American rock band formed in Palo Alto, California in 1965. Original lineup: Jerry Garcia (vocals/guitar, 1965-1995), Bob Weir (vocals/guitar), Phil Lesh (bass, 1965-2024), Bill Kreutzmann (drums), Mickey Hart (drums, 1967-present), and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (keyboards/vocals, 1965-1972, died 1973). Foundational to American jam-band culture and the practice of audience taping and trading.
Thirteen studio albums plus dozens of official live releases. Critical peak: Live/Dead (1969), Workingman's Dead (1970), American Beauty (1970), and Europe '72 (1972). Garcia died in 1995, ending the band; surviving members have toured under names like the Other Ones, the Dead, Furthur, and Dead & Company. Lesh died in 2024. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
