Pigpen

I am going to shift the subject from bicycles on this day March 8th, even though this Blog will not post till sometime after. This is the day when Ron “Pigpen” McKernan died in 1973. Even though I was just a toddler when he died, I can really connect with his music. The musical tastes of the brand are as wide and varied as the the people who make it happen. Sov likes to pic tunes on the guitar, Wood likes techno, Trevor is in a Electro Sensory Outsider Space Punk band, Gregg likes everything from rap to country. Me, I like the Grateful Dead among others mostly old school.

Many folks think about Jerry Garcia when they think of the Grateful Dead but back in that day Pigpen was the front man for the band. While the rest of the band experimented with LSD Pigpen refused, choosing to drink Southern Comfort, cheap wine and whiskey. He brought a gritty bluesy sound to the band often growling into the microphone. It was Pigpen who turned the Grateful Dead away from Jug music to electric.  He played the blues like he lived them and encouraged everyone to get off of the sidelines and quit “playin’ pocket pool.” Dude rocked a cowboy hat and could grow a pretty wide variety of facial hair too...just sayin’  Yep Pigpen was a baaad ass (in my opinion). Eventually the heavy drinking caught up to him on March 8, 1973.  Here is a lil’ taste.  Enjoy or don’t.