The bears themselves are a reference to Owsley “Bear” Stanley, who recorded and produced the album upon which they appear. Thomas said that he based the depictions on a lead sort, which is a block with a typographic character etched on it, from an unknown font.

In 1995, Garcia passed away and the group has splintered into spin-off acts like Dead & Company, Phil Lesh and Friends, and more.ĭrawn by Bob Thomas as part of the back cover for the band’s 1973 album, History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One (Bear’s Choice), the “dancing” bears may not even be dancing at all. The Grateful Dead, which earned an infamous status for the many bootleg copies of their live shows, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.Ĭomprised of Garcia, Bob Weir, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann, the band was originally known as the Warlocks when they started playing in the Bay Area during the counterculture renaissance of the 1960s. Often leading instrumental jams, the group’s frontman Jerry Garcia wowed fans, who were later known as “Deadheads.” The band had only one top-40 single, yet they’re as well known as groups like The Rolling Stones and The Beatles, which had seemingly dozens. Their live performances are still the stuff of legend today. They are remembered for their blend of folk, country, jazz, bluegrass, blues, rock, and more styles, all mixed with a little (or a lot) of psychedelia. The American rock band known as The Grateful Dead was formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California, not far from San Francisco.

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