Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead |
|
|
"There has to be education, and the education has to come from the poets and musicians, because it has to touch the heart rather than the intellect, it has to get in there deeply. That was a decision. That was a counscious decision." --Robert Hunter of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
Rock Influence
|
Jerry Garcia, grew up in San Francisco, listening to country music on the "Nashville's Grand Ole Opry" radio show. When he was fifteen his older brother introduced him to Rock and Roll music. He was fascinated by the guitar riffs of Chuck Berry and T-Bone Walker and got an electric guitar for his 16th birthday.
In 1963, Jerry formed a band called Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions. They played blues, country and folk. With the arrival of the Beatles, Rock music became more accepted by the masses and the Jug Champions electrified themselves. This is when the band began to experiment with drugs. They soon changed their name to the Warlocks, then the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead was known as a "peoples band," caring about its followers, or Deadheads. They played at concerts like the Monterey Pop Festival, Woodstock, and Altamont. |