David Lemieux Collection MS.347

Title: David Lemieux Collection

Identifier/Call Number: MS.347

Contributing Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz

Language of Material: English

Container: 1

Physical Description: 1.5 Linear feet 1 banker's box with mixed material and two file folders

Date (inclusive): 1989-1991

Abstract: This collection comprises David Lemieux’s concert taping equipment, used to record more than 40 Grateful Dead concerts, 1989-1991.

creator: Lemieux, David, 1970-

David Hardy Lemieux (November 8, 1970- ) is an audio and film archivist by training, and serves as the Grateful Dead’s Legacy Manager and Vault Archivist. Originally from Ottawa, Ontario, he graduated from Carleton University with a BA in history, going on to earn a BFA in film studies from Concordia University and an MA in film archiving from the University of East Anglia. He first went to work for the Grateful Dead in 1999, working under Vault Archivist Dick Latvala to catalog the band’s video holdings; when Latvala died that year, Lemieux was hired to be his successor. Lemieux has overseen and produced dozens of archival releases by the Grateful Dead and several by Jerry Garcia; the Dead’s newest archival release series, Dave’s Picks, honors his work. In addition to his duties for the band, Lemieux hosts a daily radio show, Today in Grateful Dead History, broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio, and serves as editor of the newsletter of the Association of Moving Image Archivists. He is a voting member of the Grammies and serves on the Board of Directors of the Victoria Film Festival in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. A much-requested guest lecturer, he also gives conference presentations on his work to a wide variety of academic, professional, and community groups.

This collection comprises David Lemieux’s concert taping equipment, used to record more than 40 Grateful Dead concerts, 1989-1991. The collection consists of a Nakamichi 550 cassette deck, five Nakamichi microphones, cables and hardware, instruction manuals and professional literature, and two reviews. Produced from 1974-1980, the Nakamichi 550 represented a breakthrough in portable recording technology. Widely considered one of the best field recording units, the 550 was known for its three-microphone recording arrangement, with a center microphone providing additional balance for recordings. Lemieux also invested in two CP-4 Super Directional Shotgun capsule microphones, which could target individual speaker stacks and minimize ambient crowd noise.