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64-542: Unlike other popular acts in music, the Grateful Dead are well known for the use of improvisation in their performances making each show unique. This, coupled with the band's permissive attitude on taping performances, has created a plethora of historical material. Such recordings of previous performances are shared widely among the Deadhead community. Much Deadhead-related historical material received or collected by

128-465: A chance to hear their favorite song(s) – the same song was rarely played the same way twice during any given tour. Also, a great show often inspired many fans to begin following the band for the rest of the tour, as well subsequent tours. The second was that having a large number of traveling fans had empowered the band to perform multiple shows at each venue, since they were assured that their performances would mostly sell out (almost all shows sold out from

192-541: A collaboration that lasted through the remainder of Garcia's life. Garcia and others formed the Grateful Dead in 1965, and later began working with lyrics from Hunter, whom Garcia invited to join the band as a lyricist. Hunter contributed substantially to many of their albums, beginning with Aoxomoxoa in 1969. He wrote lyrics to a number of the band's signature songs, including " Dark Star ", " Ripple ", " Truckin' ", " China Cat Sunflower ", and " Terrapin Station ". Hunter

256-646: A dream after watching a film adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles . Hunter's participation in the Grateful Dead was dominated by his collaboration with Garcia, based on, according to McNally, "friendship, common experience, Hunter's extraordinary capacity for empathy, and his sterling ability to translate that into lyrics." He also worked with other band members; on Workingman's Dead he worked with McKernan on "Easy Wind", and on American Beauty , with Lesh on "Box of Rain", and Weir on "Sugar Magnolia". He eventually decided he could only work with Garcia, and

320-503: A general "code of honor specifically prohibited the buying and selling of Dead tapes". These recordings, sometimes called "liberated bootlegs", are still frowned upon by the community and that feeling "has spread into non–Grateful Dead taping circles". Many Deadheads now freely distribute digital recordings of the band's live shows through the Internet Archive . Much Deadhead-related historical material received or collected by

384-438: A heart attack at a heroin rehabilitation clinic in 1995, the Grateful Dead disbanded. Following the dissolution of the Grateful Dead, Hunter successfully continued his writing career, working on new songs with Jim Lauderdale , Elvis Costello , Cesar Rosas , and Bruce Hornsby , among others. He was seen occasionally playing solo acoustic guitar and performing his classic works, as well as newer songs. In 2004 he opened most of

448-406: A history of the Grateful Dead, said the band only "developed their potential for greatness" after they made Hunter their main lyricist. McNally writes that while Garcia was one of the "outstanding guitar players and songwriters of his generation", his lyrical abilities were minor. Many of the Grateful Dead's early lyrics were "superficial" and simple. From Hunter and Garcia's collaboration came many of

512-456: A lot about the growth and development of modern rock theater, and it's helping us understand fan culture." Over the course of their thirty-year career, the Grateful Dead performed over 2,200 live shows. The eclectic musical styling of the Grateful Dead was heavily inspired by the Beatnik movement of the 1950s and later the psychedelic counterculture of the 1960s. One group at the forefront of

576-554: A manuscript that details the Grateful Dead's history to Hunter’s first encounter with guitarist Jerry Garcia in Palo Alto in 1961. This manuscript will be published posthumously. Hunter married artist Maureen Hunter in 1982, and they had three children. One of these children, a son, died in the late 80s. His youngest child was born in 1991. Although an early member of the Church of Scientology , by 1999, Hunter no longer belonged to

640-399: A new era in recording, collecting, and trading Grateful Dead tapes. The "Tape Exchange" evolved into Dead Relix magazine, co-founded by Kippel and its first editor, Jerry Moore (1953–2009), a native of The Bronx, New York. First fliers were handed out at concerts in 1973, followed by a first issue in 1974. In 1974, Dead Relix evolved into Relix magazine and kept the Grateful Dead in

704-463: A recording of it ... my responsibility to the notes is over after I've played them." In this respect, the Dead are considered by many to be the first "taper-friendly" band. It is a matter of strict custom among Deadheads that these recordings are freely shared and circulated, with no money ever changing hands. Some bootleg recordings from unscrupulous bootleggers have turned up on the black market , but

