JERRY GARCIA Biography - Musicians

 
 

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JERRY GARCIA

Name: Jerry Garcia                                                                 
Birth name: Jerome John Garcia                                                     
Born: 1 August 1942 San Francisco, California, USA                                 
Died: 9 August 1995 Forest Knolls, California, USA                                 
                                                                                   
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia (August 1, 1942 - August 9, 1995) was an American       
musician, songwriter, artist, and lead guitarist and vocalist of the psychedelic   
rock band the Grateful Dead. Garcia was viewed by many as the leader or "spokesman"
of the group.                                                                     
                                                                                   
Performing with the Grateful Dead for its entire three decade career (which       
spanned from 1965 to 1995), Garcia participated in a variety of side projects,     
including the Jerry Garcia Band, Old and in the Way, the Garcia/Grisman acoustic   
duo, and Legion of Mary. Garcia co-founded the New Riders of the Purple Sage       
with John Dawson and David Nelson. He also released several solo albums, and       
contributed to a number of albums by other artists over the years as a session     
musician. He was very well known by many for his highly distinctive guitar         
playing and was ranked 13th in the Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of     
All Time cover story.                                                             
                                                                                   
Later in life, Garcia was sometimes ill due to his unstable weight, and he         
experienced a diabetic coma that nearly cost him his life in 1986. Although his   
overall health improved somewhat after that, he also struggled with heroin         
addiction, and was residing in a drug rehabilitation facility when he died         
of a heart attack in August of 1995.