With Mickey Hart backing him up on drums, Jerry Garcia plays lead guitar during a Grateful Dead concert at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, California.
Philip Gould/Corbis via Getty Images
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Philip Gould/Corbis via Getty Images
Despite having more than a dozen studio albums, thousands of live recordings you can find online and an impassioned fan culture that’s endured over six decades, the Grateful Dead have never quite been a mainstream band. But there was one song that managed to break through to become a top-40 hit. How did it happen? And why this song?
This week, NPR Music critic Ann Powers and editor Daoud Tyler-Ameen are joined by reporter (and Deadhead) Isabella Gomez Sarmiento to discuss “Touch of Grey” by the Grateful Dead, from 1987.
Beginning Aug. 1, NPR Music will publish a week-long list of stories and episodes exploring the legacy and future of the Grateful Dead. Follow the series here: https://www.npr.org/series/g-s1-134253/dead-after-death
To access this episode, sign up for NPR+ at plus.npr.org. NPR+ helps support public media. Follow NPR Music coverage and the Tiny Desk Concerts at npr.org/music
