Grateful Dead Records: Correspondence, 1970-2015, bulk 1970-1995

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Summary

Creators:
Grateful Dead Productions
Abstract:
This series contains incoming correspondence to the Grateful Dead, in large part letters and postcards received from fans. Materials in the early 1970s substantially reflect the Dead Heads mailing list and outreach efforts.
Extent:
89 Linear Feet 122 boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Grateful Dead Records: Correspondence. MS 332 Ser. 5. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Background

Scope and content:

This series contains fan and some business correspondence sent to the Grateful Dead office. Many dates are approximate; some were supplied by office staff, some by processing staff.

Biographical / historical:

The Grateful Dead were an American rock band that formed in 1965 in Northern California. They came to fame as part of author Ken Kesey's Acid Tests, a series of multimedia happenings centered around then-legal LSD. Famed for their concerts, the band performed more than 2,300 shows over thirty years, disbanding after the death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia in August 1995. Although their only Top 10 hit, "Touch of Grey," charted in 1987, their popularity was based on concerts, and in their last decade they consistently placed in the top five tours every year. Known for the range of their repertoire and the caliber of their compositions, the Dead's songbook has been covered by a wide range of other musicians, from Bob Dylan to Jane's Addiction. They released thirteen studio albums and nine contemporary live albums during their career, and more than 100 live releases since then. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Grateful Dead Productions, 2008. Some additional materials were received in June 2012.
Processing information:

Materials were refoldered and rehoused during processing and arranged by date, but otherwise minimally processed.

Arrangement:

The material is arranged into two series:

Chronological correspondence

Thematic correspondence and separated material

Physical location:
Stored in Special Collections and Archives.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection has not been fully processed but is open for research. Access to unprocessed collections requires advance notice. Please contact Special Collections and Archives to request access.

Terms of access:

Property rights for this collection reside with the University of California. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. The publication or use of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use for research or educational purposes requires written permission from the copyright owner. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information on copyright or to order a reproduction, please visit guides.library.ucsc.edu/speccoll/reproduction-publication.

Preferred citation:

Grateful Dead Records: Correspondence. MS 332 Ser. 5. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Location of this collection:
Special Collections and Archives, University Library
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064, US
Contact:
(831) 459-2547
speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
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