The Warlocks Tickets - The Beginning of the Grateful Dead

Would you believe that the iconic band from back then the Grateful Dead had a previous name? They did. Beginning in 1965 as a house band for the Ken Kesey's acid parties, one band by the name of the Warlocks head by none other than Jerry Garcia himself -- without even knowing it -- began what was going to be an immortal status of classic rock phenomenon. With the lineup of Bob Weir, Ron McKernan, bass guitarist Phil Lesh, and drummer Bill Kreutzmann, the Warlocks came together to actually sign with Autumn Records for their first LP ever.

The Warlocks Tickets - The Music of the Warlocks

The album was tentatively titled The Emergency Crew, and it had six songs on it that unfortunately never actually made it to circulation, although many were able to bootleg the recordings. Those songs were 'I Can't Come Down,' 'Mindbender,' 'The Only Time Is Now,' 'Caution (Do Not Stop on the Tracks),' 'I Know You Rider,' and 'Early Morning Rain.' It was funny, though, when Lesh heard the word that there was another musical group out there with the name of 'Warlocks' in their title. So guess what happened? They changed their name. To what? Guess....

The Warlocks Tickets - The Sound and Style of the Warlocks (Or the Grateful Dead)

With some serious folk and bluegrass roots from stints done with the Sleepy Hollow Hog Stompers, the Hart Valley Drifters, the Wildboys, and the Black Mountain Boys, it was obvious that good ol' Jerry Garcia had a way around his music to personify classic rock with that immortal standing of folkish, easy-sounding music. That is, of course, what made...the Grateful Dead...such a phenomenon.