The Grateful Dead was a psychedelic jam folk bluegrass rock band that formed in 1965 in San Francisco, California, United States from the remnants of another band, "Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions," The Grateful Dead were known for their unique and eclectic songwriting style which fused elements of rock, folk music, bluegrass, blues, country, and jazz, and also for live performances of long modal jams. The group disbanded immediately after the death of singer/guitarist Jerry Garcia in 1995. The Grateful Dead consisted of: Jerry Garcia (vocals, guitar; 1965-1995), Bob Weir (guitar, vocals; 1965-1995), Phil Lesh (bass, vocals; 1965-1995), Bill Kreutzmann (drums, 1965-1995), Mickey Hart (drums; 1965-1970, 1974-1995), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (keyboards, organ, harmonica, vocals; 1965-1972), Tom Constanten (piano; 1968-1970), Keith Godchaux (keyboards; 1971-1979), Donna Jean Godchaux (vocals; 1971-1979), Brent Mydland (keyboards, vocals; 1979-1990), Bruce Hornsby (keyboards; 1990-1992) and Vince Welnick (keyboards; 1990-1995). All of these members, with the exception of Hornsby (who was their induction presenter), were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. ...show more

The Grateful Dead was a psychedelic jam folk bluegrass rock band that formed in 1965 in San Francisco, California, United States from the remnants of another band, "Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions," The Grateful Dead were known for their unique and eclectic songwriting style which fused elements of rock, folk music, bluegrass, blues, country, and jazz, and also for live performances of long modal jams. The group disbanded immediately after the death of singer/guitarist Jerry Garcia in 1995. The Grateful Dead consisted of: Jerry Garcia (vocals, guitar; 1965-1995), Bob Weir (guitar, vocals; 1965-1995), Phil Lesh (bass, vocals; 1965-1995), Bill Kreutzmann (drums, 1965-1995), Mickey Hart (drums; 1965-1970, 1974-1995), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (keyboards, organ, harmonica, vocals; 1965-1972), Tom Constanten (piano; 1968-1970), Keith Godchaux (keyboards; 1971-1979), Donna Jean Godchaux (vocals; 1971-1979), Brent Mydland (keyboards, vocals; 1979-1990), Bruce Hornsby (keyboards; 1990-1992) and Vince Welnick (keyboards; 1990-1995). All of these members, with the exception of Hornsby (who was their induction presenter), were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Lyricist Robert Hunter - who wrote many of the band's songs - is often considered to be an unofficial member of the band and was also inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of the band. Some fans followed them from concert to concert for years. These "Deadheads" were renowned for their dedication to the band's music. Many followers referred to the band simply as The Dead.

The Grateful Dead, known then as the Warlocks, became the de facto resident band of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters, with the early sound heavily influenced by Kesey's LSD-soaked Acid Tests. Their musical influences varied widely with input from the psychedelic music of the era, combined with blues, jazz, rock and roll, and bluegrass. These various influences were distilled into a diverse and psychedelic whole that made the Grateful Dead "the pioneering Godfathers of the jam band world." One of the most notable things about the Grateful Dead is their duration. They were together for thirty years, stopping only upon the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995. ...show less