Almost 30 years after disbanding the Grateful Dead are still making history

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After the passing of their lead guitarist and vocalist, Jerry Garcia, in 1995, The Grateful Dead as a band came to an end. However, the surviving members carried on making music in various forms.

Even three decades past their disbandment, The Grateful Dead continued to make historical milestones – a feat achieved not once but twice in a single year (2024). The first instance took place in February when they surpassed the record for most Top 40 albums that charted on the Billboard 200.

Previously, Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra were the ones who held the record with 58 albums each. However, The Dead managed to surpass them by releasing their album “Dave’s Picks, Volume 49: Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford U., Palo Alto, CA (4/27/85 & 4/28/85)” which debuted at number 25 on the Billboard charts. This was an unexpectedly high position for a live album from an older band.

The Grateful Dead are still finding a way to make history

It was discovered that 41 out of the band’s total 59 songs in the Top 40 chart have occurred since 2012, largely due to the success of a collection of archival albums put together by David Lemieux. There’s a strong likelihood that this streak will persist as the Dave’s Picks series carries on, and with more live albums from the band being released as well.

2024 saw The Grateful Dead etching another milestone in music history – a remarkable addition to their illustrious career. I was thrilled to learn that they were among the esteemed recipients of the 2024 Kennedy Center Honors for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, an honor shared with filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, blues artist Bonnie Raitt, jazz maestro Arturo Sandoval, and the legendary Apollo Theater. This recognition truly underscores their lasting impact on the arts.

Regarding the accolade, guitarist Bob Weir, one of the remaining band members, remarked, “A while back, we were almost considered outsiders. But that’s all shifted now. Essentially, we’ve become part of the American musical legacy, which is where we truly belong.

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2025-01-28 17:00