Born in San Francisco, California, Jerry Garcia was a musician, songwriter, artist and lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic rock band The Grateful Dead. Despite disavowing the role, he was viewed by many as the leader or “spokesman” of the group.
Garcia was one of the original founders of the Grateful Dead and performed with the band for its entire three-decade career which spanned from 1965 to 1995. He also founded and participated in a variety of side projects, including the Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, the Garcia/Grisman acoustic duo, and Legion of Mary. Garcia also released several solo albums and contributed to a number of albums by other artists over the years as a session musician.
He was well known by many for his distinctive guitar playing and was ranked 13th in Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarist of All Time.” Garcia was well-noted for his “soulful extended guitar improvisations,” which would frequently feature interplay between himself and his fellow band members. Later in life, he was sometimes ill because of his unstable weight, and in 1986, experienced a diabetic shock that nearly cost him his life. Garcia also struggled with heroin addiction and was residing in a drug rehabilitation facility when he died of a heart attack on August 9, 1995.
