Phil Lesh, legendary bassist of the Grateful Dead, passed away at 84

The announcement was shared on his official Instagram page: “Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time.”

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Phil Lesh’s music legacy

Lesh initially studied under composer Luciano Berio and played with minimalist music pioneer Steve Reich. His path took an unexpected turn in 1965 when his friend, guitarist Jerry Garcia, invited him to play bass for a performance by the Warlocks, a group that would soon transform into the Grateful Dead.

Although Lesh had never formally studied the bass, he embraced the opportunity. Reflecting on that first gig, he recalled in the 2002 book A Long Strange Trip, “I was so excited that I didn’t have to think about it…but I knew something great was happening, something bigger than everybody, bigger than me for sure.”

Lesh’s unique approach helped define the Grateful Dead’s sound, combining improvisation with a level of sophistication rarely seen in rock music. Alongside peers like Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady and Cream’s Jack Bruce, Lesh helped reimagine the role of the bassist in rock bands, playing a pivotal role as the Dead moved from covering bluegrass, blues, and country to a more expansive, free-form style.

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Nick Paumgarten, writing for The New Yorker in 2012 said, “What makes the Dead’s sound so distinct from any other kind of rock and roll may be Lesh’s bass.”

Paumgarten observed that Lesh approached the bass with an aversion to repetition, describing how “he did not like to repeat things, which is rare for an instrument usually charged with keeping time. He played around the root and the beat, often skewing the pocket, skipping the one, holding off on the changes, bubbling up around it, or playing a melodic counterpoint.”