Sing Out! features a stellar line-up of acoustic performances by Bay Area folk heroes, including Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, Country Joe McDonald, Kate Wolf, Rosalie Sorrels, and a percussion set by the the Rhythm Devils. The event was described by Wavy Gravy as a “mini-Woodstock,” and it is the last major show to be mixed and recorded by Bear. It is also the final live recording he made of any members of the Grateful Dead.

The Grateful Dead were one of the most successful live acts of the rock era. Performing more than 2,300 shows between 1965 and 1995, the Grateful Dead’s reputation as a “live band” was—and continues to be—sustained by thousands of live concert recordings from every era of the group’s long and colorful career. In Live Dead, musicologist John Brackett examines how live recordings—from the group’s official releases to fan-produced tapes, bootlegs to “Betty Boards,” and Dick’s Picks to From the Vault—have shaped the general history and popular mythology of the Grateful Dead for more than fifty years. Drawing on a diverse array of materials and documents contained in the Grateful Dead Archive, Live Dead details how live recordings became meaningful among the band and their fans not only as sonic souvenirs of past musical performances but also as expressions of assorted ideals, including notions of “liveness,” authenticity, and the power of recorded sound. Click on the book image to learn more about the book!

In All the Years Combine: The Grateful Dead in Fifty Shows, Robertson listens to and writes ecstatically about fifty of the band’s most important and memorable concerts in order to better understand who the Grateful Dead were, what they became, and what they meant—and what they continue to mean.

Michael Kaler examines how the Dead’s dedication to improvisation stemmed from their belief that playing in this manner enabled them to touch upon transcendence. Drawing on band testimonials and analyses of early recordings, Kaler traces how the Dead developed an approach to playing music that they believed would facilitate their spiritual goals. https://www.dukeupress.edu/get-shown-the-light

This entertaining book charts the journey of the cassette from its invention in the early 1960s to its Walkman-led domination in the 1980s to decline at the birth of compact discs to resurgence among independent music makers. Scorned by the record industry for “killing music,” the cassette tape rippled through scenes corporations couldn’t control. For so many, tapes meant freedom—to create, to invent, to connect.

Ray was honored to be asked to contribute liner notes to Dave’s Picks 45 (a four-CD collection of two Grateful Dead shows on 10/01/77 and 10/02/77 at the Paramount Theatre, Portland, Oregon). Ray was honored to be asked to contribute liner notes to Here Comes Sunshine 1973, a 17-CD boxed set featuring five previously unreleased Grateful Dead shows captured in the spring of 1973. Ray Robertson’s website: https://www.rayrobertson.com/

Saxophonist Dave McMurray returns with Grateful Deadication 2, the follow-up to his acclaimed 2021 tribute album which once again finds the saxophonist reimagining the songs of the Grateful Dead.

In Chuck Berry, biographer RJ Smith crafts a comprehensive portrait of one of the great American entertainers, guitarists, and lyricists of the 20th century, bringing Chuck Berry to life in vivid detail. 

It was said that Bill Graham Presents (BGP) was a family, and it was true: a crazy mash-up, a kaleidoscopically dysfunctional family full of characters and personalities, black hats and white hats, and some of the best people you’ve ever known, led by the master, Mr. Bill Graham

LP Giobbi says: “Alongside the announcement of Garcia (50th Anniversary Edition) I was asked to do the official remix, remixing Jerry Garcia ‘s first album in its entirety. Thank you to Ben Baruch and Marc Allen alongside the Garcia family for making this happen and shoutout to Young & Sick for the reimagined artwork! Getting to remix Jerry Garcia’s entire first album is one of the coolest things I will ever be a part of. Being raised by Deadheads, Jerry felt like a part of my family growing up. I’ve known his voice intimately since the womb and to this day his voice is synonymous with home. Getting to sit in the studio and listen to his creations and pull them apart and appreciate every part of them in a new way was beyond a dream come true. I felt so connected to my family, where I came from and where I’m going through this process. I got to work on a few of the tracks with my dear collaborator Le Chev who brought yet another layer of love and magic to these tracks. I also got to work with Dj Tennis on one of the tracks which was extra special because he and I connected over psychedelic rock and the dead when we first met and we were both wearing Grateful Dead shirts. I always love meeting people in the electronic dance community who appreciate, love and understand the importance of Jerry, the Grateful Dead and the Deadhead community. http://www.lpgiobbi.com/