Ladies and gentlemen, I present for your wonder and bewilderment an elusive creature. A creature more fleeting than the Loch Ness Monster or Sasquatch. A creature more difficult to catch than a leprechun riding bareass on a unicorn. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Black Deadhead. Seriously, with the exception of President Obama, who met with the surviving members this week, I have not seen or heard of any African-American fans of the Grateful Dead, which is mystifying. The sight of a Black Deadhead nestled in tie dye is a rare one indeed. But ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to report that one has been found in her natural habitat. She has been sighted in front of her laptop listening to a Dead bootleg and writing a post for her blog....Okay, it's me. Yeah, this Sistah has much love for the Dead. I still got the tie-die shirt I bought at a 1989 Dead concert at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC. Why the Dead? Because I find them so damn mellow. When I listen to a song like "Wharf Rat," it's like I'm being transported to a cook-out in late summer enjoying a good buzz and listening to my uncles talk shit as they play cards. I can seriously chill to the Dead. Why not love them. The Dead's music transcends race, so I'm representing for the Black Deadheads who are still in hiding....so far.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteI wish I would have found this earlier! I am also a fan of the Dead. My first show was Soldier Field 1992
Nice post! I've been a Deadhead since 1976 when I picked up the "Steal Your Face" LP...I was 15. In 1980, I went to the first of many shows (including The Jerry Garcia Band and Bobby & The Midnights), met a lot of cool people but, unfortunately, never ran into any Black folks. It's been a long strange trip but it's to finally "meet" two other Black Deadheads!
ReplyDeleteMake it three! My first show was at Nassau, April 12, 1982.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you, Barbara!
DeleteMake it three! My first show was at Nassau, April 12, 1982.
ReplyDeleteI saw a black woman at the Fare Thee Well shows. My first thought was:
ReplyDeletehttps://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JAd0sx3E2eI
marry me!!!
ReplyDeletemarry me!!!
ReplyDeleteMy first show was September 2, 1978 at Giants Stadium. New Riders of the Purple Sage and Willie Nelson opened the show. Nowadays, I go to Phish shows.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am always ecstatic when I hear people discussing the GD; and being a white man from a very mixed town I always knew there were people of all walks of life who love good classic music, albeit been there done that. I grew up going to shows in my teens and am now in mid 40's. So I love older rap..wu tang and tupac... etc. I grew up liking both for both different and similar reasons. So thanks for the blog my sista from another mister!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am so pleased to have found this blog. I have always said I would follow two musicians, Bob Marley and Jerry Garcia, both touch me and rip my heart out often. For me it is more about JGB. As a Black woman who sings in two JGB/Dead bands, I often look around and think, "there is a lot of soul in this music" - I wish people could "hear" it. <3
ReplyDeleteHi Sugaree! Where are you located? I would love to see you perform in both of your JGB/GD bands!
DeleteHere’s another one! Unfortunately, my first live Dead shows was FTW. I missed out.
ReplyDeletePigpen's girlfriend Veronica Barnard or Vee for short was an African-American and they probably would have been married had Pigpen not died. She is not living anymore either.She was in poor health back then and I heard she has passed away. They are together in heaven.
ReplyDelete