Grateful Dead
The Dead’s performance history is best explored through individual nights and tape lineages, not through a simple list of famous dates. Official show records and label releases establish different kinds of evidence.
1965 origins · A recording culture · Last editorial source review 2026-10-29
6 documented research notes
- 1965origins
The musicians played as the Warlocks in 1965 before adopting the Grateful Dead name later that year.
- 1965personnel
Early members included Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron McKernan, Bill Kreutzmann and Phil Lesh.
- 1965context
The band became associated with Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests by December 1965.
- 1977archive
Official show records document the Boston, Cornell and Buffalo concerts on three consecutive May nights.
- 1977repertoire
The Cornell concert includes Scarlet Begonias and Fire on the Mountain, followed later by Morning Dew.
- 2017official release
Rhino issued Cornell 5/8/77 officially as part of a larger four-show May 1977 archival program.
Questions still open
- Associate audience, soundboard and matrix recordings with distinct lineage evidence.
- Document individual performance transitions without equating title adjacency with segues.
Source bibliography · 6 references
- Grateful Dead · 1965 retrospective ↗artist official
- Grateful Dead · official biography ↗artist official
- Grateful Dead · Boston May 7, 1977 show record ↗artist official
- Grateful Dead · Buffalo May 9, 1977 show record ↗artist official
- Grateful Dead · Cornell May 8, 1977 show record ↗artist official
- Rhino · 2017 Cornell and May 1977 archival release ↗label official