Here's something you might
enjoy that I posted on the GD newsgroup Rec.Music.gdead a while back. It's
probably not complete. I'd definitely encourage feedback and info that I
migh have left out.
30 years of the Grateful Dead brought about many changes in the visual and musical styles of the band. You can go on forever discussing many of these changes. One particular change I have noticed is the status of the facial hair of some of the band members’ faces. Garcia rearranged his face countless times. Some of the other band members less so. Once in a while there was a bad mustache. What are some of the noteworthy changes in their beards?? Below I present to you the FACIAL HAIR HISTORY OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD. Donna Jean Godchaux : Not applicable. Garcia- 1960’s: During the Pre-Dead days When Garcia was just a banjo-picking
folkie there was a brief period when he was seen with short hair, suit & tie
(!!) and a goatee. (Circ. 1964- photograph on GRATEFUL DAWG website playin’
fiddle). Lesh- 1960’s: Early pictures from the Warlocks days show Lesh totally clean
shaven. By 1966 he was clean shaven, but his hair seemed to grow wildly on his
head (and he had a tendency of wearing hippie head bands). By 1967-1968 Lesh
grew a mustache and beard, which looked plainly awful. Check out the photo
inside the Two From The Vault CD, where Lesh looks like Duane Allman!! By Early
1969 Lesh had become clean shaven again. Check out the January 1969 Playboy
After Dark footage of Lesh with long hair and really bad black glasses. Mid-late
1969 was a clean shaven period, and a much-needed haircut. He looks rather
normal in the movie Gimme Shelter where he is seen talking to Mike Shrive of
Santana. Weir- “The baby-faced killer” as Pigpen once said in 1971 apparently only experimented with facial hair just one time. In late 1976 at the 10/76 Oakland Stadium shows he can bee seen with a full beard and mustache. This trend continued sometime into 1977 but I don’t know how far. Any info? Anyway, by late 1977 perhaps, he was back to normal. Hart- From the beginning of his tenure as the second drummer in 1967 until mid 1970, Hart can be seen as the true hippie of the group with wild long hair, headbands, full mustache and beard. In May 1970 Hart can be seen with long sideburns that may or may not become a full beard. This trend continued until late August 1970 when he had become clean shaven!!! Check out the incredible video footage from 08/30/70 where Hart looks like a ninja or something to that effect. Also check page 256 of the first volume of the Taper’s Compendium for the photo of Hart at Fillmore West. Apparently by the fall of 1970 with the American Beauty promotional photos (check out the ad in Rolling Stone magazine which was reproduced in the American Beauty CD of the new GD box set) Hart brought back his mustache. Hart left the band by 1971, so mid 70s photographs are scarce. However the handbill advertising the 11/28/73 Garcia/Hart concert at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco depicts a clean shaven Garcia sitting next to a clean shaven Hart. On his return to the band in late 1974-1975, there are pictures of him with a full mustache and beard. The late 70s period Hart had just a mustache. When in the early 80s did Hart become completely clean shaven. I believe it was 1982? Info? Kreutzmann: Didn’t do much research on Billy K, but apparently clean shaven and youthful looking until probably mid-late 1969 where he grew his mustache. The gatefold picture of the Dead inside the Skulls & Roses LP depict Kreutzmann’s ‘70s look: mustache. More noticeable was his horrible wig. Man, did he need some hair styling. Check out the “Dead Ahead” video how bad his hair was. In the 80s he finally cut his hair short and somewhere along the line he shaved his mustache until it became hardly noticeable or nonexistent. Pigpen, Brent Mydland, Keith Godchaux, Tom Constanten, Vince Welnick: The keyboard guys all had beards and rarely shaved. I did see of a picture of a clean shaven TC in 1983 (The American Book Of The Dead page 71). Mydland ‘s hair was extremely long until around 1982 when he cut it. Pigpen always seemed to have facial hair even in his formative years. He always looked old. During the 1965-67 period, Pigpen mostly had just a mustache. By 1968-1973 he had a goatee look. I didn’t do any research on Welnick.
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- Re: The Facial Hair History of the Grateful Dead Barry Smith
- Re: The Facial Hair History of the Grateful Dead Dave Sorochty
- Re: The Facial Hair History of the Grateful Dead Ihor W Slabicky
- Re: The Facial Hair History of the Grateful Dead Barry Smith