Home Jambase Remembering Brent Mydland: Rehearsing With Grateful Dead In 1979

Remembering Brent Mydland: Rehearsing With Grateful Dead In 1979

July 26, 2022

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Grateful Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland died tragically on this date in 1990 from an accidental drug overdose just after completing GD’s summer tour on July 23 of that year. Mydland was born on October 21, 1952 in Concord, California. The keyboardist and vocalist played his first show with the Grateful Dead on April 22, 1979 in San Jose, California, replacing the outgoing Keith Godchaux who himself would die tragically in a car crash in 1980.

Brent practiced with GD for two weeks leading up to his first show with the band. A recording of the April 16, 1979 session in San Rafael, California recently surfaced on YouTube. In honor of Brent, JamBase takes a look at the rehearsal where some of traits that would characterize Mydland’s time as the longest-tenured keyboardist with the Dead can be glimpsed like his signature, raspy high harmonies as well as his spirited Hammond organ work.

The first proper song that crops up on the recording is “Not Fade Away” and while it doesn’t yet feature Brent’s high register his Hammond organ is spot on and there’s even an exchange between him and guitarist Jerry Garcia. Brent does sing, however, with guitarist Bob Weir on “Passenger.” It was Weir who brought Brent into the band after performing with him in his project Bobby and the Midnites.

The band also works a bit on “Bertha” as well as “Good Lovin’” which sees Mydland taking part in the call and response vocals. The Dead also do some harmony work on the bridge to “Scarlet Begonias” and you can hear Jerry going over the lyrics and also leading the band through some vocal exercises. Later in the rehearsal, you can also hear Brent seems to switch from organ to playing an electric piano. The recording ends with “Jack Straw,” which sees Brent once again joining Bobby in harmony on the classic.

To remember Brent Mydland, listen to the keyboardist rehearsing with the Grateful Dead in April 1979:

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Happy Birthday Brent Mydland: First Show With Grateful Dead In 1979
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