WXPN remembers Bob Weir, Grateful Dead co-founder, who has died at 78

Bob Weir, guitarist, songwriter, singer, and co-founder of the Grateful Dead, has died. He was 78.
His family shared this statement on his website:

“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of Bobby Weir. He transitioned peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, after courageously beating cancer as only Bobby could. Unfortunately, he succumbed to underlying lung issues. For over sixty years, Bobby took to the road—a guitarist, vocalist, storyteller, and founding member of the Grateful Dead. Bobby will forever be a guiding force whose unique artistry reshaped American music. His work did more than fill rooms with music; it was warm sunlight that filled the soul, building a community, a language, and a feeling of family that generations of fans carry with them. Every chord he played, every word he sang was an integral part of the stories he wove. There was an invitation: to feel, to question, to wander, and to belong.”

Bobby’s songs, and the music of the Dead and the many solo projects from its members, have long been part of WXPN’s musical DNA. In addition to co-founding the Dead with Jerry Garcia, Weir continued performing widely after the band disbanded in the mid-1990s, playing with The Other Ones, RatDog, Furthur, Wolf Bros (with Don Was), and Dead & Company.

He recorded three solo albums, including his now-classic 1972 debut, Ace. In the 1970s, he formed Kingfish with Matthew Kelly and bassist Dave Torbert (formerly of New Riders of the Purple Sage). In the 1980s, he formed Bobby and the Midnites, a band that included legendary jazz drummer Billy Cobham and bassist Alphonso Johnson, along with former Grateful Dead keyboardist Brent Mydland.

---

Throughout his career with the Dead, the songs he’s most known for—“Truckin’,” “Playing in the Band,” “One More Saturday Night,” “Sugar Magnolia,” “Me and My Uncle,” “Looks Like Rain,” “Black-Throated Wind,” “The Other One,” “Estimated Prophet,” “Feel Like a Stranger,” “Cassidy,” “Throwing Stones,” and many more—became enduring classics in the Grateful Dead canon.

WXPN will pay tribute to Bobby starting Sunday, January 11, on Sleepy Hollow with Keith Kelleher, followed by Dave’s World with David Dye, and then a five-hour tribute hosted by Jim McGuinn and Bruce Warren starting at noon. We’ll continue to celebrate the music and life of Bob Weir throughout next week. Bobby visited World Cafe several times over the years. His last appearance was in 2016, following the release of Blue Mountain.