Dancing with the Dead: My Good Old Days with the Grateful Dead & the San Francisco Music Scene 1964-1974

Photographer and Grateful Dead insider Rosie McGee tells dozens of behind-the-scenes stories of living, traveling and working with the Dead during their first decade as a band, starting in 1965. She also chronicles the time she spent in the heart of the San Francisco music scene; moving in with Phil Lesh (and the band) in 1966 when they lived in L.A.; as well as her years as their travel agent, French interpreter and frequent onstage dancer. NOTE: The 200+ photos that illustrate the source material are viewable in the e-book edition (color photos) and print edition (black-and-white photos) of the book, which can be ordered via the author's website, https://rosiemcgee.com.

Not just for Deadheads or Baby Boomers -- this book is for anyone seeking a woman's intimate account of the San Francisco rock music community in the Sixties, rare in a field of similar books most often written by men. The Foreword is written and narrated by Carolyn "Mountain Girl" Garcia. The Afterword is written and narrated by Edward Bear and introduced by Rosie McGee

Included are firsthand stories of Autumn Records; The Matrix nightclub: Ken Kesey's Acid Tests; the Grateful Dead at Olompali; the Grateful Dead's (and the author's) bust at 710 Ashbury; travels to New York, Toronto and Montreal with the Dead and Jefferson Airplane; Monterey Pop Festival; Altamont; the Dead's Europe '72 Tour; and encounters with individuals as diverse as Tom Donahue, Phil Spector, Lenny Bruce, Janis Joplin, Owsley Stanley, Timothy Leary, Jesse Colin Young, Julie Christie and others. The list goes on.

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Release date

Audiobook: 19 March 2025