I'll just say, to my delicate sensibilities, that it would be wrong to let that go by un-commemorated." If there are hatchets to be buried, then let's get to work. If there are issues we have to get past, I think that we owe it to ourselves to man up and get past them. I think we owe it to the fans, we owe it to the songs and we owe it to ourselves. In an interview earlier this year with Rolling Stone magazine, Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir addressed the 50th anniversary and said: "Let me start by saying that I'm already in my 50th year, so this is an ongoing process.
While rumors of a reunion of the remaining Grateful Dead members persist, there has been no official announcement by the band. Now the spirit of the Dead lives on, and you either got it or you are yearning for it." The other component to the Grateful Dead's enduring popularity, adds Pinkus, "is the freedom and excitement that the band was able to create at its shows. It was the pinnacle of their recording career."ĬLICK HERE TO SEE A TIMELINE OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD BRAND. 1 touring group 10 years consecutively from 1985 to 1995. Most people like to think of them as a '60s band, but they were really an '80s band. In fact, the Grateful Dead didn't have a top 10 hit ("Touch of Grey" from the In the Dark album) until 1987.
"The music was never trendy, and it never sounded like music of '60s, '70s or '80s. "The timelessness of the music is the key element that defines the Grateful Dead's longevity," according to Pinkus. This popularity is underscored by the fact that the band has not performed publicly together in almost 20 years and has endured despite the loss of several original band members, including the passing of frontman Jerry Garcia in 1995. From the readily identifiable Skull & Roses artwork that donned the cover of the group's first album in 1966 to the bold and classic 50th anniversary logo, Rhino Entertainment has established the Grateful Dead as one of the leading rock band licensing programs in the world. Through the years, Rhino Entertainment has been able to leverage the band's distinctive images, creating reiterations from fans and various celebrity artists into thousands of variations and hundreds of licensed products across all retail sectors. Pinkus' enthusiasm reflects the breadth and scope of the Grateful Dead's licensing program. įor some awesome free Grateful Dead desktop wallpaper and computer backgrounds take a look at The site is owned by George Glasser and features his artwork and writing as well as a short bio.Mark Pinkus, president, Rhino Entertainment If you're looking for some cool GD memorabilia to decorate your walls be sure to check out Wolfgang's Vault. That way I can still immerse myself in the Grateful Dead art that I love and which adds so much to the band's whole mystique. I really just want it for decorative purposes anyway so I settle for later printings and less expensive reproductions. Unfortunately I can't afford most of the original art since it has become somewhat rare and highly collectible over the years. I've got this stuff plastered all over my walls, my computer, my bookshelves and my CD racks. The wildly creative images associated with the band are a big part of their appeal. I have nearly as much interest in Grateful Dead art as I do in their music. Many came directly from their album and poster art such as the famous GD dancing bears. The spectacular light shows, the mind altering drugs, the gorgeous album covers and concert posters that can stand on their own as fine art - these all began in the sixties and the Dead were involved in one way or another.įor our purposes here, I think Grateful Dead art can be divided into four major categories:įew bands have so many cool graphics, images and logos that are instantly recognizable to millions of people. So many of the things we take for granted today as being part of the art of rock music can be traced directly back to that point in time. Rarely has a band been at the center of a cultural explosion as powerful as that of San Francisco in the 60's. The band's name also played a big part in their artwork as evidenced by the skulls and skeletons that appear everywhere. Many of the surreal images found in Grateful Dead art can be seen as graphic representations of the visions produced by the potent combination of drugs and music. I'm sure the chemicals also had a major influence on the artists that illustrated their trip. I think it's safe to say that mind altering drugs had a huge influence on the music of the Dead.