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Internet Message Format | 2002-12-16 | 7KB

Message-ID: <000a01c2a251$2e36f700$[e-mail]>
From: "Barry Smith" <[e-mail]>
Subject: The Facial Hair History of the Grateful Dead
Date: Thu, 12 Dec 2002 21:41:43 -0500

Here's something you might enjoy that I posted on the GD newsgroup
Rec.Music.gdead a while back. It's probably not complete.  I'd
definitely encourage feedback and info that I migh have left out.
30 years of the Grateful Dead brought about many changes in the visual
and musical styles of the band. You can go on forever discussing many of
these changes. One particular change I have noticed is the status of the
facial hair of some of the band members' faces. Garcia rearranged his
face countless times. Some of the other band members less so. Once in a
while there was a bad mustache. What are some of the noteworthy changes
in their beards?? Below I present to you the FACIAL HAIR HISTORY OF THE
GRATEFUL DEAD.

Donna Jean Godchaux : Not applicable.

Garcia- 1960's: During the Pre-Dead days When Garcia was just a
banjo-picking folkie there was a brief period when he was seen with
short hair, suit & tie (!!) and a goatee. (Circ. 1964- photograph on
GRATEFUL DAWG website playin' fiddle).
By 1965 Garcia had become clean shaven (photograph with the Asphalt
Jungle Boys 1965). As a member of the Warlocks Garcia's hair grew
considerably yet remained clean shaven. Not until late1968 into 1969
Garcia grew a full beard and a wild head of hair. Check out the January
1969 footage of Playboy After Dark. By May 1969, Garcia shaved off his
beard but kept a bad mustache (Photos from Polo Grounds 05/07/69 Two
>From The Vault; 2001 GD Calendar). By Woodstock and afterward(late 1969-
into early 1970) Garcia grew back his beard, kept his mustache.
1970's and beyond: Around April- May 1970 Garcia had become clean shaven
again. Check out photos of 05/06/70 MIT from The Taper's Compendium of
Garcia on the pedal steel. Photos of Garcia from 05/24/70 Hollywood
Festival show more stubble on his face as by summer-late 1970 he was
back to a full beard. This seemed to be the trend until late1973. On the
handbill advertising the 11/28/73 Garcia/Hart concert at the Palace of
Fine Arts in San Francisco, a clean shaven Garcia sits next to a clean
shaven Hart. This seems to be the case way into mid 1974. Wall-of-Sound
photos from 07/21/74 Hollywood Bowl depicts a smiling clean shaven
Garcia below the huge sound system. However, by late 1974 and the
Winterland 10/74 shows, Garcia's full beard returned. I'm not aware of
any further changes although the gray started to develop by 1979 and by
the mid-late 80s Garcia became totally gray bearded.

Lesh- 1960's: Early pictures from the Warlocks days show Lesh totally
clean shaven. By 1966 he was clean shaven, but his hair seemed to grow
wildly on his head (and he had a tendency of wearing hippie head bands).
By 1967-1968 Lesh grew a mustache and beard, which looked plainly awful.
Check out the photo inside the Two From The Vault CD, where Lesh looks
like Duane Allman!! By Early 1969 Lesh had become clean shaven again.
Check out the January 1969 Playboy After Dark footage of Lesh with long
hair and really bad black glasses. Mid-late 1969 was a clean shaven
period, and a much-needed haircut. He looks rather normal in the movie
Gimme Shelter where he is seen talking to Mike Shrive of Santana.
1970's and beyond: In the summer of 1970, Lesh can be seen with a bad
mustache. Check out the psychedelic 08/30/70 Calebration footage or the
American Beauty photo sessions at Mickey's ranch with the NRPS. This
trend didn't last long as Lesh had become clean shaven by 1971. However,
by late 1974 and the Winterland 10/74 shows, Lesh grew a full beard and
mustache, something immortalized forever in the Grateful Dead Movie.
Luckily this seemed to be Lesh's final experimentation with facial hair,
because by 1975 until 2002, he remained clean shaven.

Weir- "The baby-faced killer" as Pigpen once said in 1971 apparently
only experimented with facial hair just one time. In late 1976 at the
10/76 Oakland Stadium shows he can bee seen with a full beard and
mustache. This trend continued sometime into 1977 but I don't know how
far. Any info? Anyway, by late 1977 perhaps, he was back to normal.

Hart- From the beginning of his tenure as the second drummer in 1967
until mid 1970, Hart can be seen as the true hippie of the group with
wild long hair, headbands, full mustache and beard. In May 1970 Hart can
be seen with long sideburns that may or may not become a full beard.
This trend continued until late August 1970 when he had become clean
shaven!!! Check out the incredible video footage from 08/30/70 where
Hart looks like a ninja or something to that effect. Also check page 256
of the first volume of the Taper's Compendium for the photo of Hart at
Fillmore West. Apparently by the fall of 1970 with the American Beauty
promotional photos (check out the ad in Rolling Stone magazine which was
reproduced in the American Beauty CD of the new GD box set) Hart brought
back his mustache. Hart left the band by 1971, so mid 70s photographs
are scarce. However the handbill advertising the 11/28/73 Garcia/Hart
concert at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco depicts a clean
shaven Garcia sitting next to a clean shaven Hart. On his return to the
band in late 1974-1975, there are pictures of him with a full mustache
and beard. The late 70s period Hart had just a mustache. When in the
early 80s did Hart become completely clean shaven. I believe it was
1982? Info?

Kreutzmann: Didn't do much research on Billy K, but apparently clean
shaven and youthful looking until probably mid-late 1969 where he grew
his mustache. The gatefold picture of the Dead inside the Skulls & Roses
LP depict Kreutzmann's '70s look: mustache. More noticeable was his
horrible wig. Man, did he need some hair styling. Check out the "Dead
Ahead" video how bad his hair was. In the 80s he finally cut his hair
short and somewhere along the line he shaved his mustache until it
became hardly noticeable or nonexistent.

Pigpen, Brent Mydland, Keith Godchaux, Tom Constanten, Vince Welnick:
The keyboard guys all had beards and rarely shaved. I did see of a
picture of a clean shaven TC in 1983 (The American Book Of The Dead page
71). Mydland 's hair was extremely long until around 1982 when he cut
it. Pigpen always seemed to have facial hair even in his formative
years. He always looked old. During the 1965-67 period, Pigpen mostly
had just a mustache. By 1968-1973 he had a goatee look. I didn't do any
research on Welnick.