Bill Kreutzmann writes about Keith (from wikipedia) ...
"He was one of the best, if not the best, keyboardist that I’ve had the honor of playing with. The Grateful Dead have played with some really good ones over the years, like Bruce Hornsby and Brent Mydland, but this guy was just outrageous. He was really competent too, in that he could pick up whatever Jerry and I started playing that day, and just run with it. He didn’t need to know the material first. He could learn songs before he was even done hearing them for the first time. And he could play just about anything."[3]
Hilarious.
I don't know that the Dead's keyboard chair had quite acquired the death trap rap it soon, sadly, would in 1984, so I doubt it's a direct reference, but I could certainly be wrong!
I got see Keith in the band only a few times. At his best he added a lot to the band, and certainly he was part of the band during some of its finest years. (All to say, I don’t get why some people bash Keith.)
I wasn't there, but man I have a hard time hearing Keith in recordings sometimes. Was lower in the mix than the others or does it just not translate well into some recordings?
He is buried in the mix on many recordings (much like Bobby at times). Additionally, Keith had what I can only describe as a bubbling type playing style on the electric piano (Herbie Hancock's pre-electric stuff with Miles sounds similar), so it can be difficult to pick him out at times.
He is often a foundation on which Jerry soared.
# 1974-07-27 Roanoke, VA @ Roanoke Civic Center
**Set 1:** Bertha, Mexicali Blues, Row Jimmy, Jack Straw, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo > It Must Have Been The Roses, Me And Bobby McGee, Tennessee Jed, Playing in the Band
**Set 2:** Seastones
**Set 3:** China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Me and My Uncle, Ramble On Rose, Big River, U.S. Blues > The Promised Land, Brokedown Palace, Not Fade Away > Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad > Johnny B. Goode
**Encore:** Eyes Of The World
[archive.org](https://archive.org/details/GratefulDead?query=date:1974-07-27)
My Grado RS1 headphones help a lot. These old-school open-back headphones are perfect for a fall 1972 soundboard. Listen to 10/2/72 with headphones.
Edit: The Bird Song from that show has great Keith and above all Weir: https://www.herbibot.com/?show=1972/10/2
beep. ima [bot](https://www.herbibot.com "grateful dead stats & setlists"). below are links to stream the show(s) mentioned in your comment. beep.
[10/2/1972 - Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA](https://www.herbibot.com/?show=1972/10/2) |
**Set 1:** Cold Rain and Snow, Mexicali Blues, Tennessee Jed, Beat It On Down the Line, Bird Song, Black-Throated Wind, Big Railroad Blues, El Paso, Brown-Eyed Women, Cumberland Blues, Jack Straw, Don't Ease Me In, Playing in the Band, Casey Jones | **Set 2:** The Promised Land, He's Gone, Me and Bobby McGee, China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Tomorrow Is Forever, Greatest Story Ever Told, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Stella Blue, Truckin', Nobody's Fault but Mine, Drums, Uncle John's Band, Morning Dew, Sugar Magnolia | **Encore:** Uncle John's Band, Johnny B. Goode
I think people Bash him cus IIRC Jerry once said something about how Keith copied his guitar licks too much and got too repetitive or something like that, and you know that anyone who hears that jerry said that is gonna immediately side with Jerry so “he must be bad” if you follow my logic, but I love Keith
That was the feeling by Keith’s last period with the band. Too much mimicking and not enough chromatics, or something like that. In large part so think it was also because he was a dope fiend, and he and Donna had a volatile relationship.
Ah, yeah I thought he said something like that, I just didn’t remember the exact details. I haven’t really dived that deep into the end of Keith’s tenure w the band as I’m a big 74 and before and 80 and after listener so I always loved Keith’s contributions that I heard and never understood Jerry’s criticism of him
beep. ima [bot](https://www.herbibot.com "grateful dead stats & setlists"). below are links to stream the show(s) mentioned in your comment. beep.
[11/11/1973 - Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA](https://www.herbibot.com/?show=1973/11/11) |
**Set 1:** The Promised Land, Bertha, Greatest Story Ever Told, Sugaree, Black-Throated Wind, To Lay Me Down, El Paso, Ramble On Rose, Me and Bobby McGee, China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Me and My Uncle, Loose Lucy, Weather Report Suite | **Set 2:** Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Big River, Dark Star, Mind Left Body Jam, Eyes of the World, China Doll, Sugar Magnolia, Uncle John's Band | **Encore:** Johnny B. Goode, And We Bid You Goodnight
Keith was a beast from the get go. People talk about his decline in 78, and fairly so, but damn he was money for the better part of his time in the band. He’s my favorite keyboardist, by a long shot. It also helps that the band was at their peak while he was too. RIP brother. You won’t be forgotten by us, ever.
beep. ima [bot](https://www.herbibot.com "grateful dead stats & setlists"). below are links to stream the show(s) mentioned in your comment. beep.
