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Grateful Dead
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The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead American rock band the Grateful Dead posing in a trade ad for the album American Beauty in 1970. The member are (left to right) Bill Kreutzmann, Ron (“Pigpen”) McKernan, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, and Phil Lesh.

Grateful Dead

American rock group
Also known as: the Warlocks
Written by
Gene Santoro
Music Critic, The Nation, New York City. Author of Dancing in Your Head: Jazz, Blues, Rock, and Beyond; Myself When I Am Real: The Life and Music of Charles Mingus, and others.
Gene Santoro
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Grateful Dead, American rock band that was the incarnation of the improvisational psychedelic music that flowered in and around San Francisco in the mid-1960s. Grateful Dead was one of the most successful touring bands in rock history despite having had virtually no radio hits. The group’s original members were lead guitarist and vocalist Jerry Garcia, guitarist and vocalist Bob Weir, keyboard player Ron (“Pigpen”) McKernan, bassist Phil Lesh, and drummer Bill Kreutzmann. Settling on their...

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