Editing Grateful Dead (section)

==Main career (1967–1995)==
===Pigpen era (1967–1972)===
[[File:1967 Mantra-Rock Dance Avalon poster.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Mantra-Rock Dance]] promotional poster, published in 1967, featuring Grateful Dead]]
One of the group's earliest major performances in 1967 was the [[Mantra-Rock Dance]], a musical event held on January 29, 1967, at the [[Avalon Ballroom]] by the San Francisco [[International Society for Krishna Consciousness|Hare Krishna]] temple. The Grateful Dead performed at the event along with the Hare Krishna founder [[Bhaktivedanta Swami]], poet [[Allen Ginsberg]], bands [[Moby Grape]] and [[Big Brother and the Holding Company]] with [[Janis Joplin]], donating proceeds to the temple.<ref>{{citation|last1=Bromley|first1=David G.|author-link1=David G. Bromley|last2=Shinn|first2=Larry D.|author-link2=Larry Shinn|title=Krishna consciousness in the West|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F-EuD3M2QYoC&pg=PA106|year=1989|page=106|publisher=[[Bucknell University Press]]|isbn=978-0-8387-5144-2|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610215011/https://books.google.com/books?id=F-EuD3M2QYoC&pg=PA106|archive-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{citation|last1=Chryssides|first1=George D.|author-link=George D. Chryssides|last2=Wilkins|first2=Margaret Z.|title=A reader in new religious movements|year=2006|publisher=[[Continuum International Publishing Group]]|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HgFlebSZKLcC&pg=PA213|isbn=978-0-8264-6168-1|page=213|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610160834/https://books.google.com/books?id=HgFlebSZKLcC&pg=PA213|archive-date=June 10, 2016}}</ref> The band's first LP, ''[[The Grateful Dead (album)|The Grateful Dead]]'', was released on Warner Brothers in 1967.

On May 3, 1968, the band played a free concert at [[Columbia University]] during the [[1968 Columbia University protests|anti–Vietnam War student protests]] during which students occupied several campus buildings. In order to play, the band, equipment and all, had to be “smuggled” on campus in the back of a bread delivery truck. “We were already jamming away before the security and police could stop us.”<ref>{{cite web | url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/grateful-dead-protest-gig-columbia-1968-video/ | title=Revisit the Grateful Dead's powerful gig at a protest against the Vietnam war, 1968 - Far Out Magazine | date=April 24, 2021 }}</ref>

Classically trained trumpeter [[Phil Lesh]] performed on [[bass guitar]]. [[Bob Weir]], the youngest original member of the group, played [[rhythm guitar]]. [[Ron "Pigpen" McKernan]] played [[Hammond organ|keyboards]], [[Percussion instrument|percussion]], and [[harmonica]] until shortly before [[27 Club|his death in 1973 at the age of 27]]. Garcia, Weir, and McKernan shared the lead vocal duties more or less equally; Lesh sang only a few leads, but his tenor was a key part of the band's three-part vocal harmonies. [[Bill Kreutzmann]] played [[drum]]s, and in September 1967 was joined by a second drummer, New York City native [[Mickey Hart]], who also played a wide variety of other [[percussion instrument]]s.

1970 included tour dates in [[New Orleans]], where the band performed at [[The Warehouse (New Orleans)|The Warehouse]] for two nights. On January 31, 1970, the local police raided their hotel on [[Bourbon Street]] and arrested and charged 19 people with possession of various drugs.<ref>"Drug Raid Nets 19 in French Quarter", ''The Times-Picayune'', February 1, 1970</ref> The second night's concert was performed as scheduled after bail was posted. Eventually, the charges were dismissed, except those against sound engineer [[Owsley Stanley]], who was already facing charges in California for manufacturing LSD. This event was later memorialized in the lyrics of “[[Truckin']]", a single from ''American Beauty'' that reached number 64 on the charts.

Hart took time off from the band in February 1971, after his father, an accountant, absconded with much of the band's money;<ref>{{cite web|last=Planer|first=Lindsay|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/rolling-thunder-r102792/review|title=''Rolling Thunder:'' Review|work=AllMusic|access-date=April 6, 2015}}</ref> Kreutzmann was once again as the sole percussionist. Hart rejoined the Grateful Dead for good in October 1974. [[Tom Constanten|Tom "TC" Constanten]] was added as a second keyboardist from 1968 to 1970, to help Pigpen keep up with an increasingly psychedelic sound, while Pigpen transitioned into playing various percussion instruments and vocals.

