2022 |website=The Grateful Dead World}}</ref>

=== Lyrical themes ===

An extremely common feature in both Robert Hunter's lyrics, as well as the band's visual iconography, is the presence of [[Dualism in cosmology|dualistic]] and opposing imagery illustrating the dynamic range of the [[human condition|human experience]] (Heaven and hell, law and crime, dark and light, etc.). Hunter and Garcia's earlier, more directly [[psychedelia|psychedelic-influenced]] compositions often make use of [[surrealism|surreal]] imagery, [[nonsense verse|nonsense]], and whimsey reflective of traditions in [[English poetry]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nonsense & Whimsy in Robert Hunter's Lyrics|url=http://artsites.ucsc.edu/gdead/agdl/nonsense.html#english|access-date=February 24, 2022|website=artsites.ucsc.edu}}</ref> In a retrospective, ''[[The New Yorker]]'' described Hunter's verses as "elliptical, by turns vivid and [[Gnomic poetry|gnomic]]", which were often "hippie poetry about roses and bells and dew".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Paumgarten |first=Nick |date=November 26, 2012 |title=Deadhead: The Afterlife |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140902013058/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/11/26/deadhead |archive-date=September 2, 2014 |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/11/26/deadhead |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] |access-date=July 7, 2015 }}</ref> Grateful Dead biographer Dennis McNally has described Hunter's lyrics as creating "a non-literal hyper-Americana" weaving a psychedelic, kaleidoscopic tapestry in the hopes of elucidating America's [[Culture of the United States|national character]]. At least one of Hunter and Bob Weir's collaborations, "[[Jack Straw (song)|Jack Straw]]", was inspired by the work of [[John Steinbeck]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grateful Dead Greatest Stories Ever Told - "Jack Straw"|url=https://www.dead.net/features/greatest-stories-ever-told/greatest-stories-ever-told-jack-straw|access-date=February 24, 2022|website=Grateful Dead|date=May 30, 2013 |language=en}}</ref>

==Influence and legacy==

==Merchandising and representation==

===Sponsorship of 1992 Lithuanian Olympic basketball team===

After [[Lithuania]] [[Act of the Re-Establishment of the State of Lithuania|gained its independence from the USSR]], the country announced its withdrawal from the [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Olympics]] due to the lack of any money to sponsor participants.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://hybridtechcar.com/2018/05/10/salvation-from-the-dead-how-grateful-dead-helped-the-lithuanian-basketball-team-get-to-the-1992-olympics/|title=Salvation from the "dead": how Grateful Dead helped the Lithuanian basketball team get to the 1992 Olympics {{!}} HybridTechCar|website=hybridtechcar.com|access-date=February 24, 2019|date=May 10, 2018|archive-date=February 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190225102937/https://hybridtechcar.com/2018/05/10/salvation-from-the-dead-how-grateful-dead-helped-the-lithuanian-basketball-team-get-to-the-1992-olympics/|url-status=dead}}</ref> But NBA star [[Šarūnas Marčiulionis]], a native Lithuanian basketball star, wanted to help his native team to compete. His efforts resulted in a call from representatives of the Grateful Dead who set up a meeting with the band members.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Lithuanians-Are-Grateful-to-Dead-Rock-group-3320738.php|title=Lithuanians Are Grateful to 'Dead' / Rock group came to rescue|last=Nevius|first=C. W.|date=May 21, 1996|website=SFGate|access-date=February 24, 2019}}</ref>  The band agreed to fund transportation costs for the team (about $5,000) along with Grateful Dead designs for the team's jerseys and shorts. The [[Lithuania men's national basketball team|Lithuanian basketball team]] won the bronze medal and the Lithuanian basketball/Grateful Dead T-shirts became part of pop culture, especially in Lithuania.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadspin.com/remembering-the-joyous-tie-dyed-all-stars-of-the-1992-5931282|title=Remembering The Joyous, Tie-Dyed All-Stars Of The 1992 Lithuanian Basketball Team|last=Siegel|first=Alan|website=Deadspin|date=August 2, 2012 |language=en-US|access-date=February 24, 2019}}</ref>  The incident was covered by the documentary ''[[The Other Dream Team]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/article/2012/02/03/the-other-dream-team-sundance/|title=Sundance: 'The Other Dream Team' and the Grateful Dead|website=EW.com|language=en|access-date=February 24, 2019}}</ref>

==Live performances==

[[File:Grateful Dead tickets for Nassau Coliseum run, Spring 1994.jpg|thumb|[[Mail order|Mail-ordered]] Grateful Dead concert tickets for their concerts at [[Nassau Coliseum]] on [[Long Island]] in March 1994]]

