This collection documents the tape collecting and archival release work of Dick Latvala.

Dick Latvala (1943 – 1999) was the first Vault Archivist for the Grateful Dead. He graduated from San Francisco State University and attended shows at the Fillmore Auditorium, the Avalon Ballroom, and other San Francisco venues in the 1960s, including famous events such as the Trips Festival in January 1966 and the Great Human Be-In in January 1967. He began taping shows in 1971 from radio broadcasts and began collecting and trading concert tapes in 1974, amassing an impressive collection that he thoroughly documented in notebooks and correspondence. He became a friend of the band and the crew, and was hired by the band in 1985 to organize their tape collection. As the first Vault Archivist, he was instrumental in the archival recordings released by the band; the series Dick's Picks is named in his honor, and was continued by his successor David Lemieux for a total of 36 releases.

47 Linear Feet 67 boxes

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Collection is open for research.