After Constanten's departure, Pigpen reclaimed his position as sole keyboardist. Less than two years later, in late 1971, Pigpen was joined by another keyboardist, [[Keith Godchaux (musician)|Keith Godchaux]], who played [[grand piano]] alongside Pigpen's [[Hammond organ|Hammond B-3 organ]]. In early 1972, Keith's wife, [[Donna Jean Godchaux]], joined the Grateful Dead as a backing vocalist.

Following the Grateful Dead's "[[Europe '72]]" tour, Pigpen's health had deteriorated to the point that he could no longer tour with the band. His final concert appearance was June 17, 1972, at the [[Hollywood Bowl]], in Los Angeles;<ref>{{cite web|title=Pigpen Played His Final Show with the Grateful Dead Today in 1972|url=https://www.relix.com/blogs/detail/pigpen_played_his_final_show_with_the_grateful_dead_today_in_1972|website=Relix|access-date=December 6, 2017|date=June 17, 2017}}</ref><ref>Scott, Dolgushkin, Nixon, "Deadbase X", New Hampshire, p. 23. {{ISBN|1-877657-21-2}}</ref> he died on March 8, 1973, of complications from liver damage.<ref>McNally, Dennis, "A Long Strange Trip", New York 2002, p. 584. {{ISBN|0-7679-1186-5}}</ref>

=== Godchaux era (1972–1979) ===
[[File:Grateful Dead Arrowhead Stadium 1978-07-01.jpg|thumb|right|Grateful Dead at [[Arrowhead Stadium]] in July 1978]]
Pigpen's death did not slow down the Grateful Dead. With the help of manager [[Ronald Leon Rakow|Ron Rakow]], the band soon formed its own record label, [[Grateful Dead Records]].<ref name="vh1.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/grateful_dead/bio.jhtml|title=Grateful Dead Bio &#124; Grateful Dead Career &#124; MTV|publisher=Vh1.com|access-date=February 25, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205220855/http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/grateful_dead/bio.jhtml|archive-date=February 5, 2010}}</ref> Later that year, it released its next studio album, the jazz-influenced ''[[Wake of the Flood]],'' which became their biggest commercial success thus far.<ref>{{cite web|author=Pore-Lee-Dunn Productions|url=http://www.classicbands.com/dead.html|title=The Grateful Dead|publisher=Classicbands.com|access-date=July 16, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110709014616/http://www.classicbands.com/dead.html|archive-date=July 9, 2011}}</ref> Meanwhile, capitalizing on the album's success, the band soon went back to the studio, and in June 1974 released another album, ''[[From the Mars Hotel]]''. Not long after, the Dead decided to take a hiatus from live [[Concert tour|touring]]. The band travelled to Europe for a string of shows in September 1974, before performing a series of five concerts at the [[Winterland Ballroom]] in San Francisco in October 1974, and delved into various other projects.<ref>{{cite web |title=Highlights Of The Grateful Dead Performing At Winterland In 1974 |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/highlights-grateful-dead-performing-winterland-1974 |website=JamBase |access-date=May 16, 2019 |date=March 26, 2017}}</ref> The Winterland concerts were filmed, and Garcia compiled the footage into ''[[The Grateful Dead Movie]]'', a feature-length concert film released in 1977.<ref>{{cite web |title='The Grateful Dead Movie' Was Released On This Day In 1977 |url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/the-grateful-dead-movie-was-released-on-this-day-in-1977-watch/ |website=L4LM |access-date=May 16, 2019 |date=June 1, 2016}}</ref>