In their early career, the band also dedicated their time and talents to their community, the Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco, making available free food, lodging, music, and health care to all. It has been said that the band performed "more free concerts than any band in the history of music".<ref>Garofalo, p. 219, quote in Garofalo, cited to Roxon, ''Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia''.</ref>

In 1967, they toured nationally, including their first performance in [[New York City]]. They appeared at the [[Monterey Pop Festival]] in 1967, the [[Woodstock Festival]] in 1969 and the [[Festival Express]] train tour across Canada in 1970. They were scheduled to appear as the final act at the infamous [[Altamont Free Concert]] on December 6, 1969, after the [[Rolling Stones]] but withdrew after security concerns. "That's the way things went at Altamont—so badly that the Grateful Dead, prime organizers and movers of the festival, didn't even get to play", staff at ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine wrote in a detailed narrative on the event.<ref name=rrwd>{{cite magazine|title=Disaster at Altamont: Let It Bleed|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=January 21, 1970|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-rolling-stones-disaster-at-altamont-let-it-bleed-19700121?page=12|access-date=March 18, 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325142007/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-rolling-stones-disaster-at-altamont-let-it-bleed-19700121?page=12|archive-date=March 25, 2016}}</ref>

Their numerous studio albums were generally collections of new songs that they had first played in concert. The band was also famous for its extended musical improvisations, having been described as having never played the same song the same way twice. Their concert sets often blended songs, one into the next, often for more than three songs at a time.

===Concert sound systems===

Stanley's sound systems were delicate and finicky, and frequently brought shows to a halt with technical breakdowns. After Stanley went to jail for manufacturing LSD in 1970, the group briefly used house PAs, but found them to be even less reliable than those built by their former soundman. On February 2, 1970, the group contacted [[Bob Heil]] to use his system.<ref name="performing">{{cite news|url=http://www.performing-musician.com/pm/dec08/articles/bobheil.htm?print=yes#top|title=The Night that Modern Live Sound Was Born: Bob Heil and the Grateful Dead|last=Daley|first=Dan|date=December 2008|publisher=Performing Musician|access-date=May 7, 2011|archive-date=October 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005221916/http://www.performing-musician.com/pm/dec08/articles/bobheil.htm?print=yes#top|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1971, the band purchased their first [[solid state (electronics)|solid-state]] sound system from [[Pacific High Recording|Alembic Studios]]. Because of this, [[Alembic Inc|Alembic]] would play an integral role in the research, development, and production of the Wall of Sound. The band also welcomed [[Dan Healy (soundman)|Dan Healy]] into the fold on a permanent basis that year. Healy would mix the Grateful Dead's live sound until 1993.

;Skull and Roses

;Jester

;"Dancing" Bears

Fans and enthusiasts of the band are commonly referred to as [[Deadhead]]s. While the origin of the term may be unclear, ''Dead Heads'' were made canon by the notice placed inside the ''[[Grateful Dead (album)|Skull and Roses]]'' (1971) album by manager Jon McIntire:

Deadheads, particularly those who collected [[taper (concert)|tapes]], were known for keeping close records of the band's setlists and for comparing various live versions of the band's songs, as reflected in publications such as the various editions of "Deadbase" and "The Deadhead's Taping Compendium". This practice continues into the 21st century on digital forums and websites such as the [[Internet Archive#Grateful Dead|Internet Archive]], which features live recordings of nearly every available Grateful Dead show and allows users to discuss and review the site's shows.

Blumenthal stated at the event, "The Grateful Dead Archive represents one of the most significant popular cultural collections of the 20th century; UC Santa Cruz is honored to receive this invaluable gift. The Grateful Dead and UC Santa Cruz are both highly innovative institutions—born the same year—that continue to make a major, positive impact on the world." Guitarist Bob Weir stated "We looked around, and UC Santa Cruz seems the best possible home. If you ever wrote the Grateful Dead a letter, you'll probably find it there!"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.ucsc.edu/2008/04/2142.html|title=Grateful Dead Archive News |website=[[University of California, Santa Cruz]]|date=April 24, 2008 |access-date=July 16, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825062823/http://news.ucsc.edu/2008/04/2142.html|archive-date=August 25, 2011}}</ref>

The first large-scale exhibition of materials from the Grateful Dead Archive was mounted at the [[New-York Historical Society]] in 2010.<ref>{{cite web|title=Grateful Dead: Now Playing at the New-York Historical Society|url=http://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/grateful-dead-now-playing|website=New-York Historical Society|access-date=February 3, 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203213751/http://www.nyhistory.org/exhibitions/grateful-dead-now-playing|archive-date=February 3, 2015}}</ref>

In 2024 the band was named as one of the recipients of the [[Kennedy Center Honors]]. The three living core members (Weir, Hart and Kreutzmann) received the award.<ref name="Grateful Dead, Francis Ford Coppola, Bonnie Raitt on 2024 Kennedy Center Honors list">{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2024/07/17/nx-s1-5043409/2024-kennedy-center-honors|title=Grateful Dead, Francis Ford Coppola, Bonnie Raitt on 2024 Kennedy Center Honors list|work=NPR |date=July 18, 2024 |publisher=Isabella Gomez |last1=Sarmiento |first1=Isabella Gomez }}</ref> As he was named a recipient prior to his death, Lesh received the award posthumously.