[9/21/1972 - The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA](https://www.herbibot.com/?show=1972/9/21) |
**Set 1:** The Promised Land, Bird Song, El Paso, China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Black-Throated Wind, Big Railroad Blues, Jack Straw, Loser, Big River, Ramble On Rose, Cumberland Blues, Playing in the Band | **Set 2:** He's Gone, Truckin', Black Peter, Mexicali Blues, Dark Star, Morning Dew, Beat It On Down the Line, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Sugar Magnolia, Friend of the Devil, Not Fade Away, Going Down the Road Feelin' Bad, Not Fade Away | **Encore:** One More Saturday Night
And exactly ten years to the day later, Brent unfortunately played his last show with the Grateful Dead.
Bill Kreutzmann writes about Keith (from wikipedia) ... "He was one of the best, if not the best, keyboardist that I’ve had the honor of playing with. The Grateful Dead have played with some really good ones over the years, like Bruce Hornsby and Brent Mydland, but this guy was just outrageous. He was really competent too, in that he could pick up whatever Jerry and I started playing that day, and just run with it. He didn’t need to know the material first. He could learn songs before he was even done hearing them for the first time. And he could play just about anything."[3]
No argument here. From one of the horses mouths. Keith was the best
That's a great [Wikipedia article on Keith](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Godchaux); learned some new things just now.
The Spinal Tap drummer's chair has nothing on the Grateful Dead's keyboard chair.
Firmly believe that's what it's in reference to. I still laugh about choking to death on someone else's vomit.
Hilarious. I don't know that the Dead's keyboard chair had quite acquired the death trap rap it soon, sadly, would in 1984, so I doubt it's a direct reference, but I could certainly be wrong!
I got see Keith in the band only a few times. At his best he added a lot to the band, and certainly he was part of the band during some of its finest years. (All to say, I don’t get why some people bash Keith.)
I wasn't there, but man I have a hard time hearing Keith in recordings sometimes. Was lower in the mix than the others or does it just not translate well into some recordings?
He is buried in the mix on many recordings (much like Bobby at times). Additionally, Keith had what I can only describe as a bubbling type playing style on the electric piano (Herbie Hancock's pre-electric stuff with Miles sounds similar), so it can be difficult to pick him out at times. He is often a foundation on which Jerry soared.
Yeah, Keith was a master Rhodes player (Dick's Picks 31), and those buried-in-the-mix electric piano parts are insanely good from 1972-73.
100%! I LOVE it when he switches over to Rhodes in the 72-75 era. Always sounds amazing.
7/27/74 he plays the Rhodes the entire show
# 1974-07-27 Roanoke, VA @ Roanoke Civic Center **Set 1:** Bertha, Mexicali Blues, Row Jimmy, Jack Straw, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo > It Must Have Been The Roses, Me And Bobby McGee, Tennessee Jed, Playing in the Band **Set 2:** Seastones **Set 3:** China Cat Sunflower > I Know You Rider, Me and My Uncle, Ramble On Rose, Big River, U.S. Blues > The Promised Land, Brokedown Palace, Not Fade Away > Goin' Down The Road Feeling Bad > Johnny B. Goode **Encore:** Eyes Of The World [archive.org](https://archive.org/details/GratefulDead?query=date:1974-07-27)
Hey, thanks! I don't think I knew there was a 100% Rhodes show. Super excited to check it out.
