Bob Weir |
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Sat. October 16.1999 3:02 AM EDT |
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Bob Weirby Frank Tortorici |
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Bob Weir has remained busy since the demise of the Grateful Dead. ( ) |
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Guitarist/singer Bob Weir was a founding member of the legendary psychedelic jam band the Grateful Dead. The band folded upon leader Jerry Garcia's death in 1995. A rock-'n'-roller since his teens, Weir has subsequently been active with his
Robert Hall Weir was born Oct. 16, 1947, in San Francisco. He joined Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, which also included Garcia and keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, in 1964. The following year, the group acquired new members, renamed itself the Warlocks and soon became prominent in the San Francisco hippie community. The band eventually chose the name Grateful Dead. After signing with Warner Brothers, the Dead issued their eponymous 1967 debut LP and 1968's more experimental Anthem of the Sun. Following the equally intricate Aoxomoxoa (1969), the Dead created their two 1970 masterpieces — Workingman's Dead, which featured tracks such as "Black Peter" (RealAudio excerpt), and American Beauty, which included the signature Dead songs "Friend of the Devil" and "Sugar Magnolia." The compelling, country-inflected tunes on the two albums formed the bulk of the Dead's concert repertoire for years. The Dead appeared at such seminal rock events as 1967's Monterey Pop Festival and 1969's Woodstock. In the early '70s the band began its legendary touring schedule, which spawned the legion of "Deadheads" who followed them around and became one of rock's most famous phenomena. Weir was a mainstay of the band through numerous lineup changes, including McKernan's death in 1973 and the addition, then subtraction, of husband and wife Keith and Donna Godchaux. In the '80s and '90s, the Grateful Dead went on to become one of music's biggest touring sensations, breaking attendance records until Garcia's death in 1995. The Grateful Dead, including McKernan, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Weir began making records under his own name and with other musicians in 1972, when he released Ace; he joined a group of musicians in a group called Kingfish, which issued an album of the same name in 1976 and Kingfish Live a year later. Heaven Help the Fool followed in 1978. Weir formed the band Bobby and the Midnites for the 1981 LP of the same name. This decade, he also began touring with the band Ratdog, which included Wasserman. Earlier this year, teen-pop sensations Hanson joined Weir and Wasserman during one of their New York gigs. Last month Weir, Donna Godchaux and Phil Lesh of the Dead sang the national anthem at the last San Francisco Giants game played at 3Com Park (formerly Candlestick Park). Ratdog are planning to release an album soon. Other birthdays Saturday: C.F. Turner (Bachman-Turner Overdrive), 56; Merilee Rush, 51; Gary Kemp (Spandau Ballet), 40; Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), 37; Wendy Wilson (Wilson Phillips), 30; and Nico, 1938–1988. |
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