Iconic band the Grateful Dead is remembering one of their original members. Phil Lesh He passed away in October at the age of 84.
Bobby Weir, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart spoke with CBS News’ Anthony Mason just five days after his death and said they had plans to play together the next day.
“I thought I’d get to play with him again, so it was disappointing,” said Grateful Dead drummer Kreutzmann. “Because I know he wanted to play with us too.”
is a charter member of the group, Resh When Jerry Garcia brought him into the band in 1965, he had studied classical violin and jazz trumpet, but had never picked up a bass.
“We gave him a Gibson 4-string, a slightly hard-bodied Gibson 4-string, and he mastered it in a day,” Kreutzmann said.
Eternal memories with Lesh of the Grateful Dead
After Lesh’s death, Kreutzmann, along with Weir and Hart, released a statement about their beloved former bandmate and how he changed their lives. They all agreed that he had a great influence on their musical taste and style.
“Phil introduced me to North Indian classical music, and that was a big thing in my life,” Hart said.
“You know, I’m very grateful for what Phil taught me or taught me,” Weir said.
they called Resh A classical musician who taught them how to be free.
“The way he played freely without having to play in a set or a set way…he was a very unique bass player. It would allow us to be more improvisational,” Kreutzmann said. .
After Garcia’s death, this improvisation was a staple of Grateful Dead shows until the band disbanded in 1995.
In 2015, Lesh participated with Kreutzmann, Weir, and Hart in Fare Thee Well, a series of concerts celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary. There were hopes that all four members of the band might reunite for next year’s 60th anniversary.
“We were going to see what would happen, but we were just going to play with four guys. Now we only have three…and it’s different,” Weir said.
The Grateful Dead will be honored at the Kennedy Center in December.
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