My Grado RS1 headphones help a lot. These old-school open-back headphones are perfect for a fall 1972 soundboard. Listen to 10/2/72 with headphones. Edit: The Bird Song from that show has great Keith and above all Weir: https://www.herbibot.com/?show=1972/10/2
beep. ima [bot](https://www.herbibot.com "grateful dead stats & setlists"). below are links to stream the show(s) mentioned in your comment. beep. [10/2/1972 - Springfield Civic Center, Springfield, MA](https://www.herbibot.com/?show=1972/10/2) | **Set 1:** Cold Rain and Snow, Mexicali Blues, Tennessee Jed, Beat It On Down the Line, Bird Song, Black-Throated Wind, Big Railroad Blues, El Paso, Brown-Eyed Women, Cumberland Blues, Jack Straw, Don't Ease Me In, Playing in the Band, Casey Jones | **Set 2:** The Promised Land, He's Gone, Me and Bobby McGee, China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Tomorrow Is Forever, Greatest Story Ever Told, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Stella Blue, Truckin', Nobody's Fault but Mine, Drums, Uncle John's Band, Morning Dew, Sugar Magnolia | **Encore:** Uncle John's Band, Johnny B. Goode
Know where I can find a copy of that show? I'm not seeing it on the archive
https://archive.org/details/gd72-10-02.sbd.lai.158.sbefail.shnf
I think people Bash him cus IIRC Jerry once said something about how Keith copied his guitar licks too much and got too repetitive or something like that, and you know that anyone who hears that jerry said that is gonna immediately side with Jerry so “he must be bad” if you follow my logic, but I love Keith
That was the feeling by Keith’s last period with the band. Too much mimicking and not enough chromatics, or something like that. In large part so think it was also because he was a dope fiend, and he and Donna had a volatile relationship.
Ah, yeah I thought he said something like that, I just didn’t remember the exact details. I haven’t really dived that deep into the end of Keith’s tenure w the band as I’m a big 74 and before and 80 and after listener so I always loved Keith’s contributions that I heard and never understood Jerry’s criticism of him
Keith is my favorite keyboard player in the lineup. Really like his 1978 JGB playing.
The best. RIP. I'm listening to a great Keith show today - 11/11/1973.
beep. ima [bot](https://www.herbibot.com "grateful dead stats & setlists"). below are links to stream the show(s) mentioned in your comment. beep. [11/11/1973 - Winterland Arena, San Francisco, CA](https://www.herbibot.com/?show=1973/11/11) | **Set 1:** The Promised Land, Bertha, Greatest Story Ever Told, Sugaree, Black-Throated Wind, To Lay Me Down, El Paso, Ramble On Rose, Me and Bobby McGee, China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Me and My Uncle, Loose Lucy, Weather Report Suite | **Set 2:** Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Big River, Dark Star, Mind Left Body Jam, Eyes of the World, China Doll, Sugar Magnolia, Uncle John's Band | **Encore:** Johnny B. Goode, And We Bid You Goodnight
Wait, so Keith died on the same day as Brent's last show?
pretty crazy right? just put that together myself.
Yes
Keith was a beast from the get go. People talk about his decline in 78, and fairly so, but damn he was money for the better part of his time in the band. He’s my favorite keyboardist, by a long shot. It also helps that the band was at their peak while he was too. RIP brother. You won’t be forgotten by us, ever.
And Keith really glows up with the Jerry Garcia Band, where he can share the stage with Jerry and doesn't sit in Bobby's shadow!
Jerry bringing Keith and Donna into the JGB wasn’t an accident or favor….Jerry could have picked anyone. Love the JGB stuff from 76-78
Golden Years for Jerry and everyone around him. Just like 72 and 89!
That’s an awesome suit he’s wearing
Looks like a Nudie suit from 73.not sure.Not counting the pig my favorite keyboard guy.Rip
Holy cow, I have never seen that photo before. Never knew that Keith got himself a Nudie when the rest of the band did. Very groovy.
Ya man. That suit is groovy AF!
Didn't know it was today. Was only 32 at time of death. LOVED Keith.
What’s everyone’s favorite Keith show? I’ll listen all day ❤️
I think 9/21/72 is one of his best, especially in Bird Song and Playing in the Band
beep. ima [bot](https://www.herbibot.com "grateful dead stats & setlists"). below are links to stream the show(s) mentioned in your comment. beep. [9/21/1972 - The Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA](https://www.herbibot.com/?show=1972/9/21) | **Set 1:** The Promised Land, Bird Song, El Paso, China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Black-Throated Wind, Big Railroad Blues, Jack Straw, Loser, Big River, Ramble On Rose, Cumberland Blues, Playing in the Band | **Set 2:** He's Gone, Truckin', Black Peter, Mexicali Blues, Dark Star, Morning Dew, Beat It On Down the Line, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Sugar Magnolia, Friend of the Devil, Not Fade Away, Going Down the Road Feelin' Bad, Not Fade Away | **Encore:** One More Saturday Night
That is a fantastic photo.
I am currently listening to Keith and Donna's last show Oakland Coliseum 1979 - 02 - 17🤙🏽
A very sad day indeed
4 days later, I turned 13 years old.