The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California.
The band was known for its unique and eclectic style and for live performances of long musical improvisation.
They were the "pioneering Godfathers of the jam band world"
and have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.
-Wikipedia
From:
Palo Alto, California, United States
Genres:
Rock
Years active:
1965-1995
Labels:
Warner Bros., Grateful Dead, Arista, Rhino
Associated acts:
The Other Ones
The Dead
Furthur
Jerry Garcia Band
RatDog
Phil Lesh and Friends
7 Walkers
Rhythm Devils
Donna Jean Godchaux Band
Missing Man Formation
New Riders of the Purple Sage
Old and in the Way
Legion of Mary
Reconstruction
Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band
Kingfish
Bobby and the Midnites
BK3
Heart of Gold Band
Bob Dylan
Bruce Hornsby
The Tubes
Name Origin:
Garcia is quoted as saying:
"One day we were over at Phil's house...He had a big dictionary. I opened it and there was 'Grateful Dead',
those words juxtaposed. It was one of those moments, you know, like everything else went blank, diffuse,
just sort of oozed away, and there was 'Grateful Dead' in big, black letters edged all around in gold, man
blasting out at me, such a stunning combination. So I said, 'How about Grateful Dead?' And that was it."*
Past Members:
Jerry Garcia
(born August 1st, 1942)
(died August 9th, 1995 at the age of 53)
Bob Weir
Phil Lesh
Bill Kreutzmann
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan
Robert Hunter
Mickey Hart
Tom Constanten
Keith Godchaux
Donna Jean Godchaux
Brent Mydland
Vince Welnick
Original Line-up:
Jerry Garcia - lead guitar, vocals
Bob Weir - rhythm guitar, vocals
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan - keyboards, harmonica, percussion, vocals
Phil Lesh - bass, vocals
Bill Kreutzmann - drums
Did You Know:
• Their Barton Hall Concert at Cornell University (May 8, 1977) was added to the Library of Congress's National
Recording Registry
• Jerry Garcia lost his right middle finger just below the first knuckle when he was 9
• The band and its following (Deadheads) are closely associated with the hippie movement and were
seen as a form of institution in the culture of America for many years
Grateful Dead Quotes:
I'm shopping around for something to do that no one will like.
Jerry Garcia
Nobody stopped thinking about those psychedelic experiences. Once you've been to some of those places, you think, "How can I get back there again but make it a little easier on myself?"
Jerry Garcia
Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us.
Jerry Garcia
Constantly choosing the lesser of two evils is still choosing evil.
Jerry Garcia
For me, the lame part of the Sixties was the political part, the social part. The real part was the spiritual part.
Jerry Garcia
You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do.
Jerry Garcia
Grateful Dead Awards:
1988
Nominated for 2 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Stage Performance Video and Best Special Effects
1994
Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
2002
Lifetime Achievement Award at the Jammy Awards.
Name Origin Continued:
* The dictionary entry Jerry Garcia was talking about reads along these lines:
"GRATEFUL DEAD: The motif of a cycle of folk tales which begin with the hero coming upon a group
of people ill-treating or refusing to bury the corpse of a man who had died without paying his debts.
He gives his last penny, either to pay the man's debts or to give him a decent burial. Within a
few hours he meets with a travelling companion who aids him in some impossible task, gets him a
fortune or saves his life. The story ends with the companion disclosing himself as the man whose
corpse the hero had befriended."