21st century – Many Deadheads of all ages continue to follow Grateful Dead musical incarnations such as The David Nelson Band, The Donna Jean Godchaux Band, RatDog, Phil and Friends, 7 Walkers, The Rhythm Devils, The Dead, Furthur, Dark Star Orchestra, Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and Dead & Company. Are the Grateful Dead still popular?
What is the Grateful Dead known for?
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, gospel, and psychedelic rock; for live performances of lengthy instrumental jams; and for its devoted fan base, known as " Deadheads ".
Are there any spin offs of the Grateful Dead?
There have also been several spin-offs featuring one or more core members, such as Dead & Company, Furthur, the Rhythm Devils, Phil Lesh and Friends, RatDog, and Billy & the Kids . The Grateful Dead in 1980. Left to right: Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Phil Lesh.
Will the Grateful Dead be resurrected?
"The Grateful Dead Is Resurrected Once More, This Time with John Mayer" Archived August 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine, Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
How long did the Grateful Dead stay together?
With the exception of McKernan, who died in 1973, and Hart, who took time off from 1971 to 1974, the core of the band stayed together for its entire 30-year history.
Are the Grateful Dead still popular?
But in recent years, the Dead have emerged as one of the most broadly popular American rock bands.
How many people followed the Grateful Dead?
It is estimated that by the end of 1971, the band had received about 350 letters, but this number swelled greatly over the next few years to as many as 40,000. In total, 25 mailings/newsletters reached Dead Heads between October 1971 and February 1980.
Who listens to the Grateful Dead?
The fans of this band are overwhelmingly white, American, and somewhere between the age of 40 and 70.
Does paul McCartney like the Grateful Dead?
McCartney said his interest was initially spurred not by a love for the band, but by a love for his wife's photography. Using just four rolls of snapshots that Linda McCartney took of the Grateful Dead in the late 1960's, Mr.
Are Deadheads still around?
Despite the disbandment of the group after the death of the band's founder and lead singer Jerry Garcia in 1995, the Deadhead community lives on today.
Who has seen the most Grateful Dead shows?
Bill Walton has seen the Dead 850+ times.
Why is Grateful Dead popular again?
The Grateful Dead is very much alive, and not just in the fashion world. Part of its resurgence in popularity is due to Dead & Company, the recently formed touring band consisting of three surviving Dead members plus John Mayer, a known hypebeast.
What makes someone a Deadhead?
Definition of deadhead (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : one who has not paid for a ticket. 2 : a dull or stupid person.
What is a Deadhead slang?
If you say that someone is a deadhead, you mean that they are stupid or slow. [US, informal]
What did the Grateful Dead think of The Beatles?
They were a little model of good times… The Beatles were light and having a good time, and they were very good too, so it was a combination that was very satisfying on the artistic level… It was like saying, 'You can be young, you can be far-out, and you can still make it. ' They were making people happy.”
Did The Beatles ever play with the Grateful Dead?
Come Together was performed by the Garcia/Saunders band, Phil Lesh & Friends, Ratdog, The Dead and Furthur. The song was originally released by the Beatles on a single and on the Abbey Road LP in 1969. See more information about the song including Ratdog, the Dead and Furthur concert recordings.
What Beatles songs did the Grateful Dead play?
Track listing1.1 Grateful Dead - Day Tripper 3:30.1.2 Grateful Dead - Come Together 6:57.1.3 Jerry Garcia Band - Eleanor Rigby Jam 3:50.1.4 Grateful Dead - Tomorrow Never Knows 4:11.1.5 Bob Weir & RatDog - Blackbird 2:40.1.6 Bob Weir & RatDog - Get Back 6:28.1.7 Grateful Dead - Why Don't We Do It in the Road 3:22.More items...
Has Grateful Dead ever had a number one hit?
The band never had a No. 1 hit and “Touch of Grey” was their final song to chart. The song's parent album, In the Dark, was successful as well, reaching No. 6 on the Billboard 200.
What made the Grateful Dead so popular?
They also played an astounding 500 different documented songs during their legendarily improvised concert sets. They also were pioneers and innovators for concert sound. One of the reasons the Grateful Dead was so popular live is because the band just sounded so much better than any other live band.
