This Day in HISTOROCK !! The Grateful Dead !!

        This day in HISTOROCK !!

              In 1995, The Grateful Dead gave their last concert ever with leader Jerry Garcia at Chicago's Soldier Field !!  Jerry would die of a heart attack a month later while in drug rehab. The Grateful Dead were known for their use of LSD, as were their fans !! They were founded in San Francisco during the 1960s. Garcia came up with the name while looking through a dictionary and said  ''Hey, man, how about the Grateful Dead?'' The definition read 'soul of a dead person' !! Members of the original line-up of The Grateful Dead were Jerry Garcia (guitar, vocals), Bob Weir (guitar, vocals), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (keyboards, harmonica, vocals), Phil Lesh (bass, vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann (drums). The Dead had a very unique eclectic style, fusing elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock !! All these influences when moulded together became The Grateful Dead !! Their live shows were legendary, playing a varied and improvised setlist from night to night, having played over 500 songs in their career !! They were in the 1998 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records for most concerts performed at 2,318 !! They have played in front of over 25 million people and in 1973 with The Allman Brothers and The Band, played before over 600,000 at Watkins Glen,NY !!  Fans of the Grateful Dead were affectionately called "Deadheads" because of their devotion to the band !! Some even followed The Grateful Dead from show to show, while on tour !! In the early 80's, Garcia's health deteriorated from drug use, but he kicked the habit in 1985, but fell into a diabetic coma in July 1986.  He recovered and in 1987, The Grateful Dead released "In The Dark' which included a rarity for the band. A top 10 radio hit with "Touch Of Grey" !! Radio is something The Dead never needed !! They toured heavily until Gracia's death in 1995. The rest of the band decided to disband after Jerry's passing, but have since reunited for a number of shows with various musicians. All former members of The Dead who are still with us, perform in different groups today, but all still play Grateful Dead music at their shows !! The legend of The Grateful Dead will never "DIE" !! RIP Jerry Garcia !!

Keep on ROCKIN !!
Trike :-)