Bob Weir

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Lore & Background

Weir's unique guitar style was forged through adversity and diverse influences. After being expelled from nearly every school he attended due to undiagnosed dyslexia, he found his voice in music. His playing was described by bassist Phil Lesh as "quirky, whimsical and goofy," noting Weir's ability to play complex chord voicings with only four fingers that mimicked a keyboard's ten-finger reach. Influenced by hard bop pianist McCoy Tyner and artists like John Coltrane and Igor Stravinsky, Weir began experimenting with slide guitar in the late 1970s. A pivotal moment occurred in the fall of 1968 when Garcia and Lesh temporarily excluded Weir from shows billed as "Mickey and the Hartbeats" because they felt he wasn't pulling his weight. The band eventually relented, reinstating him full-time, which triggered a period of significant growth for his playing. By early 1971, during Mickey Hart's temporary departure, Lesh was "astounded, delighted and excited beyond measure" by Weir's clarity and contribution. This evolution allowed him to anchor the band through its entire history, from Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions to the formation of Dead & Company in 2015.

In Their Own Story

On New Year's Eve 1963, an underaged 16-year-old Weir wandered Palo Alto's back alleys with a friend seeking a club. They followed banjo music to Dana Morgan's Music Store, where they encountered a 21-year-old Jerry Garcia waiting for students. The two spent the night playing together and decided to form a band. Originally named Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions, the group evolved into The Warlocks and eventually the Grateful Dead. Decades later, on June 27, 2015, at Levi Stadium in California, Weir reunited with "Core Four" members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, and Phil Lesh for the "Fare Thee Well" concerts. During the first show, a rainbow appeared over the stadium, prompting one longtime Deadhead to exclaim, "This is the band that jams with God." While an insider initially claimed the production paid US$50,000 for the effect, further investigation revealed it was genuine. This moment capped a career that saw Weir perform in 24 shows with Dead & Company starting in late 2015, concluding their final tour on July 16, 2023, at Oracle Park.

Reader's Guide

Weir's musical journey extended far beyond the Grateful Dead. In 1975 and 1976, he played with Kingfish in the Bay Area, later forming the Bob Weir Band in 1978 with Brent Mydland. He also led Bobby and the Midnites (formed in 1980), Scaring the Children, and RatDog, which he formed shortly before Garcia's death in 1995. RatDog performed covers of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Chuck Berry alongside Grateful Dead originals. In 2009, Weir co-led Furthur with Phil Lesh, named after Ken Kesey's famous bus. He also founded the Tamalpais Research Institute (TRI Studios) in 2011 to stream live concerts. His resilience was tested on April 25, 2013, when he fell onstage during a Furthur performance at the Capitol Theater; though unable to perform for several weeks, he returned that summer and surprised fans at the Huichica Music Festival on June 15. In 2024, Weir was awarded Kennedy Center Honors as a member of the Grateful Dead, cementing his legacy alongside Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann.

Did You Know?

• Weir was born Robert Parber and grew up with adoptive parents Frederic Utter Weir and Eleanor Cramer after being given up for adoption by his biological mother.
• On New Year's Eve 1963, a 16-year-old Weir met Jerry Garcia at Dana Morgan's Music Store, leading to the formation of their first band together.
• In 2015, during the Fare Thee Well concerts, a natural rainbow appeared over Levi Stadium, which fans believed proved the band truly 'jammed with God'.
• Weir was expelled from nearly every school he attended due to undiagnosed dyslexia before finding his path in music.
• The Grateful Dead briefly played shows without Weir and Pigpen in 1968, billing themselves as 'Mickey and the Hartbeats'.