==Members==

{{Main|List of Grateful Dead members}}

[[File:Mickey Hart and band mate Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead.jpg|thumb|Mickey Hart and Bob Weir at the 200th celebration of the founding of the [[Library of Congress]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], in 2000]]

=== Former members ===

=== Frequent collaborators ===

Lead guitarist [[Jerry Garcia]] was often viewed both by the public and the media as the leader or primary spokesperson for the Grateful Dead, but was reluctant to be perceived that way, especially since he and the other group members saw themselves as [[musical collective|equal participants]] and contributors to their collective musical and creative output.<ref>"The way it works is it doesn't depend on a leader, and I'm not the leader of the Grateful Dead or anything like that; there isn't any fuckin' leader." [https://web.archive.org/web/20070504024939/http://www.geocities.com/mnoferi/garcia.html Jerry Garcia interview, ''Rolling Stone'', 1972]</ref><ref>"Garcia's influence on the overall chemistry of the band was surprisingly subtle, McNally tells NPR's Scott Simon. 'Jerry was not the leader, except by example. He was a charismatic figure.'"[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=908773 Simon, Scott. "'A Long Strange Trip': Insider McNally Writes a History of the Grateful Dead", NPR Music, January 11, 2003] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080213151504/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=908773 |date=February 13, 2008}}</ref> Garcia, a native of San Francisco, grew up in the [[Excelsior District]]. One of his main influences was bluegrass music, and he also performed—on [[banjo]], one of his other great instrumental loves, along with the [[pedal steel guitar]]—in bluegrass bands, notably [[Old & In the Way]] with [[mandolin]]ist [[David Grisman]].

Colors =

  id:vocals  value:red        legend:Lead_and_backing_vocals

  id:lguitar value:teal        legend:Lead_guitar

  id:rguitar value:brightgreen legend:Rhythm_guitar

  id:bass    value:blue        legend:Bass

  id:drums  value:orange      legend:Drums

  id:harm    value:lavender    legend:Harmonica

  id:touring value:yellow      legend:Touring_musician

BackgroundColors = bars:bars

PlotData=

   bar:Brent  from:01/01/1989 till:23/07/1990 width:3

   bar:Phil  from:start      till:25/12/1974 width:3

   bar:Phil  from:11/03/1989 till:end        width:3

   bar:Vince  from:07/09/1990 till:end        width:3

   bar:Jerry  from:start      till:end

   color:rguitar

   color:bass

   bar:Phil  from:start      till:end

   color:keys

   bar:Pigpen from:start      till:01/03/1969

   bar:Pigpen from:31/01/1970 till:17/06/1972

   bar:Phil  from:01/09/1967 till:18/07/1968 width:7

   bar:Bill  from:01/09/1967 till:18/07/1968 width:7

   bar:Brent  from:22/04/1979 till:23/07/1990

   bar:Vince  from:07/09/1990 till:end

   color:touring

   bar:Ned    from:23/06/1974 till:17/06/1975 width:3

   bar:Bruce  from:07/09/1990 till:09/03/1992 width:7

==Discography==

{{Main|Grateful Dead discography}}

{{See also|Unfinished Grateful Dead album}}

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

{{div col end}}

==See also==

{{Portal|Rock music}}

* [[List of Grateful Dead cover versions]]

* [https://vault.fbi.gov/The%20Grateful%20Dead%20 FBI Records: The Vault – The Grateful Dead] at vault.fbi.gov

{{Jerry Garcia}}

{{Bob Weir}}

{{Bill Kreutzmann}}

{{Mickey Hart}}

{{Kennedy Center Honorees 2020s}}

{{MusiCares Person of the Year}}

{{1994 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Articles which contain graphical timelines]]

[[Category:Cannabis music]]

[[Category:Folk rock groups from California]]

[[Category:Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners]]

[[Category:Musical groups established in 1965]]

[[Category:Musical groups from San Francisco]]

[[Category:Proto-prog groups]]

[[Category:Progressive rock musical groups from California]]