Besides, the Grateful Dead gave us a quintessentially American story. They were a bunch of grungey hippies from Palo Alto who put together a band, originally calling themselves The Warlocks. The original group was made up of guys who were the remnants of two failed local Palo Alto bands, Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, and The Wildwood Boys. In 1965, when the band was looking for a new name, front-man Jerry Garcia looked in an old encyclopedia, and said, "Hey, man, how about the Grateful Dead?" And thus was a rock legend born. The Dead were a garage band made good, and were always about the show and the fans.

Because the Grateful Dead was primarily a concert band, I picked five great live performances; you may note that the first three were in Denver, in 1991, which is significant to me because somewhere out there, my wife and I are in that audience. So, here:

1: "Saint of Circumstance," Denver, CO, 1991. This tune was first released on the concert album recorded at New Jersey's Giants Stadium in 1991, which was later released on a three-CD set in 2019. It's a fun tune, kind of thoughtful, with good lyrics, and good instrumentals - and it was a late concert staple. When we saw the band in Denver, I remember commenting to my wife that this was a new one - I had been a Dead fan for many years already and this video, right here, represents the first time I heard this one.

 2: "Iko Iko," Denver, CO, 1991.  "Iko Iko" is a really fun tune and the Grateful Dead do it great credit - but it's not their song, it's a cover. The Dead did plenty of covers, of course, but this one isn't a traditional rock & roll tune but rather an old New Orleans staple about a parade collision between two tribes of Mardi Gras celebrants. The Dixie Cups made it a hit in 1965, but the Dead put their own spin on it. 3: "Mississippi Half Step," Denver, CO, 1991. This song first appeared on the 1976 album "Steal Your Face," recorded in 1974 at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, and is a fun, rollicking tune featuring Jerry Garcia's guitar work and his lighthearted vocals. Again, in this video, my wife and I were out there in the audience. We paid $17 for the open-seating tickets; the band had Branford Marsalis playing sax with them and Bruce Hornsby on keyboards. The opening act was Carlos Santana; for a while, Carlos came back on stage to play with the boys. Worth every penny. 4: "Uncle John's Band," Mountain View, CA, 1991. This immortal song was one of the Grateful Dead's concert mainstays. It first appeared in the concert lineup in 1969 and was first released in the studio album "Workingman's Dead." It's a song that bears listening to carefully, as the lyrics are thoughtful - and again, Jerry's guitar work and vocals just shine. 

5: "Hell in a Bucket," Oakland, CA, 1987. Originally released in the Dead's 12th studio album, "In the Dark" in 1987, this is a great example of some of the Grateful Dead's later works; the whole album rates a listen, even though I prefer the band's live stuff over most of their studio work, "In the Dark" includes not only this but songs like "Throwing Stones," which is also one of my favorites.

 The Grateful Dead was a phenomenon. Their work spanned generations; they had a veritable legion of fans who followed them, faithfully, from state to state, from show to show, some of them selling t-shirts, swag (and sometimes other things) to pay for tickets. The "Deadheads" formed an industry unto themselves, in addition to producing some great tunes - and some great covers. If there are any young up-and-coming bands out there that are approaching their equal, I'm not aware of them.

So, listen and enjoy. Have you any suggestions and/or favorites of your own? The comments are yours!