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768-587: A result, they invited Hunter to join them in San Francisco to be their lyricist. He joined the Grateful Dead at a concert in Rio Nido, California, where he wrote the lyrics that later became " Dark Star ". Hunter played a minimal role in the Grateful Dead's next album, Anthem of the Sun , but he and Garcia worked together to write every song on Aoxomoxoa , which came after it. Although their musical style

832-577: A shell of purple with foam crests of crystal drops soft nigh they fall unto the sea of morning creep-very-softly mist ... and then sort of cascade tinkley-bell like (must I take you by the hand, every so slowly type) and then conglomerate suddenly into a peal of silver vibrant uncomprehendingly, blood singingly, joyously resounding bells... By my faith if this be insanity, then for the love of God permit me to remain insane. —Robert Hunter Around 1962, Hunter volunteered for psychedelic chemical experiments at Stanford University, research covertly sponsored by

896-443: A six-month tour of duty. Upon his return to Palo Alto, in 1961 he was introduced to Jerry Garcia by Garcia's then-girlfriend, who had previously been in a relationship with Hunter. Garcia was 18 and Hunter 19. The duo began to perform together, spending their time in "what passed for Palo Alto's 1961 bohemian community", including a bookstore run by Roy Kepler . They formed a short-lived duo called "Bob and Jerry" that debuted at

960-410: A time to revel with friends at concerts, old and new, who never knew the psychedelic age that spawned the band they loved. As with any large community, Deadheads developed their own idioms and slang. Some Deadheads use the term "X Factor" to describe the intangible element that elevates mere performance into something higher. Publicist and Jerry Garcia biographer Blair Jackson stated that "shows were

1024-526: Is an archive of materials related to music from The Grateful Dead . The archive was officially donated in April 2008, by band members Bob Weir and Mickey Hart . The Archive contains material related to the individual members, its live performances, productions, and business. The materials span a three-decade career that ran from 1965 to 1995 and included numerous albums and thousands of live performances. Recordings date from 1965 to 1995. Artifacts from

1088-456: Is celebrated each July 9th to commemorate the Grateful Dead's final concert performed at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois in 1995. The holiday is an opportunity reach out to old friends, curate playlists to share and organize local meet-ups where fans can socialize with other Deadheads. 2023 was the inaugural year of the holiday. Grateful Dead Archive The Grateful Dead Archive

1152-466: The CIA in its MKULTRA program: other participants included Ken Kesey and Allen Ginsberg . He was paid to take LSD , psilocybin , and mescaline , and then report on his experiences, which were creatively formative for him. After a friend attempted to dissuade him, he said, "It'll be fun! I'll take my typewriter and no telling what'll come out." This incident was the first substantial experience any of

1216-527: The Mickey Hart Band's albums Mysterium Tremendum and the follow-up Superorganism . In an interview with American Songwriter , Hart categorized Hunter's lyrics compared to other great lyricists saying, "When you're in a situation in the future and you can't explain it, very often a Hunter line or two or three will explain something that's unexplainable." Also in 2012, Hunter co-wrote four songs on Little Feat 's album Rooster Rag . When

1280-517: The 1978 song. Income from these shops allowed Deadheads a way to follow the band on its tours. During the early 1980s, the number of Deadheads taping shows increased, and the band created a special section for fans who wished to record the show. These tapes are still shared and circulated today via websites such as the Live Music Archive and bt.etree.org . In the earlier days of the Grateful Dead, there were questions as to whether or not it

1344-490: The American canon." The band's composition methods were varied. Hunter sometimes wrote lyrics the others composed music around; sometimes, he wrote lyrics to music; and sometimes, the group worked together to create music and lyrics simultaneously. Their musical improvisation was often inspired by psychedelic experiences under the influence of LSD, and by other hallucinatory experiences: Hunter wrote " Dire Wolf " inspired by

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1408-689: The Grateful Dead Almanac would succeed it, with this eventually being abandoned for Dead.net. Those who did receive the newsletter in the 1970s often found pleasant surprises sent along. One example is from May 1974 when Heads received a sample EP of Robert Hunter 's upcoming album Tales of the Great Rum Runners as well as selections from Jerry Garcia 's second album, Compliments of Garcia , and some cuts that were from bandmembers Keith and Donna Godchaux's eponymous solo album, Keith & Donna , both on Round Records . This sample

