THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 9, 1995 TAG: 9512090351
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: SAN FRANCISCO LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
The Grateful Dead is dead.
After 30 years of making music, the Grateful Dead, once the house band of the 1960s counterculture, is breaking up.
The move came four months after the death of the band's founder and guiding spirit, Jerry Garcia.
``After four months of heartfelt consideration, the remaining members of the band met yesterday and came to the conclusion that the `long strange trip' of the uniquely wonderful beast known as the Grateful Dead is over,'' the group said in a statement Friday.
The Grateful Dead, which Garcia and other members formed in 1965 in San Francisco, was one of rock 'n' roll's top-drawing acts for three decades.
The band combined rock, bluegrass and folk influences in its songs, which included ``Truckin','' ``Casey Jones,'' ``Sugar Magnolia'' and ``Friend of the Devil.'' Its only top 10 hit was 1987's ``Touch of Grey.''
The group rarely recorded in recent years, and the last Grateful Dead studio album, ``Built to Last,'' was released in 1989.
Other groups had more hits, but the Dead attracted a doggedly devoted cult following that brought together Haight-Ashbury dropouts, weekend hippies and establishment stalwarts. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Massachusetts Gov. William Weld were among those who identified themselves as fans.
``In losing Jerry Garcia, a great band clearly had its heart broken,'' Weld said. ``I wish Bob Weir and the other members of the band success and happiness in the future and thank them for all the pleasure they've given this fan.''
Legions of Deadheads followed the group around the country and overseas to attend the long, free-form concerts that became the Grateful Dead's trademark.
``The Grateful Dead created a community of people that had a common interest in their music, but it went way beyond the music,'' said Michael Maggard, co-founder of United Deadheads of Portland and Everywhere in Portland, Ore. ``That sense of community and family is something that's going to transcend the band.''
The Dead's last concert was July 9 at Chicago's Soldier Field. Garcia, 53, died Aug. 9 of a heart attack at a drug rehab center.
When Garcia formed the band with Weir, Bill Kreutzman, Ron ``Pigpen'' McKernan and Phil Lesh, he first called it the Warlocks, not knowing another band used that name. The band first played as the Grateful Dead in December 1965 at the Fillmore in San Francisco. They had to find a new name, so they turned to a dictionary at Lesh's house and the first words they saw were ``grateful dead,'' defined as a traditional British folk ballad in which a human helps the ghost of someone who has died recently find peace.
Although many had predicted a breakup since Garcia's death, Weir told The Associated Press as recently as last month that he thought the band would return to touring sometime next year.
None of the band members was available for comment Friday, the group's representatives said. ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS File photo
Jerry Garcia, right, and David Grisman perform at the Warfield
Theater in San Francisco in 1991. The Grateful Dead rarely recorded
in recent years.
by CNB