Bob Weir, Grateful Dead Guitarist and Songwriter, Dies at 78

Bob Weir, the guitarist, singer and songwriter who was the youngest member of the original Grateful Dead, died at 78. He was described as having cut his own path among his elders in the band and beyond.

Weir was often branded the spacey kid trying to keep up with more experienced members like Jerry Garcia and Phil Lesh, but he proved to be more than a rhythm player. He was a creatively restless figure, equally devoted to cowboy story-songs and to zigzagging melodies, and he helped flesh out the Dead’s music in multiple ways.

A recent selection of 10 notable performances with and without the Dead highlights songs from across his career, including ‘‘Sugar Magnolia’’ (an excitable ode to his then-partner Frankie Weir), the group-written ‘‘Truckin’’ (noted for Weir’s disbelieving delivery), ‘‘The Other One’’ (an early showcase that included some lyrics he wrote), and ‘‘Looks Like Rain’’ from his solo album Ace, co-written with John Perry Barlow.

The selections span recordings from 1970 through 2016, ending with ‘‘Only a River,’’ the opening track of Blue Mountain, the last studio solo album he made, and collectively illustrate his range from country-tinged ballads to unconventional guitar parts and prog-reggae blends such as ‘‘Estimated Prophet.’’

Key Topics

Culture, Bob Weir, Grateful Dead, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, John Perry Barlow