The other official members of the band are Tom Constanten (keyboards 1968–1970), John Perry Barlow (non-performing lyricist 1971–1995), Keith Godchaux (keyboards, occasional vocals 1971–1979), Donna Godchaux (vocals 1972–1979), Brent Mydland (keyboards, vocals 1979–1990), and Vince Welnick (keyboards, vocals 1990–1995). With the exception of McKernan, who died in 1973, and Hart, who took time off from 1971 to 1974, the core of the band stayed together for its entire 30-year history. Drummer Mickey Hart and non-performing lyricist Robert Hunter joined in 1967. Lesh was the last member to join the Warlocks before they changed their name to the Grateful Dead, replacing Dana Morgan Jr., who had played bass for a few gigs. Members of the Grateful Dead, originally known as the Warlocks, had played together in various Bay Area ensembles, including the traditional jug band Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions. The founding members were Jerry Garcia ( lead guitar, vocals), Bob Weir (rhythm guitar, vocals), Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan ( keyboards, harmonica, vocals), Phil Lesh ( bass, vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann ( drums). The Grateful Dead was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area amid the rise of the counterculture of the 1960s.

According to the musician and writer Lenny Kaye, 'Their music touches on ground that most other groups don't even know exists.' For the range of their influences and the structure of their live performances, the Grateful Dead are considered 'the pioneering godfathers of the jam band world'. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, folk, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, gospel, reggae, and world music with psychedelia for its differentiated live performances centered around improvisation and for its devoted fan base, known as ' Deadheads'. The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California.

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