Rocktober Alphabet: G is for The Grateful Dead

 

Meet the kings of dirt-under-your-fingernails psychedelic Americana. 

Seminal jam band pioneers, the Grateful Dead cultivated a devoted following that redefined the notion of fan-dom. 

Entire mobile communties of “Deadheads” toured cross country with the band - sometimes for months or years - comprising an economy whose chief exports were tie dye and veggie burritos, and whose chief import was cannabis.

Thousands of concerts recordings by Deadheads comprise a seemingly infinite catalog of bootleg recordings that are distributed legally to this day.

Deadheads were drawn to the rootsy, gritty sound, the laid back message of peace and love, and the outstanding talent of Jerry Garcia. They founded a community that Joseph Cambell reportedly named "the newest tribe".
The music was great, but following the band meant being part of something bigger than the songs. Really it was about belonging. For the most faithful, the music (while great) was a folk-electric excuse to be part of a family.

The Dead are still celebrated by fans, and the remaining members have continued to play shows after the death of Garcia in 1995. They still swap those bootleg recordings for free, though the day of the Deadhead is over and gone.

But I have to admit, whenever I hear the first couple chords of American Beauty, I can understand the pull, the draw to dance with friends to the guitar and the mandolin, to sing with the turtles down by the river, to run from the devil down the whiskey colored train tracks back home.

Here's Brokedown Palace.
Enjoy.

(Photo Credit)