When was Grateful Dead most popular?
1977: The Grateful Dead's Greatest Year - Rolling Stone.
When was the Grateful Dead popular?
Even before they recorded their first album, the Dead were building an underground network of diehard fans. By the late 1960s the fans were legion and followed the band on the road. The Deadheads, as they were known, were the epitome of the counterculture.
What was commented on after that fun day?
Often, it was commented that, after that fun day, there was a show yet to come! Too much fun!
Why did Jerry push Phil down the stairs?
Jerry once pushed Phil down a set of stairs because he was unhappy with the band's performance that night. When he listened to recordings of the performance later, he enjoyed them.
Why were Keith and Donna dismissed?
Keith and Donna were dismissed largely because their presence was considered a threat to Jerry's well-being.
How many dates did the GD crew work?
Worked about 14 dates (shows) on the GD crew but mostly on the New Riders crew in the mid-late 70s.
What was Show Day like?
Show day was like a fine stew, all day filled with anticipation of what might unfold. Our finest threads were chosen, and rides were figured out. Excitement building.
Was Jerry the grateful dead healthy?
There's no explanation to the experience, i wouldn't consider myself a true “deadhead” however a followed the Grateful Dead for a year upon graduating college, Jerry was healthy and they were at one of their many peaks. It was before the 1990's and things had not erupted.
Did the grateful dead have a leader?
Not only their music, but the personalities of the bandmates as well. The Grateful Dead , being one of the most successful American bands back in the sixties, was fortunate to have a person like Jerry Garcia as their leader. One of the most loved persons in rock history
What is the grateful dead?
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its music , which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, gospel, and psychedelic rock; for live performances of lengthy instrumental jams; and for its devoted fan base, known as " Deadheads ".
How did the grateful dead get their name?
[and] ... In that silvery elf-voice he said to me, 'Hey, man, how about the Grateful Dead?'" 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. In the Garcia biography Captain Trips, author Sandy Troy states that the band was smoking the psychedelic DMT at the time. The term "grateful dead" appears in folktales from a variety of cultures.
What was the first musical event of the 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 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 Krishna temple. The band's first LP, The Grateful Dead, was released on Warner Brothers in 1967.
How much did the grateful dead make in the 1990s?
In the 1990s, the Grateful Dead earned a total of $285 million in revenue from their concert tours, the second-highest during the 1990s, with the Rolling Stones earning the most. This figure is representative of tour revenue through 1995, as touring stopped after the death of Jerry Garcia.
What company did the grateful dead sign with?
In 2006, the Grateful Dead signed a ten-year licensing agreement with Rhino Entertainment to manage the band's business interests including the release of musical recordings, merchandising, and marketing. The band retained creative control and kept ownership of its music catalog.
How many shows did the grateful dead play?
Of the approximately 2,350 shows the Grateful Dead played, almost 2,200 were taped, and most of these are available online. The band began collecting and cataloging tapes early on and Dick Latvala was their keeper. " Dick's Picks " is named after Latvala. After his death in 1999, David Lemieux gradually took the post.
When did Mickey Hart leave the grateful dead?
Mickey Hart took time off from the Grateful Dead beginning in February 1971, owing to his father, an accountant, having absconded with the band's money, leaving Kreutzmann once again as the sole percussionist. Hart rejoined the Grateful Dead for good in October 1974.
What is the meaning of the "grateful dead"?
The “grateful dead” is "the soul of a dead person, or his angel, showing gratitude to someone who, as an act of charity, arranged their burial.”.
Where does the phrase "grateful dead" come from?
As Jerry Garcia once described this symbolic narrative, “grateful dead” comes from a folk tale “of a wanderer who gives his last penny to pay for a corpse's burial, then is magically aided by the spirit of the dead person.”. It is about strangers communing.
How do deadheads behave?
And while a bunch of Deadheads might superficially appear primitive, their behavior is enlightened. Bounteous presence is expressed in their interactions not only with each other, but with most everyone they encounter: skeptical locals in the towns where the band is playing, people taking tickets or serving concessions at the venues, hotel and restaurant staff members, and so on. Deadheads notice people, look them in the eye, and see them. They chip in, clean up after themselves, offer what they have to those who need it, and express gratitude to those who have given them what they needed. As the late Jon McIntire, who managed the band for two decades, said in a 1988 interview, “I have a lot of faith in the gentleness of Deadheads.”
Why does a bounteous presence make things magical?
Things work out, they fall into place, because people are paying attention to and caring for each other. They are creating a virtuous cycle that seems to bring out the best in everyone. What feels magical is not actually magical: rather, it is exactly what arises when people agree to behave in a way that is socially enlightened — a community where people feel safe, generous and free. As I always say, presence begets presence, and there are fewer places where this is more true than at a Dead show. It is a communion.
How many shows does the Dead have?
In the band’s 50+ years and more than 2,500 shows, no two concerts have been alike — literally. That means that they give every single audience a gift: a three-hour live musical performance that has never been performed before and that will never be performed again.
Who said "Now I understand why so many people who started following the dead never left, even when the tour was over?
After only a few shows last summer, Paul said, “Now I understand why so many people who started following the Dead never left, even when the tour was over. They were already home.”
Do Deadheads connect with each other?
While they are communing onstage, the fans are communing offstage, mirroring the same intergenerational dynamics. Older Deadheads are not only reconnecting with each other; they are also shepherding in a new generation of Deadheads, without any of the You’re-Too-Young-To-Understand attitude that one might expect. And those younger Deadheads are infusing the community with excitement about their newly discovered home. They too were looking for something. When you put these things together — the band fully present, the audience fully present — you get a kind of visceral joy that springs from feeling connected, free and understood. It all still seems a bit miraculous, and I don’t take it for granted for a single minute.
Overview
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, world music, and psychedelia; for live performances of lengthy instrumental jams that typically incorporated modal and tonal improvisation; and for its devoted fan base, know…
Formation (1965–1966)
The Grateful Dead began its career as the Warlocks, a group formed in early 1965 from the remnants of a Palo Alto, California jug band called Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions. The band's first show was at Magoo's Pizza Parlor located at 639 Santa Cruz Avenue in suburban Menlo Park, on May 5, 1965, now a Harvest furniture store. It continued playing bar shows, like Frenc…
Main career (1967–1995)
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 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, …
Aftermath (1995–present)
Jerry Garcia died on August 9, 1995. A few months after Garcia's death, the remaining members of the Grateful Dead decided to disband. Since that time, there have been a number of reunions by the surviving members involving various combinations of musicians. Additionally, the former members have also begun or continued individual projects.
In 1998, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Mickey Hart, along with several other musicians, formed a ban…
Musical style and legacy
The Grateful Dead formed during the era when bands such as the Beatles, the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones were dominating the airwaves. "The Beatles were why we turned from a jug band into a rock 'n' roll band", said Bob Weir. "What we saw them doing was impossibly attractive. I couldn't think of anything else more worth doing." Former folk-scene star Bob Dylan had recently put out a couple of records featuring electric instrumentation. Grateful Dead members have sai…
Merchandising and representation
Hal Kant was an entertainment industry attorney who specialized in representing musical groups. He spent 35 years as principal lawyer and general counsel for the Grateful Dead, a position in the group that was so strong that his business cards with the band identified his role as "Czar".
Kant brought the band millions of dollars in revenue through his management …
Live performances
The Grateful Dead toured constantly throughout their career, playing more than 2,300 concerts. They promoted a sense of community among their fans, who became known as "Deadheads", many of whom followed their tours for months or years on end. Around concert venues, an impromptu communal marketplace known as 'Shakedown Street' was created by Deadheads to serve as centers o…
Iconography
Over the years, a number of iconic images have come to be associated with the Grateful Dead. Many of these images originated as artwork for concert posters or album covers.
Skull and Roses The skull and roses design was composed by Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse, who added lettering and color, respectively, to a black and white drawing by Edmund Joseph Sullivan. Sullivan's drawing was an illustration for a 1913 edition of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayya…