Deadheads Culture Rise

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The term "Deadhead" first appeared in print in the liner notes of the 1971 live album 'Grateful Dead' (Skull & Roses), not in a San Francisco Chronicle article or newsletter. The phrase "DEAD FREAKS UNITE" came from a fan letter (often attributed to a fan named Gus) used on the back of the 'Skull & Roses' album, not from Hank Harrison. The mailing list, managed by Eileen Law, grew from about 350 letters at the end of 1971 to several thousand (e.g., 5,000–10,000) by the mid-1970s. Between October 1971 and February 1980, 25 newsletters were sent, sometimes including surprise samples, such as Robert Hunter's 'Tales of the Great Rum Runners' or Jerry Garcia's 'Compliments'. By the late 1970s, fans began selling tie-dye T-shirts and veggie burritos at concerts, a practice that evolved into "Shakedown Street" in the 1980s, named after the 1978 song. This income stream allowed Deadheads to fund their travels to follow the band.

In Their Own Story

In October 1984, responding to an exponential increase in tapers during the early 1980s, the band created a special section of the audience walled off exclusively for fans recording concerts. These tapes circulated widely via websites like Live Music Archive and bt.etree.org. The live experience was distinct; as Bob Dylan observed after touring with them in 1987, "With most bands the audience participates like in a spectator sport... With the Dead, the audience is part of the band-they might as well be on stage." From the 1980s onward, the second set typically featured a prolonged percussion interlude called "Drums" by Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann, followed by an extended improvisational jam known as "Space." Publicist Blair Jackson described these moments as "rich and full of blissful, transcendent musical moments that moved the body and enriched the soul," noting that for many, the band was a medium to experience other planes of consciousness.

Reader's Guide

The Grateful Dead performed few shows with a predetermined setlist from the early 1970s on, creating a "rotation" where the same song was rarely played the same way twice. This uniqueness drove fans to attend multiple shows in one string; a great performance often inspired fans to follow the band for the rest of the tour and subsequent ones. By the mid-1980s, this large traveling population ensured venues sold out almost every night, empowering the band to perform multiple shows at single locations. The culture also embraced the "X Factor," an intangible element elevating performance, which Phil Lesh attributed to the group's ability to "meld our consciousnesses together in the unity of a group mind." Rock producer Bill Graham summarized this effect on December 31, 1978, with a sign reading: "They're not the best at what they do, They're the only ones that do what they do."

Did You Know?

• By the end of 1971, the band had received about 350 letters for their mailing list, a number that grew to several thousand (e.g., 5,000–10,000) by the mid-1970s.
• The Grateful Dead performed approximately 2,317 live shows during their thirty-year career.
• In May 1974, newsletter recipients received a surprise flexi-disc or single of 'The Wheel' or other material, not an EP titled Anton Round.