Jerry Garcia Born: Grateful Dead's Architect Arrives
Jerry Garcia didn't want to be a rock star. He wanted to play bluegrass and old-time string music. The Grateful Dead was supposed to be a house band for Ken Kesey's acid test parties. Garcia ended up fronting the most devoted touring machine in rock history — a band that played nearly 2,400 concerts over three decades to a fan base that followed them from city to city. He was 53 when he died of a heart attack in 1995 at a drug rehabilitation center. He'd been struggling with heroin for twenty years.
August 1, 1942
84 years ago
What Else Happened on August 1
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