What the Grateful Dead Can Show a Fractured America
COMMENTARY by J. Peder Zane
After the last key member of the Grateful Dead, guitarist Bob Weir, died last week at the age of 78, the cascade of loving tributes published far and wide underscored how he and his fellow band of misfits had created a new form of music that personified America.
In our melting pot nation, the Dead uniquely wove together the many strands of music brought to and developed on our shores. You could hear English and Scottish ballads and hymns, African rhythms, classical music, the avant-garde in their songs and jams, as well as blues, gospel, country, jazz, and rock. While clearly drawing on all these sources, they produced music that was identifiably their own. They were deeply traditional and truly original.
A rare dynamic informed their distinctive sound. In many rock groups, the instruments usually back the lead guitar. In the Dead, every instrument seemed to be soloing at once, like a Dixieland band. In their commitment to improvisation, each player pushed their own vision and creative powers. Yet, those “solos” worked because they were part of a conversation as the musicians listened and responded to one another; each individual effort served the collective sound. They were alone and together at once.