Grateful Dead - Life on the Road
Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California, amid the rise of the counterculture of the 1960’s. The band was known for it’s eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, gospel, and psychedelic rock for live performances. They developed a devoted fan base, known as “Deadheads”, and have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.
It’s been 25 years since the Grateful Dead played their last show at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 9, 1995. A month later on August 9, founding member and idolized frontman Jerry Garcia was dead of a heart attack. But the music never stopped, and in the decades since then, Garcia’s legend has grown, and so has the business of the Dead, which has become a premier brand with partners in apparel, footwear, furniture and décor, accessories and even beauty products. The band’s live shows were the stuff of legend. The virtual treasure trove of high-quality recordings are still available all over the web and on streaming platforms.
Local Fairfield resident David Lemieux is front and center to this explosion in the business of the Dead. David has been the audiovisual Archivist of the Grateful Dead since 1999, and he has hosted the Dead music on Sirius XM radio channel 23 since 2007. He also puts together podcasts of “Dave’s Picks”, “Sea Side Chats”, and “Shakedown Stream” which can be found on the Grateful Dead YouTube channel.
David will join our Wednesday Rotary meeting this week to tell us how he became the Audiovisual Archivist for the Grateful Dead and discuss the ongoing cultural impact of their music.