1472-425: The Grateful Dead as a counterculture touchstone". Analyzing his lyrics became a popular exercise among the band's fans, something Hunter took pride in. His approach to songwriting is described as "deeply literary", and responsible for differentiating the music of the Grateful Dead from mainstream popular music. The Los Angeles Times compared his lyrical aesthetic to that of Bob Dylan and Randy Newman , and wrote he

1536-447: The Grateful Dead during their 1987 summer tour, observed "With most bands the audience participates like in a spectator sport. They just stand there and watch. They keep a distance. With the Dead, the audience is part of the band-they might as well be on stage." The term "Deadhead" first appeared in print at the suggestion of Hank Harrison, author of The Dead Trilogy , on the sleeve of Grateful Dead (also known as Skull & Roses ),

1600-455: The Grateful Dead had with psychedelic drugs, and the creative surge he experienced would prove influential on their collective outlook. Around this time, Hunter was briefly involved with Scientology , and also struggled with addiction to methamphetamine and speed , which drove him to move briefly to Los Angeles and then to New Mexico. Some of his hallucinations later inspired his lyrics, such as those to " China Cat Sunflower ". While Hunter

1664-706: The Grateful Dead were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Hunter was included as a band member, the only non-performer to ever be so honored. In 2013, Hunter received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association . He performed "Ripple" from the Grateful Dead's album American Beauty . In 2015, Hunter and Garcia were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame . Hunter accepted

1728-538: The Online Archive of California. While advance notice is required to use some material, researchers are encouraged to contact Special Collections in advance for all the material they wish to see. The Grateful Dead Archive Online (GDAO) is a socially constructed collection of over 45,000 digitized items drawn from the UCSC Library's extensive Grateful Dead Archive (GDA) and from digital content submitted by

1792-474: The award along with Garcia's daughter, Trixie Garcia, accepting on behalf of her father. Hunter once again performed "Ripple". Hunter said his "pretty much" favorite line he wrote was in "Ripple": Let it be known there is a fountain that was not made by the hands of men . "And I believe it, you know?" he told Rolling Stone in 2015. According to the New York Times , Hunter's lyrics "helped define

1856-557: The award-winning, three-volume The Deadhead's Taping Compendium: A Guide to the Music of the Grateful Dead on Tape . Fans were also known to record the many FM radio broadcast shows. Garcia looked kindly on tapers (he himself had been on several cross-country treks to record bluegrass music prior to the Grateful Dead), stating: "There's something to be said for being able to record an experience you've liked, or being to obtain

1920-638: The band grew until he was officially a non-performing band member. The band's reputation also grew; in 1970, a group led by Miles Davis opened a concert for the band. After Aoxomoxoa , the band shifted from an experimentalist approach toward Americana and country music , featured in their albums American Beauty and Workingman's Dead . This period produced some of their most successful songs, including "Cumberland Blues", "Box of Rain", and "Sugar Magnolia". Many of these pieces were written by Hunter and would go on to become enduring folk songs; according to McNally, pieces such as " Ripple " grew to be "part of

1984-580: The band over the years is housed in the Grateful Dead Archive of UC-Santa Cruz . Archive curator Nicholas Meriwether, who has also written extensively about the culture and its impact on society, states "The Grateful Dead archive is going to end up being a critical way for us to approach and understand the 1960s and the counterculture of the era... It's also going to tell us a lot about the growth and development of modern rock theater, and it's helping us understand fan culture." In addition to

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2048-419: The band over the years is housed in the Grateful Dead Archive of University of California, Santa Cruz . Archive founding curator Nicholas Meriwether, who has also written extensively about the culture and its impact on society, predicted, "The Grateful Dead archive is going to end up being a critical way for us to approach and understand the 1960s and the counterculture of the era... It's also going to tell us

2112-409: The band's collection, many longtime fans have also accrued a large collection of Grateful Dead memorabilia and recorded live performances. The following celebrities have claimed to be Deadheads or have had media reported on them saying they are Deadheads: Deadhead Day is a globally celebrated holiday in honor of the Grateful Dead, the music they created and the culture of Deadhead fandom. Deadhead Day

2176-445: The band's second live album , released in 1971. It read: DEAD FREAKS UNITE: Who are you? Where are you? How are you? Send us your name and address and we'll keep you informed. Dead Heads, P.O. Box 1065, San Rafael, California 94901. This phenomenon was first touched on in print by Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau at a Felt Forum show in 1971, noting "how many 'regulars' seemed to be in attendance, and how, from

2240-543: The community and global network of Grateful Dead fans. Digitized content—including concert hotline recordings, decorated fan envelopes, fanzines, photographs, posters, radio interviews, tickets, T-shirts, and videos—can be found on the GDA), as well as web resources, such as David Dodd's "The Annotated Grateful Dead Lyrics" website and the fan recordings of concerts archived by the Internet Archive. These materials reflect

2304-430: The duo wrote numerous songs together over the next 25 years. Their relationship was often challenged by Garcia's difficulties with drug addiction; in 2015, Hunter said he was unhappy with the extent of cocaine use among band members in the mid-1970s. Hunter was described as a "proudly irascible" presence in the band, who would often veto attempts to use the band's songs for commercial purposes. After Garcia's death from

2368-642: The graduation ceremony of the Quaker Peninsula School on May 5, 1961. According to McNally, the group did not last because of "Hunter's limits as a guitarist and Garcia's ravenous drive to get better," but the two remained friendly. Garcia became involved with bluegrass groups in the area such as the Thunder Mountain Tub Thumpers and the Wildwood Boys; Hunter sometimes played the mandolin with these groups, but

2432-503: The line "I've got no answers of my own, and none have been provided", Hornsby said, "You know those are Robert Hunter's lyrics with a couple of additions from me." Hornsby commented on his work for Levitate ("Cyclone"), saying, "Well, I've always loved [Robert Hunter's] writing. I've loved so many of the Garcia/Hunter songs. They're just timeless sounding to me, could have been written hundreds of years ago. I had this song that had

2496-477: The mid-1980s and on). At this point, it became apparent that Deadheads were a major driving force that encouraged the band to keep going. Along with the large number of people attending several shows, a traveling community developed amongst fans in response to the familiarity of seeing the same people from previous strings of shows. As generations turned from the Acid Tests to the 1970s (and onward), tours became

2560-557: The news while they took a year off in 1975. In 1980, Toni Brown became owner and publisher of Relix . In 2000, it was sold to Steve Bernstein. In 2009, Peter Shapiro bought Relix and still maintains ownership. There were other Deadhead magazines that came about in the 1970s, notably, Dead in Words and In Concert . The 1980s saw the production of Terrapin Flyer , Dupree's Diamond News , Golden Road , and Acid . Dupree's Diamond News

2624-646: The organization. In 2013, he was compelled to go on a solo tour as a result of medical bills, after surviving a spinal cord abscess in the previous year. Hunter died at his home in San Rafael, California on September 23, 2019. He had had recent surgery before his death. Upon hearing news of his demise, tributes and remembrances were shared from his former bandmates Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Phil Lesh, alongside other musicians Jim Lauderdale , Trey Anastasio , John Mayer , Oteil Burbridge and Warren Haynes . Albums that Robert Hunter recorded as

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2688-685: The permanent collection and themed exhibits featuring selected works are displayed in the Brittingham Family Foundation's Dead Central Gallery on the second floor of McHenry Library at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). The Dead Central exhibit space is open during all library business hours and is subject to change during academic and intersessions. The collection can be browsed in UCSC Library Search . Electronic finding aids are available through

2752-525: The province of organized religion ... [they] got people high whether those people were on drugs or not." Rock producer Bill Graham summarized much of the band's effect when he created a sign for the Grateful Dead when the group played the closing of the Winterland Ballroom on December 31, 1978. The sign read: They're not the best at what they do, They're the only ones that do what they do. Cheers! At almost every Grateful Dead show, it

2816-486: The psychedelic sound was the Merry Pranksters . On the first historic bus trip, on the bus Furthur, a pattern was set for the Deadhead touring lifestyle to come. By the late 1970s, some Deadheads began to sell tie-dye T-shirts, veggie burritos, or other items at Grateful Dead concerts. In the 1980s, the area where Grateful Dead merchandise was sold became popularly referred to as " Shakedown Street ", named after

2880-431: The range of materials collected, managed, preserved and made available by the UCSC Library's Special Collections and Archives department to support teaching, learning and research. 36°58′39.4″N 122°3′15.5″W  /  36.977611°N 122.054306°W  / 36.977611; -122.054306 Robert Hunter (lyricist) Robert C. Christie Hunter (born Robert Burns ; June 23, 1941 – September 23, 2019)

2944-445: The sacrament ... rich and full of blissful, transcendent musical moments that moved the body and enriched the soul." Phil Lesh himself comments on this phenomenon in his autobiography by saying, "The unique organicity of our music reflects the fact that each of us consciously personalized his playing: to fit with what others were playing and to fit with who each man was as an individual, allowing us to meld our consciousnesses together in

3008-539: The same feeling as, say, 'Brokedown Palace'." Hunter collaborated with Bob Dylan on multiple occasions; he co-wrote two songs on Dylan's 1988 album Down in the Groove , all but one of the songs on Dylan's 2009 album Together Through Life , and "Duquesne Whistle" from Dylan's 2012 album Tempest . "We could probably write a hundred songs together if we thought it was important or the right reasons were there," Dylan said of working with him in 2009. Hunter co-wrote

3072-431: The songs McNally calls the band's masterpieces, including "Ripple", "Brokedown Palace", and " Attics of My Life ". According to Rolling Stone , "[considered] one of rock's most ambitious and dazzling lyricists, Hunter was the literary counterpoint to the band's musical experimentation", and his lyrics were "as much a part of the band as Jerry Garcia's singing and guitar." After his death, his widow, Maureen, discovered

3136-659: The songs for two Jim Lauderdale albums – Patchwork River (2010) and Carolina Moonrise (2012). Hunter later said that working with Lauderdale was a productive experience, as they both liked working quickly, and wrote an album in a couple of days. Also in 2010 Hunter co-wrote the song "All My Bridges Burning" with Cesar Rosas for the Los Lobos ' album Tin Can Trust . In the same year, Hunter wrote lyrics for 7 Walkers ' debut album, including "Louisiana Rain", "Chingo", and "Sue From Bogalusa". In 2012, Hunter co-wrote lyrics for

3200-612: The summer tour of the Dead (a group made up of former Grateful Dead members). He also co-wrote, with David Nelson , many of the songs on the New Riders of the Purple Sage albums Where I Come From (2009) and 17 Pine Avenue (2012). Hunter wrote "Cyclone" for Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers' Levitate album, released in 2009. Asked in a 2009 interview about some of the song's more "philosophical" lyrics, such as

3264-422: The unity of a group mind." Jackson takes this further, citing drummer Mickey Hart as saying, "The Grateful Dead weren't in the music business, they were in the transportation business." Jackson relates this to the Deadhead phenomenon directly by saying, "for many Deadheads, the band was a medium that facilitated experiencing other planes of consciousness and tapping into deep, spiritual wells that were usually

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3328-560: The way they compared notes, they'd obviously made a determined effort to see as many shows as possible." Eileen Law, a long time friend of the band, was put in charge of the mailing list and maintained the Dead Heads newsletter. It is estimated that by the end of 1971, the band had received about 350 letters, but this number swelled greatly over the next few years to as many as 40,000. In total, 25 mailings/newsletters reached Deadheads between October 1971 and February 1980. After this time,

3392-610: Was a publisher, who gave Robert lessons in writing. Hunter attended high school in Palo Alto, learning to play several instruments as a teenager. His family moved to Connecticut, where he attended the University of Connecticut . He played trumpet in a band called the Crescents. Hunter left the university after a year, and returned to Palo Alto. He enlisted in the National Guard , and spent six months training, before doing

3456-535: Was an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator and poet, best known for his work with the Grateful Dead . Born near San Luis Obispo, California , Hunter spent some time during his childhood in foster homes as a result of his father abandoning his family, and took refuge in reading and writing. He attended the University of Connecticut for a year before returning to Palo Alto , where he became friends with musician Jerry Garcia . Hunter and Garcia began

3520-403: Was an alcoholic, who deserted the family when Hunter was seven, according to Grateful Dead chronicler Dennis McNally. Hunter spent the next few years in foster homes before returning to live with his mother. These experiences drove him to seek refuge in books, and he wrote a 50-page fairy tale before he was 11. His mother married again, to Norman Hunter, whose last name Robert took. The elder Hunter

3584-537: Was common to see fans openly recording the music for later enjoyment. The tradition can be traced to 1966 with the number of tapers increasing yearly. In 1971, Les Kippel, from Brooklyn, New York, started the First Free Underground Grateful Dead Tape Exchange with the purpose of preserving the heritage of the Grateful Dead's concert history by exchanging copies of recorded tapes made from audience members. This started

3648-428: Was developing, the album produced several popular songs, including "China Cat Sunflower", which became an enduring part of the Grateful Dead's repertoire. A few months before Aoxomoxoa was released, Hunter and his then-partner Christie Bourne began sharing a house with Garcia, his wife, and his step-daughter. Living in close proximity gave additional impetus to their collaborative songwriting. Hunter's relationship with

3712-401: Was distributed as an in-concert newsletter at several hundred Grateful Dead concerts, where it averaged 10,000 copies per run. Dupree's Diamond News was also distributed on a quarterly basis as a full-color, 72-page magazine to approximately 35,000 international subscriptions. In 1998, Grateful Dead scholar Johnny Dwork , the founder of Terrapin Flyer and Dupree's Diamond News , published

3776-719: Was in New Mexico, he wrote lyrics for three songs. These songs—"China Cat Sunflower", " St. Stephen ", and "Alligator"—would become hits for the Grateful Dead . In 1965, Garcia, Ron McKernan , Bob Weir , Phil Lesh and Bill Kreutzmann formed a band, initially called the Warlocks, but soon renamed the Grateful Dead. They covered songs from other artists but soon began to form their own sound. They recorded and released their first album, which included only two original songs, but soon afterward began to develop more of their own, and started work on "Alligator", using Hunter's lyrics. As

3840-522: Was in the best interest of the band for fans to tape concerts. In 1982, Garcia himself was asked what he thought about it, and he replied, "When we are done with it [the concerts], they can have it." The practice of taping has evolved and expanded in the digital age. The rise of the Internet and peer to peer file sharing networks has made it extremely easy for Deadheads to share concerts through unofficial and official channels. Bob Dylan , who toured with

3904-597: Was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Grateful Dead in 1994, and is the only non-performer to be inducted as a member of a band. Upon his death, Rolling Stone described him as "one of rock's most ambitious and dazzling lyricists". Hunter was born Robert Burns on June 23, 1941, in Arroyo Grande, California , near San Luis Obispo. He was a great-great-grandson of the Romantic poet Robert Burns , according to Charles Perry . Hunter's father

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3968-440: Was more interested in writing. By 1962, he had written a book, The Silver Snarling Trumpet , described by McNally as a roman à clef . McNally writes that it shows Hunter's "skill at storytelling and his fantastic ear for dialogue". Recordings of folk and bluegrass bands that included Hunter and Garcia were later released on two albums – Folk Time (2016) and Before the Dead (2018). Sit back picture yourself swooping up

4032-414: Was one of the few lyricists who "delved into the unique characteristics of the American psyche". Hunter was the only writer to collaborate extensively with Dylan. During the 2000s, Dylan said Hunter had "a way with words", and "we both write a different type of song than what passes today for songwriting." Hunter was famously averse to explaining his lyrics and avoided interviews. Dennis McNally, author of

4096-511: Was titled Anton Round , which was an alias used by Ron Rakow. The Grateful Dead's appeal to fans was supported by the way the band structured their concerts and the use of the jam band format. The band's extensive song catalog enabled them to create a varied "rotation" of setlists, which were never exactly the same for each performance ("show") throughout a tour. The use of these unique set rotations created two phenomena: The first had to do with Deadheads wanting to go to more shows in order to get

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