Introduction in Their Thirty Years Together, the Grateful Dead Forever
Introduction In their thirty years together, the Grateful Dead forever altered the way in which popular music is performed, recorded, heard, marketed, and shared. Founding members Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and Bob Weir took the name Grateful Dead in 1965, after incarnations as Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions and The Warlocks. Despite significant changes in the band’s lineup, including the addition of Mickey Hart and the death of Ron McKernan, the band played together until Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. From the beginning, the Grateful Dead distinguished themselves by their preference for live performance, musical and business creativity, and an unprecedented dedication to their fans. Working musicians rather than rock stars, the Dead developed a distinctive sound while performing as latter-day American troubadours, bringing audio precision to their live performances and the spontaneity of live performances to their studio work. Side-stepping the established rules of the recording industry, the Dead took control of the production and distribution of their music. With a similar business savvy, they introduced strategic marketing innovations that strengthened the bond with their fans. This exhibition, the first extensive presentation of materials from the Grateful Dead Archive housed at the University of California, Santa Cruz, testifies to the enduring impact of the Grateful Dead and provides a glimpse into the social upheavals and awakenings of the late twentieth century—a transformative period that profoundly shaped our present cultural landscape. Amalie R. Rothschild, Fillmore East Marquee, December 1969. Courtesy Amalie R. Rothschild Beginnings The Grateful Dead began their musical journey in the San Francisco Bay Area at a pivotal time in American history, when the sensibilities of the Beat generation coincided with the spirit of the burgeoning hippie movement.
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