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Grateful Dead Records: Correspondence
MS.332.Ser. 5
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Title: Grateful Dead Records: Correspondence
Creator:
Grateful Dead Productions
Identifier/Call Number: MS.332.Ser. 5
Physical Description:
89 Linear Feet
122 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1970-2015
Date (bulk): 1970-1995
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.
Physical Location: Stored in Special Collections and
Archives.
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.
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.
Grateful Dead Records: Correspondence. MS 332 Ser. 5. Special Collections and Archives,
University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.
Gift of Grateful Dead Productions, 2008. Some additional materials were received in June
2012.
Selected images may be viewed at the
Grateful Dead Archive Online (GDAO)
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.
Scope and Content of Collection
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.
The material is arranged into two series:
Chronological correspondence
Thematic correspondence and separated material
Most accompanying media, publications and manuscripts have been separated out. Selected
material cataloged separately.
Materials were refoldered and rehoused during processing and arranged by date, but
otherwise minimally processed.
Additional Grateful Dead Records Finding Aids
- Series 1: History
- Series 2: Business
- Series 3: Show Files
- Series 4: Press
- Series 6: Photographs
- Series 7: Media
- Series 8: Posters
- Series 9: Artwork
- Series 10: Realia
- Series 11: Decorated Envelopes
- Series 12: Back Stage Passes, Tickets and Laminates
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Correspondence
Deadheads (Music Fans)
Fan mail
Concert tours
Grateful Dead (Musical group)