Grateful Dead singer dies

[kan...@aol.com]

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/donna-jean-dead-grateful-dead-vocalist-1235458509/

G and DF will need to tell us, do we care? I mean more than any other death.. 

[GMoney]

On Mon, Nov 3, 2025 at 6:20 PM 'kan...@aol.com' via Kansas City Diversity Coalition <kansas-city-div...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/donna-jean-dead-grateful-dead-vocalist-1235458509/

G and DF will need to tell us, do we care? I mean more than any other death.. 

I really enjoyed the dimension she added especially on my favorite Dead album "Terrapin Station".  She had a really great voice.....sang with Percy Sledge and Elvis among others. 

She's the sole singer on "Sunrise" from that album. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6W2SQfNNvRc

If you didn't know better....you'd NEVER think this was a Grateful Dead song. Beautiful....

RIP Donna.

[David Fairchild]

Never really got the Dead. They were kinda the Nirvana of the 60s. Overrated. Touch of Gray is okay...

Musically the best Bay Area 60s and early 70s band was/is the Sons of Champlin -- by far. The best Bay Area solo artist of the era was Pearl.

[GMoney]

On Tue, Nov 4, 2025 at 9:45 AM David Fairchild <dfairc...@gmail.com> wrote:

Never really got the Dead. They were kinda the Nirvana of the 60s. Overrated. Touch of Gray is okay...

Yep...you either dug 'em or you didn't. I won't try to sell anyone on them. Musically they were....adequate. But they found a sound and a following and cultivated a vibe and a community that had obvious staying power.  Many, myself included, were as much drawn to that as the music itself.  They wrote/recorded over 10,000 songs.....10,000!! Touch of Grey was their ONLY top 10 hit. 

 

Musically the best Bay Area 60s and early 70s band was/is the Sons of Champlin -- by far. The best Bay Area solo artist of the era was Pearl.

Will take your word for it....

[B Keg]

Definitely a niche band built on live performances and a dedicated fan base. Saw them once at an outdoor concert in Frisco circa 1983. That was enough for me. I did have a cute girl hit on me but when I said I didnt have any weed she lost interest immediately.

Be nice, even when you don't want to!

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[kan...@aol.com]

So I felt obliged to read the Wiki article on the Dead. Amazing body of work. Over 2000 live concerts. Almost all have been recorded by audience members (the Dead encouraged this) and are available. They were very improvisational, drawing on many music genres. Also very psychedelic. That probably leads to their "niche" status. They really ushed in the style of music that has been adopted by others. 

All very interesting.

Lots of members died prematurely. 

[GMoney]

On Tue, Nov 4, 2025 at 4:54 PM 'kan...@aol.com' via Kansas City Diversity Coalition <kansas-city-div...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

So I felt obliged to read the Wiki article on the Dead. Amazing body of work. Over 2000 live concerts. Almost all have been recorded by audience members (the Dead encouraged this) and are available. They were very improvisational, drawing on many music genres. Also very psychedelic. That probably leads to their "niche" status. They really ushed in the style of music that has been adopted by others. 

All very interesting.

Lots of members died prematurely. 

Yep and yep. 

It's hard to describe what the culture was like unless you were there.......hippies can be dirty and flaky and all the other stereotypes are also true....but man they are a friendly, fun bunch...and i enjoyed every second i was there. 

Should we talk about Phish now...?  :) 

[kan...@aol.com]

I'd just have to listen; don't know much about them. 

How deep is my ignorance? I've confused them with Country Joe and the Fish. 

Leave it at that. 

[David Fairchild]

Ken, please tell us you know of the Sons of Champlin -- being a California boy and all...

[kan...@aol.com]

Heard of them; how's that? 

I just wasn't inculcated into the music scene of that  time. Mostly listened to what others were playing, records, radio, etc. So pretty much mainstream artists. You  know, the ones you hear in elevators today. 

[David Fairchild]

Gotcha. I would have loved to have seen them 50+ years ago.