The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead

Arguably the most successful touring band of all time, the Grateful Dead was

famous as much for its traveling tie-died caravan of "Deadheads" and the

accompanying drugs, as it was for its long, improvisational concerts and spotty

album releases. Since the bands inception in the sixties, Deadheads have happily

preserved the hippie ethic of that era- in fashion and have followed the band in

Pied Piper fashion around the country, collecting tapes of shows, and enjoying the

vintage camaraderie.(ABC, p.1). From 1965 to 1995 Jerry Garcia acted as a

prophet by leading hundreds of thousands of fans, young and old, across the nation

and overseas. Garcia was not just a singer and guitar player, he was the

untouchable God who put inspiration in the lives of people. The playing of a

snappy guitar tune with the modest voice of Jerry to back it up has driven these

throngs of people to seek a friendship with their surrounding world. He had a way

of conveying the fragility of life that somehow really nailed it. When he sang sad

songs he had a fire and a fragment of pure joy in his voice, but when he sand

happy songs there was always a mystery behind his words. His fans seek freedom,

to look beyond the materialism of today, and appreciate what has been given to

them from God.

The lead singer and reason that Grateful Dead was started is Jerome "Jerry"

Garcia. Jerry's childhood had been steeped in music. His father was a bandleader,

proficient with several instruments, who had performed for a living before the

Great Depression. Jerry was even named after his fathers favorite composer

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movable landscape. In a society addicted to violence, they sought peace. In a

"disposable" culture, Deadheads wanted a lasting world. The Grateful Dead's

music, and the collective memories stored in the hearts, and home tapes, of

countless Deadheads, will no doubt continue to preserve that world long after its

deities have disappeared.

Bibliography:

ABC News Internet Ventures, The Grateful Dead. , GO network,

"www.wallofsound.go.com/artists/thegratefuldead/home.html"

Carnegie, M.D. "Jerry's Kids." American Spectator, Oct. '95, Vol.28 Issue10, p.56

Gans, David and Peter Simon. Grateful Dead : Playing in the band. New York : St.

Martin's Press, 1985

Piccoli, Sean. The Grateful Dead. Philadelphia : Chelsea House Publishers, 1997

Troy, Sandy. One More Saturday Night. New York : St. Martin's Press, 1991