MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
Followers of the Grateful Dead call this week the Days Between - that is, the days between the anniversaries of the birth and death of guitarist Jerry Garcia. Musicians who have played with or followed in the footsteps of the Grateful Dead are among the many who observe. As part of a series from NPR Music about the Dead's legacy, Felix Contreras spoke with some of them.
FELIX CONTRERAS, BYLINE: Some people are born Deadheads, and some have to find their way to the band. On paper, you'd assume that Jim James would be the lifelong sort of fan. His band, My Morning Jacket, is known for a quirky, twangy sound rooted in folk and sprinkled with psychedelia. Except, for a long time, he hated the Grateful Dead. But his mind began to change when he started listening to the Dead's acoustic songs, like "Candyman," which he covered on a massive 2016 tribute album to the band called "Day Of The Dead."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "CANDYMAN")
JIM JAMES: (Singing) Look out, look out, the Candyman...
I think there's a beautiful bravery and freedom in the Dead 'cause sometimes they don't do a good job. Sometimes it's a mess - hearing bad notes and they're lost for a while. And then they find it again or whatever, you know? And that's life.
CONTRERAS: Jeff Tweedy's band Wilco also contributed a cover to that tribute album - a fiery, early Dead jam called "St. Stephen." They performed it with Dead guitarist Bob Weir.
(SOUNDBITE OF WILCO SONG, "ST. STEPHEN")
CONTRERAS: As a musician, Tweedy says he's fascinated by the idea that if you consider the band's individual parts, the whole of the Grateful Dead should not have worked.
JEFF TWEEDY: It really is kind of a miracle, you know (laughter), that it would work, that a bass player not consistently interested in the root note would work with a guy that cut his teeth playing bluegrass and different types of music, and then a young kid that seems to know every chord voicing in the world.
CONTRERAS: Another miracle many have learned from - the Dead's improv skills. In 2018, Weir handpicked the veteran producer and musician Don Was to play bass in his trio called the Wolf Bros.
DON WAS: My first thought was, I'm going to take a master class from this fearless improviser and I'm going to learn how to stop thinking so much. And I'm going to learn how to not be afraid to take a leap with things and then I'm going to apply that to every aspect of my life.
(SOUNDBITE OF WOLF BROS SONG, "BROKEDOWN PALACE (LIVE)")
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: Whoo.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: Whoo.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: Whoo.
CONTRERAS: Grahame Lesh was literally born into the Grateful Dead life. His father was Phil Lesh, the band's founding bassist. His dad died in 2024, and Grahame now plays the Dead songs with his own band. What Phil Lesh taught his son is a lesson that applies to anyone who plays the music of the Dead, whether you're on the front porch with your kids or on a stage in front of thousands.
GRAHAME LESH: My folks described the Grateful Dead as a big, old oak tree. The roots were, like, the jazz and the blues, and the trunk is the band members, and the branches and the leaves are everyone inspired by them. That's what I am - all of us. And it'll grow and grow. And not every tree lives forever, but it outlives all of us.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BIRD SONG")
GRATEFUL DEAD: (Singing) Don't cry now.
CONTRERAS: And so the long, strange trip may indeed go on forever.
Felix Contreras, NPR News.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BIRD SONG")
GRATEFUL DEAD: (Singing) Don't you cry anymore.
MARTIN: You can read and hear a lot more from NPR Music on the legacy of the Dead at npr.org/gratefuldead.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "BIRD SONG")
GRATEFUL DEAD: (Singing) Sleep in the stars. Don't you cry. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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