In September 1975, the Dead released their eighth studio album, ''[[Blues for Allah]]''. The band resumed touring in June 1976, playing multiple dates in small theaters, rather than the stadium shows that had become common, and had exhausted them, in 1974.<ref name="vh1.com"/> That same year, they signed with [[Arista Records]], and the new contract produced ''[[Terrapin Station]]'' in July 1977. The band's tour in the spring of that year is held in high regard by its fans, and its [[Cornell 5/8/77|concert of May 8]] at [[Cornell University]] is often considered one of the best performances of its career.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Spevak|first1=Jeff|title=Was '77 Grateful Dead show the best ever?|url=http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/lifestyle/2017/04/06/greatest-grateful-dead-show-ever/100067332/|website=Rochester Democrat and Chronicle|access-date=June 23, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Catalano|first1=Jim|title=40 years later, Grateful Dead's Barton Hall concert shines bright for the fans|url=http://www.ithacajournal.com/story/entertainment/2017/04/27/grateful-dead-ithaca/100843658/|website=Ithaca Journal|access-date=June 23, 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Cush|first1=Andy|title=Today Is "Grateful Dead Day", the 40th Anniversary of the Band's Legendary Cornell Show|url=http://www.spin.com/2017/05/grateful-dead-day-cornell-show-40th-anniversary/|website=Spin|access-date=June 23, 2017|date=May 8, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170617070703/http://www.spin.com/2017/05/grateful-dead-day-cornell-show-40th-anniversary/|archive-date=June 17, 2017}}</ref> Their [[Dick's Picks Volume 15|September 1977 concert]] at [[Old Bridge Township Raceway Park|Raceway Park]] in [[Old Bridge Township, New Jersey]] was attended by 107,019 people and held the record for [[List of most-attended concerts|largest-ticketed concert]] in the United States by a single act for 47 years.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/country/george-strait-breaks-concert-attendance-record-1235710814/ |title=George Strait Breaks Attendance Record With Largest Concert Ever Held in the U.S.|magazine=Billboard|access-date=June 17, 2024|first=Dave|last=Brooks|date=June 15, 2024}}</ref>

Keith and Donna Jean Godchaux left the band in February 1979, citing artistic differences.

=== Mydland/Welnick era (1979–1995) ===
[[File:Jerry-Mickey at Red Rocks taken 08-11-87.jpg|left|thumb|Grateful Dead performing at [[Red Rocks Amphitheatre]] in 1987]]
Following the Godchauxs' departure, [[Brent Mydland]] joined as keyboardist and vocalist and was considered "the perfect fit." The Godchauxs then formed the [[Heart of Gold Band]], before Keith died in a car accident in July 1980. Mydland was the keyboardist for the Grateful Dead for 11 years until his death by narcotics overdose in July 1990,<ref>{{cite web|title=Grateful Dead Member Died Of Overdose, Coroner Rules|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDA153DF931A2575BC0A966958260|date=August 12, 1990|work=The New York Times|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090212234212/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFDA153DF931A2575BC0A966958260|archive-date=February 12, 2009}}</ref> becoming the third keyboardist to die.

Shortly after Mydland found his place in the early 1980s, Garcia's health began to decline. He became a frequent smoker of "Persian," a type of heroin, and he gained weight at a rapid pace. He lost his liveliness on stage, his voice was strained, and Deadheads worried for his health. After he began to curtail his opiate usage gradually in 1985, Garcia slipped into a [[diabetic coma]] for several days in July 1986, leading to the cancelation of all concerts in the fall of that year. Garcia recovered, the band released ''[[In the Dark (Grateful Dead album)|In the Dark]]'' in July 1987, which became its best-selling studio album and produced its only top-40 single, "[[Touch of Grey]]," Also, that year, the group [[Bob Dylan and Grateful Dead Tour 1987|toured]] with [[Bob Dylan]], as heard on the album ''[[Dylan & the Dead]]''.

Mydland died in July 1990 and [[Vince Welnick]], former keyboardist for [[the Tubes]], joined as a band member, while [[Bruce Hornsby]], who had a successful career with his band the Range, joined temporarily as a bridge to help Welnick learn songs. Both performed on keyboards and vocals—Welnick until the band's end, and Hornsby mainly from 1990 to 1992.

Saxophonist [[Branford Marsalis]] played five concerts with the band between 1990 and 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Carter |first=Andrew |date=2023-08-26 |title=An In-Depth Look At The Long, Fruitful History Between Branford Marsalis & The Grateful Dead |url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/branford-marsalis-birthday-grateful-dead/ |access-date=2024-03-03 |website=L4LM |language=en-US}}</ref> 

The Grateful Dead performed its final concert on July 9, 1995, at [[Soldier Field]] in Chicago.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grateful Dead Plays Final Show On This Date 25 Years Ago |url=https://www.jambase.com/article/grateful-dead-plays-final-show-on-this-date-25-years-ago |website=JamBase |access-date=July 12, 2020 |date=July 9, 2020}}</ref>