The Grateful Dead played their first show at Magoo's Pizza in Menlo Park, California on May 5, 2024 under the name the Warlocks. But after finding out that the name was being used by another band who were already signed to a record contract, they changed their name, first performing as the Grateful Dead later in December of that year.
The Dead's original lineup: Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann.
From the 1960s until the 1995 death of guitarist, singer-songwriter Jerry Garcia, the Grateful Dead played roughly 2,300 long, freeform concerts that touched down on their own country-, blues and folk –tinged songs, and on a similarly wide range of cover versions.
Along the way, they popularized the concept of the jam band, influencing thousands of songwriters and basement improvisers and earning themselves maybe the most loyal fans a rock band have ever had. See more at RollingStone.com.
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