Grateful Dead

Began: 1965 in San Francisco

Ended: 1995, after the death of frontman Jerry Garcia

Original Members:
Jerry Garcia - Guitar, banjo, vocals
Pigpen McKernan - Keyboards, harmonica, guitar, vocals
Phil Lesh - Bass guitar, vocals
Bob Weir - Rhythm guitar, vocals
Bill Kreutzmann - Drums

Grateful Dead Facts:

The band's name was chosen at random from a dictionary

Toured virtually nonstop between 1965 and 1995

Stage set included a 32-foot high arrangement of speakers known as the Wall of Sound

Recorded 26 albums (not counting compilations) between 1967 and 1990

Grateful Dead History:
Known as Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions and The Warlocks before adopting the name that carried them through a 30 year career. Their style was a fusion of rock, blues, bluegrass, jazz, folk, and country. The group encouraged fans, known as Deadheads, to tape their live performances, unlike most bands and artists. Their first studio album, recorded in just three days, was released in 1967.

Essential Grateful Dead CD:
Anthem of the Sun
Released in 1968, the group's second album mixes live performance and studio recordings. The combination of improvisation on stage, and advanced engineering the studio makes this album representative of the group's sound and style.