Best Grateful Dead Books
The Grateful Dead are truly one of the greatest American bands in our history. They can blend the sounds of folk, country, rock, psychedelic, blues, and more to create a unique sound that no other band has been able to duplicate. The Grateful Dead have just celebrated their 50th anniversary, and even though their run of music has ended their influence still continues in the form of their catalog.
Born out of the 1960’s, The Grateful Dead have been filling air with songs for many years. They have experienced much success and tragedy while tuning their craft. As I started to get into their music as a kid I began to be intrigued by their mystique, persona, and what was behind their music. The bookworm that I am, I began to read and try to find the best Grateful Dead books on the market.
One of the best ways to understand the music of The Grateful Dead is by reading books about them. The problem with reading books about them is there are so many! With so many books about them it is hard to determine which are the best Grateful Dead Books. I have read many of them and I wanted to provide you with the best Grateful Dead books so you know which ones to read and where to start.
The first Grateful Dead book that I read was A Long Strange Trip: The Inside History of the Grateful Dead. To be honest this is my favorite book about The Grateful Dead! This is a trustworthy source as the author, Dennis Mcnally was their official historian and publicist. He was with the band for more than twenty years and saw the bulk of their history face to face. This book goes into great detail on their origin, which I loved. You found out a lot about how they got to become The Grateful Dead, how they got their name, and what led to some of their tragic deaths. You also read about a lot of the side characters that were involved and influential to the band (Ken Kesey, Neal Cassady, and Owsley “Bear” Stanley). Any Dead fan should have this book because it is one of the best Grateful Dead books on the market.
The next book that does a wonderful job at telling the Grateful Dead story is So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead. This book is unique compared to the above book because its story goes until 2009. Mcnally’s book stops at the death of Garcia in 1996, but as we all know the story continues beyond that. I love this book because of the rich detail that it provides the reader. I also find this book unique in that it focuses deeply on specific days in Dead history, rather than a period of time. It is also a very balanced book because you hear from many people from Dead history and culture. You are not getting a one sided view, but really a panoramic picture of The Grateful Dead and their history. David Browne has done a wonderful job with this book and it proves to be one of the best Dead books out there.
Those are my two favorite grateful dead books on the market today, but a few you should think about picking up are the below. I think the below are great to have and read because they help to give you more about the Dead history. The below books are either written by a band member or about a band member. The authors focused primarily on the life of the band member, but you still get to hear about the Dead from their point of view. They are all worthy to have on your bookshelf!
Those are my two favorite grateful dead books on the market today, but a few you should think about picking up are the below. I think the below are great to have and read because they help to give you more about the Dead history. The below books are either written by a band member or about a band member. The authors focused primarily on the life of the band member, but you still get to hear about the Dead from their point of view. They are all worthy to have on your bookshelf!
Garcia : An American Life, is a wonderful looking into the life and struggles of one of the greatest musicians of all time. Garcia was not just a rock guitarist but a banjo player and steel guitar player. All this more you can find in this wonderful book.
Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead, by drummer Bill Kreutzmann is an incredible inside look into the band who was there from beginning to end. You can hear from a man who was there and lived to tell about it all! This book is wild from beginning to end and gives you a great picture into Kreutzmann's life and The Grateful Dead. A wonderful Grateful Dead book!
Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead, by bassist Phil Lesh was one of the first Dead books to be written. Phil had the brains of the group and it really shines through in his work. Personally, I find it amazing that these guys can remember all this stuff after they did all those drugs! A great Grateful Dead book!
There you have it! In my opinion, those are the greatest books about The Grateful Dead out there. If I were you, I would read them all and enjoy them! Most importantly, let there be songs to fill the air!
There you have it! In my opinion, those are the greatest books about The Grateful Dead out there. If I were you, I would read them all and enjoy them! Most importantly, let there be songs to fill the air!
