In a statement posted to his official Instagram account, it has been announced that Phil Lesh has passed away at age 84. An innovator on the bass, beloved member of The Grateful Dead, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Lesh’s career of over 60 years in the spotlight is one of both major industry success and a profound legacy as a beloved band member, idol, loved one, and friend.
Born on March 15, 1940, Phil Lesh’s passion for music ran deep. Raised in Berkeley, CA, Lesh first started as a violinist, making the switch over to the trumpet in high school in addition to participating in the school’s musical extracurricular programming. Under the tutelage of conductor of the Golden Gate Park Band, Bob Hansen, Lesh’s interests expanded into free jazz and unconventional classical music.
His interest in the trumpet would carry through into his college years at the College of San Mateo, where he played with and wrote arrangements for the school’s band. His decision to transfer sophomore year to the University of California in Berkeley would become a historic one, as he would soon befriend his future bandmate and keyboardist Tom Constanten.
Lesh’s years at UC Berkeley correspond with his time spent volunteering for local talk and music radio station KPFA as a recording engineer. His new connections to the music world forged a seemingly unlikely friendship between the bluegrass banjo player Jerry Garcia and, at the time, classically-inclined Lesh. Garcia had been looking for a bassist for his new band the Warlocks, and a few shows into their career he extended the invitation to Lesh, who had never played the instrument before- and the rest is history.
Many credit Phil’s unfamiliarity with the instrument as being the reason behind his revolutionary sound. Unlike learning through conventional means that often carried standards and preconceived notions of rights and wrongs, Lesh developed his skill on the bass “on the job,” relying upon his classical roots to educate his performance.
“As bass players, we walk a line between holding down the foundation and finding the freedom to be melodic. No one embodied this balance like Phil; it was astounding. His playing had a mesmerizing power, and his melodic lines floated like birds dancing through endless clouds and rainbows.”
– Mike Gordon, Phish
Lesh performed alongside the Warlocks wholeheartedly as the final member to round out the group, and just over a year after their first show the unit had rebranded to the iconic Grateful Dead moniker. Early on in the band’s career, Lesh’s experimentation was a point of tension between the group and their record label, but neither Lesh nor his bandmates were ever shaken by the critique.
Complimenting Garcia’s guitar solos and the songs’ instrumentals, Lesh pioneered a sound that didn’t subject bassists to being nothing more than a time-keeper. Exploring melodies, solos, and techniques such as the Bach counterpoint all while rooting himself to the tempo, it cannot be underscored enough how excitingly revolutionary Lesh’s playstyle was for bassists and listeners alike.
Throughout the Dead’s career, Phil’s unending passion for jazz and avant-garde music continually bled into their collective sound, including key introductions to the works of jazz saxophonist John Coltrane and composer Charles Ives whose influence can be recognized throughout their discography.
After the loss of Garcia in 1995, The Grateful Dead decided to go their separate ways- at least formally. Lesh would go on to perform for years alongside Grateful Dead offshoots The Other Ones and The Dead in addition to his personal unit Phil Lesh and Friends and music legend friends like Bob Dylan, with whom he co-headlined two tours.
Reuniting with his bandmates in 2009, the remainder of the Grateful Dead toured throughout the summer, and in the fall of the same year Lesh founded the band Furthur with Bob Weir. Another new pursuit came in the form of Terrapin Crossroads, a music venue in San Rafael that Lesh ran for just under ten years. Terrapin Crossroads hosted the full Phil Lesh and Friends band and his sons Grahame and Brian countless times over the years, among several other acts.
2014 saw the disbandment of Furthur and Lesh’s wrap on touring full time, however he just couldn’t shake live music. Performing with Phil Lesh and Friends as well as the Terrapin Family Band countless times and appearing in select festivals and venues over the years, Phil’s adoration for his craft and seemingly innate need to create music for the world could be felt in each and every performance he gave.
“Anyone I’ve ever seen that interacted with Phil loved him. He was kind and real and present in ways that few people are. Connected to the here and now, and yet transcendent at the same time. This aspect of Phil Lesh was also a part of his bass playing. He was both rooted and soaring at once.”
– Derek Java, NYS Music
Beyond his incredible list of achievements and admirable legacy as a musician, Lesh was above all a loving husband and father, and a kind, giving soul. Phil and Jill, his wife, ran their Unbroken Chain Foundation charity together. He frequented benefit concerts and advocated for organ donor programs after undergoing liver transplant surgery, and was a survivor of prostate and bladder cancer. Phil will not only be remembered for his once-in-a-lifetime skill or revolutionary mind, but above all for his genuine heart and unrelenting kindness towards every single person he encountered.
In the Lesh family’s official post, they state,“He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love.” The Lesh family has requested that fans respect the family’s privacy at this time.
The post Phil Lesh, Founding Member and Bassist of the Grateful Dead, Dead at 84 appeared first on NYS Music.
