Grateful Dead members list explored as co-founder and bassist Phil Lesh dies aged 84

Phil Lesh, the co-founder of Bay Area rock band Grateful Dead, passed away at 84. The unfortunate news was announced in an Instagram post shared on the rockstar's profile on Friday, October 25, 2024, which added that he passed away peacefully surrounded by his family.

"Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We request that you respect the Lesh family's privacy at this time," the message added.

Hailing from Berkely, California, Lesh grew up studying classical music. According to the rock musician's obituary by The Guardian, he trained under composers Luciano Berio and Steve Reich.

Lesh, along with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, and Bill Kreutzmann, formed the band in 1965. He played with the band throughout its 30-year run. However, other than the core members, several artists were part of the band over the years, including Donna Godchaux, Vince Welnick, and John Perry Barlow.

Grateful Dead originally performed as the Warlocks before renaming the band in 1965

Jerry Garcia, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Bob Weir, Dana Morgan Jr., and Bill Kreutzmann originally performed as the Warlocks, a jug band from Palo Alto, California. Soon after Phil Lesh joined the group, replacing Morgan Jr., they changed their name to Grateful Dead. Mickey Hart and Robert Hunter would join the group in 1967.

Except for Pigpen (who passed away in 1973) and Hart (who left the band between 1971 and 1974), the core members remained together for the entirety of the band's run. Here is a list of all the core members of the band:

Jerry Garcia

Garcia was the lead guitarist and performed vocals for the group. A profile on the band's website explained that "it was his warm, charismatic personality that earned him the affection of millions of Dead Heads (fans of the band)." He began playing guitar at the age of 15.

is also known for his songwriting. The guitarist passed away in 1995 from a heart attack. He is survived by four daughters.

Bob Weir

Weir was only 14 when he first began playing the guitar. He initially formed Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions with Garcia and later the Warlocks.

According to his profile on the band's website, at 17, Weir played for Grateful Dead first as the rhythm guitarist and later as a co-vocalist. He wrote several important tracks for the band, including The Other One, Sugar Magnolia, Playing in the Band, and Throwing Stones.

According to his Instagram profile, he married Natascha Muenter. They share two daughters, Chloe and Momo. He currently plays with his band RatDog.

Bill Kreutzmann

Kreutzmann was the drummer for Grateful Dead. He began playing the drums for his mother, who taught dance at Stanford University. According to his profile on the group's page, he was mentored by Lee Anderson of Perry Lane. It continued:

"Bill was a rock veteran by 1965, having worked in a local R & B group, The Legends."

After the group disbanded, Bill spent his time out in the ocean surfing, kayaking, and diving. Kreutzmann then became part of several acts, including a few with former bandmates (The Other Ones and The Dead).

Phil Lesh

Phil Lesh was the last member to join the Warlocks before they changed their name to Grateful Dead. He began his musical journey studying classical violin before taking up the trumpet. Per his profile, Lesh never played bass guitar before joining the group but gave it a shot after Garcia's prompting, and the rest is history. Describing his style, the profile explained:

"Instead of being part of the rhythm section, Phil's bass was a low-end guitar, and his improvised interplay with Garcia and Weir made the Dead the not-quite-rock-band rock band that it was."

The guitarist later married Jill Lesh, and they have two sons, Grahame and Brian. Following Grateful Dead's disbanding, Lesh continued his musical career, forming several acts, including Phil and Friends.

Mickey Hart

Hart joined Grateful Dead after a brief encounter with Bill Kreutzmann in 1967. Per his profile, he was born to drummer parents and first took up percussion in high school and later in military marching bands.

Describing Hart's playing style, the website explained:

"His influence over the next year was to push the band into complex, multirhythmic explorations. A student of Ustad Allah Rakah (Ravi Shankar's tabla player), he added various strains of non-Western music to the Dead's general atmosphere."

Following the turn of the century, Hart has been involved in several music conservation projects, including the Library of Congress's Endangered Music Project.

Robert Hunter

Hunter at the Songwriters Hall Of Fame 46th Annual Induction And Awards (Image via Getty)

Hunter was a non-performing lyricist for Grateful Dead. He first met Garcia in 1961, and the pair played together over the next few years (especially before the Deads formed). However, Hunter's heart lay in poetry, and in 1967, he fulfilled his wish - becoming a lyricist for the band.

Deads' website credits Hunter's lyrics for "elevate(ing) their songs from ditties to rich, complete stories set to song."

Ron "Pigpen" McKernan

Per Dead.net, forming a band (both the Warlocks and the Grateful Dead) was actually McKernan's idea, adding that he was "its first front man, delivering stinging harmonica, keyboards, and beautiful blues vocals."

However, his time with the group was shortlived. Pigpen died in March 1973 of internal hemorrhaging caused by his drinking.

Other official members that joined Grateful Dead over the years

Over the years, several musicians joined the Grateful Dead in an official capacity. However, their time was brief. The other members include:

Tom Constanten - played keyboards from 1968 to 1970
Keith Godchaux - played keyboard and occasionally provided vocals from 1971 to 1979
Donna Jean Godchaux - provided vocals from 1972 to 1979
Brent Mydland - played keyboards and provided vocals from 1979 to 1990
Vince Welnick - played keyboards and provided vocals from 1990 to 1995

Additionally, John Perry Barlow, a political activist, poet, and essayist, co-wrote the songs for Grateful Dead from 1971 till its breakup in 1995.

Grateful Dead disbanded soon after Jerry Garcia's death. However, its members continued making music and performing various acts together and separately.

Edited by Ivanna Lalsangzuali