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

Bob Weir, the Grateful Dead’s rhythm guitarist, songwriter and occasional lead singer, has died, his family announced on Saturday. He was 78 and spent six decades animating the band from within as a steady musical presence. The Times appraisal credited Weir with composing the chiming 10/4 foundation of “Playing in the Band,” the twin-guitar lick of “One More Saturday Night,” the modal triplets of “The Other One” and the jubilant outro of “Sugar Magnolia,” which was among the Dead’s most-played live tracks.

He sang in a genial baritone that he sometimes pushed toward a growl and remained a key contributor through the band’s latter-day incarnations after Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995; bassist Phil Lesh died in 2024, the piece noted. Weir’s role as a rhythm guitarist was described as self-effacing but essential: he threaded counterpoint with lead guitar and the countermelodies of Lesh, strumming lightly, nimbly and malleably across bluegrass, blues, country, funk, reggae, mariachi and jazz.

As an ensemble player he often blended into the background while shaping the music and making other players shine.

Key Topics

Culture, Bob Weir, Grateful Dead, Sugar Magnolia, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh