They are widely known as the psychedelic pioneers in all of rock music. They have played more than 2,000 live concerts and, although selling only 250,000 copies of their records, they created the jam band movement that featured bands playing a variety of genres, paving the way for other cult bands. The Grateful Dead is regarded as one of the most famous free-form bands of their time. As famous as the band itself were the bands’ connection with hallucinogenic drugs and their groupies of Deadheads. The band has created a style all their own and their music emphasized live concert, togetherness, and the hippie lifestyle. Jerry Garcia was just 15 years old when he picked up the guitar for the first time, and moved to Palo Alto when he was 18. There he met Robert Hunter whom he would later have a long-standing friendship with. Two years later in 1964, Garcia became a member of Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions, along with Ron McKernan, Bob Matthews, John Dawson, and Bob Weir. Their band mainly played folk and bluegrass music. They later changed their name to The Warlocks and debuted with electric instruments and their lineup now included two more members with Phil Lesh on bass and Bill Kreutzmann on drums. Their first debut was in July of 1965 where they soon became the house band for Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests. This is where a series of public LSD (Lysergic Acid Diethylamide) parties were held before its criminalization, which supplied the band with large amounts of this drug. This is what made the band notorious for their connections with hallucinogenic drugs, such as LSD, marijuana, and heroin. By the end of 1965, The Warlocks had changed their name to The Grateful Dead which is the name of an Egyptian prayer that Garcia had disc... ... middle of paper ... ...luenced them, with Jerry Garcia being particularly interested in the electric guitar. Another influence that Garcia mentioned was music, poetry, and art. They have also influenced countless bands, such like Phish, String Cheese Incident, and Blues Traveler. They also had a big effect on “Deadheads”, the white young adults who had emulated the philosophy of the hippie movement with tie-dye clothing, drugs, and The Grateful Dead’s music. The Grateful Dead is by far the epitome of improvisation and the ultimate cult band of their time. Not only have they influenced other bands like them, but they have gained the much deserved respect of their fans, and the music community. Although Jerry Garcia is no longer here to play like how he has his whole life, he is survived by his fellow remaining band members and the generations who still know what The Grateful Dead once was.
The Grateful Dead spread their message of peace love and mind expansion across the globe for the better part of three decades. Few believe that there has ever been a more influential band in modern history. But all of this didn't come without great strife. From the beginning there have been several ups and downs with the band and its various members, from personal problems, to lable issues, to the issues they have always had with being on tour for so long. Very few bands are able to keep the same sound to their
mother, Ruth, brought him to live with her at a sailor's hotel and bar that she
The Grateful Dead was a famous rock and roll band. During the 1960’s, the band had an audience called the “deadheads”. Deadheads were a bunch of druggies. Jerry Garcia was a big part in this band before his fatal health issues came along. The Grateful Dead was a band that impacted society by breaking rules to build their career.
In 1967 the Beatles were in Abbey Road Studios putting the finishing touches on their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. At one point Paul McCartney wandered down the corridor and heard what was then a new young band called Pink Floyd working on their hypnotic debut, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. He listened for a moment, then came rushing back. "Hey guys," he reputedly said, "There's a new band in there and they're gonna steal our thunder." With their mix of blues, music hall influences, Lewis Carroll references, and dissonant experimentation, Pink Floyd was one of the key bands of the 1960s psychedelic revolution, a pop culture movement that emerged with American and British rock, before sweeping through film, literature, and the visual arts. The music was largely inspired by hallucinogens, or so-called "mind-expanding" drugs such as marijuana and LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide; "acid"), and attempted to recreate drug-induced states through the use of overdriven guitar, amplified feedback, and droning guitar motifs influenced by Eastern music. This psychedelic consciousness was seeded, in the United States, by countercultural gurus such as Dr. Timothy Leary, a Harvard University professor who began researching LSD as a tool of self-discovery from 1960, and writer Ken Kesey who with his Merry Pranksters staged Acid Tests--multimedia "happenings" set to the music of the Warlocks (later the Grateful Dead) and documented by novelist Tom Wolfe in the literary classic The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (1968)--and traversed the country during the mid-1960s on a kaleidoscope-colored school bus. "Everybody felt the '60s were a breakthrough. There was exploration of sexual freedom and [...
There have been many bigshot artists that have gone down in music history over the years. One man in particular, however, will forever be known all over the world for his famous works and amazing stage performances. This man is none other than the one and only Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix altered the style of rock and roll during the late 60’s early 70’s and is widely considered one of the most influential guitar players amongst the music world to this day.
The Grateful Dead are one of the rock bands that helped shape music into what it is now. The band is known for their signature live performances, which includes improvisational sections that can last for up to half an hour. The Grateful Dead has had many different members who all influenced their unique sound in a different way.
The Beach Boys, The Ventures, The Champs, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane, Jan and Dean, Th...
Beginning with the late 1960’s counterculture in San Francisco, music and drugs will forever be inter-linked. Hippie bands such as the Grateful Dead, the Allman Brothers, and Phish are associated with marijuana, mushrooms, and LSD. Modern electronic “rave” , or club music is associated with MDMA or Ecstasy. When one thinks of rock and roll, sex and drugs immediately come to mind. While the use of drugs is not essential for the creation or performance of all new music, it was certainly in important factor for the counterculture music of the late 1960’s. While some of the most important and influential music was made with the help of psychoactive drugs, it was often to the detriment of the artist. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, and countless other tremendously talented artists had their lives cut short due to drug use. Drugs were most often good for the music, but deadly for the music makers.
Led Zeppelin was one of the giants of the 1970’s in hard rock. They were also one of the greatest success stories that ever played hard rock music. The group was one the more popular hard rock groups that performed in the seventies, and even had some hits in the 1960’s.
12. Scully, Rock, and David Dalton. Living With the Dead: 20 Years on the Bus With Garcia and the Grateful Dead. Boston: Little, Brown, & Co., 1996.
Jerry Garcia’s life was filled with wonderful things, many of which he never expected in the first place. After an almost fatal heroin overdose in 1986, “ Garcia philosophically stated, ‘ I’m 45 years old, I’m ready for anything, I didn’t even plan on living this long so all this shit is just add-on stuff.’ ” (“Garcia”) This attitude shows why Garcia did all of the things he did and even how some of them came about. Garcia, who “functioned as the preeminent pied piper of the rock era,” led a life of great artistic ability which he used in many ways(“Grateful Dead_ Rockhall”).
"We always though of the Grateful Dead as being the engine that was driving the spaceship that we were traveling on."-Ken Babbs, a former Merry Prankster
One would think his music would be heard among today’s teenagers and young adults. However, the current teenage generation and the generation before it idolizes bands like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, groups Chuck Berry directly influenced. Rolling Stones and The Beatles seem to be everywhere in 21st century culture. This is proof Chuck Berry has been not only instrumental but also highly underappreciated. To know Chuck Berry, one must know his early life, his influence, and the way he uses many different genres in his music.
The Rolling Stones are one of the most well known hard rock bands. They have a distinctive history that separates them from other similar rock bands. Their unique sound formed the basis of rock and roll. The band had a huge influence on British music through things such as their fashion, fusion of obscure genres, and attitude. Over the course of the last fifty years, The Rolling Stones unique history, sound, and overall look still has an influence on modern British bands.
The Beatles are known to many as one of the greatest bands of all time. Their music has