A History of the Grateful Dead in 10 Songs

The Track Star Podcast continues with a deep dive into the story of The Grateful Dead, the most unpredictable, beloved, and enduring band in American music.

With David Lemieux, the Dead’s official archivist and legacy manager, we trace how the band evolved from the psychedelic chaos of the Acid Tests to the rootsy songwriting of American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead, through the improvisational highs of the 1970s and their unexpected comeback in the 1980s.

Along the way, we explore how the Dead built a movement unlike any other, one driven by community, experimentation, and the idea that music could be a lifelong conversation between artist and audience.
New episodes of The Track Star Podcast drop every Wednesday on all podcast platforms. Let us know in the comments what theme you want us to explore next!

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1d5i6AQX4dZaO4MDCbdhjR
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-track-star-podcast/id1836496108
iHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/269-the-track-star-podcast-294088650/
More platforms: https://play.megaphone.fm/f-rd86qotxojfhckdq6uaa

This Episode’s Track List:
00:00 - Intro
4:32 - 1. “Dark Star” – Live/Dead (1969)
11:25 - 2. “Casey Jones” – Workingman’s Dead (1970)
16:47 - 3. “Friend of the Devil” – American Beauty (1970)
20:28 - 4. “Truckin'” – American Beauty (1970)
22:30 - 5. “Ripple” – American Beauty (1970)
28:34 - 6. “Sugar Magnolia” – American Beauty (1970)
31:27 - 7. Eyes of the World” – Wake of the Flood (1973)
37:20 - 8. “Scarlet Begonias” – From the Mars Hotel (1974)
42:48 - 9. “Terrapin Station” – Terrapin Station (1978)
46:53 - 10. “Touch of Grey” – In the Dark (1987)

Listen to our extended Grateful Dead playlist:
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6Dm4MCA2WaKPG7vzHDd5bf?si=71f153c3a4244d0d
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/the-track-star-podcast-episode-8/pl.u-9N9LL2bC1pJZp1q
YouTube Music: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJwfZsOZW3kWBuGqpBuwR15rhd7ryrj7u&si=efszkYlhhcCSJ-zu

Select photos courtesy of HerbGreeneFoto.com:
3:29 – Grateful Dead on the Porch
3:50 – Pigpen Against the Wall
3:55 – Dead by the Train
4:10 – Hart and Kreutzmann