The family of Jerry Garcia, the lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead, paid tribute to his fellow co-founder Phil Lesh, who died on Friday. He was 83-years old.
Taking to social media, Garcia’s family wrote that they were “devastated to learn of Phil’s passage to the next life, ” adding:
“We will miss his sharply dry humor, wry smiles and brilliant insights.” “His life’s work is a beacon for all of humanity and will continue to guide countless generations of musicians into the backbone of the beat. There are no words to fully express the impact he made with his music and his incredible mind.” Their letter ended with a message for Garcia: “P.S. say hi to Jerry.”
From when the soon-to-be iconic band was initially called the Warlocks (until Lesh joined, replacing Dana Morgan Jr., and renamed the group, the Grateful Dead,) Garcia and Lesh’s friendship lasted some thirty years. When Jerry passed away 1995, Phil kept the band’s legacy alive through various incarnations with former members and in several iterations of Phil Lesh and Friends.
The duo first met at a Bay Area house party in 1959 and again after a 1964 Warlocks gig when Garcia invited Lesh to join the band on bass guitar, an instrument he’d never before played. The following year, Phil performed at his first show with the Warlocks at the Bikini A-Go-Go in Hayward, California.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lesh said “Jerry was the hub.” “We were the spokes. And the music was the tread on the wheel.”
On Friday (10.25,) the family wrote, “We are eternally grateful and hope everyone joins us in wishing him a wondrous and peaceful voyage to the great beyond. Thank you Phil! May your blessed cosmic cerebral beats play on.”
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Author: Al Denté
Photo: SaltyBoatr