Bob Weir

It was a long, strange trip indeed. On New Year’s Eve in 1963, sixteen-year old Bob Weir followed the sound of a banjo into a music store where a young Jerry Garcia was teaching a class. That led to an all-night jam session that would continue on and off for the next three decades. As founding members of the Grateful Dead, Weir and Garcia would lead not just a rock band but a social movement bordering on the religious. Dead shows became rituals. Dead merchandise became signifiers of membership. But behind all the mystique, Bob Weir’s unorthodox rhythm guitar work was foundational to the band’s distinctive sound. Outside the Dead, Weir’s restless energy led him down dozens of musical routes including country, orchestral, indie rock and experimental projects with collaborators from every genre. When cancer finally caught up with him, his life was celebrated by fans far and wide. Bob Weir played his last chord in January of 2026. But The Dead will never die.