The Grateful Dead has spread its message of peace, love and expansion of the spirit across the world for nearly three decades. Few believe there has ever been a more influential group in modern history. But all this did not happen without great conflicts. Since the beginning, there have been many ups and downs with the band and its various members, from personal issues, to label issues, to the issues they have always had from being on tour for so long . Very few bands are able to maintain the same sound in their music without changing over time like the Grateful Dead did. You can put in an early '70s record and it sounds exactly like a late '90s recording. The Grateful Dead has been through everything from death to drug addiction to Keep Truckin'! The band was formed in 1965 in San Francisco with a blend of sounds from several different musical genres such as folk, bluegrass, jazz, country, blues, and Physicadellique rock. The original members were: Jerry Garcia on lead guitar and vocals, Bob Weir was the youngest member of the group playing rhythm guitar and vocals. Ron "Pigpin" McKernan played keyboards, Phill Lesh was still the basis. Bill Kreutzmann played drums at first, but was followed by Micky Heart in 1967 as second drummer. When Pigpin died at the age of 27 from liver failure, Keith Godchaux joined as his new keyboardist, with him he brought his wife Donna Jean to help with backing vocals. When the couple left the group in 1979, they were replaced by Brent Mayland. Mayland played with the band until his death in 1990, making him the third keyboardist to die while with the Grateful Dead. He was quickly replaced by Bruce Hornsbey. Robert Hunter and John Perry Barlow were responsible for most of the lyrics. Owen Stanely was their beloved manager for years. The Grateful Dead was not only known for its sound, but several visual techniques were also used. Everything from little dancing bears and skeletons to the famous "Steal Your Face." Here are some words from Owsley Stanley about Steal Your Face: In 1969, the Dead were renting a warehouse in Novato, California. I was the sound man for the band at the time and I lived in Oakland..