An American band, heavily influenced by psychedelia. Formed in 1965, from the remnants of a different band, "Mother McCree's Uptown
Jug Champions". They were best known for their unique style, which oftened encompasses many different styles of
music, including
rock, folk
music, blues, bluegrass, jazz, and country. They started their career as The Warlocks, in Palo Alto, soon moving to San
Francisco. The original line-up of the Dead, as they were called by die-hard fans, were Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. In later years, they gained many additional members, including Mickey Hart,
Tom Constanten, Keith Godchaux, Donna Jean Godchaux, Brent Mydland, Vince Welnick, and soundman Owsley "Bear" Stanley. One thing the Grateful Dead were famous for, other then their unique sound was their live sound. Nobody of their
time could compare. The Grateful Dead were also famous for their sound system, nicknamed the Wall of Sound, which was specially designed for them, and was totally unique.
The Grateful Dead was split up shortly after the
death of Garcia in 1995. Some of them toured together under the name "The Other Ones", but mostly, they retired to solo projects, the most
well known of which are Bob Weir's Ratdog, and Phil Lesh and Friends.
