When you think of the Grateful Dead, no one would blame you if you thought first of music, then maybe hippies, sex - well, just to save time, sex, drugs and rock and roll.
They were the premier counterculture band.
Starting as the Warlocks, Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Micky Hart, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and the rest morphed into the Dead. Toss in excessive psychedelics, a tight bond with fans - “Deadheads” - and amazing iconography which kind of blended psychedelics, a ‘60s sensibility and, of course, lots of skeletons and the Dead were highly distinct.