Lesh, whose bass effortlessly integrated the celestial, extrasensory, and deeply earthy within the Grateful Dead’s music, transcended many of his peers by fusing a classical upbringing, avant urges, and a boundless sense of irreverence and adventure.
The Grateful Dead leader’s guitar playing traveled a long and complex road that begins in the dusty fields of American music. Here’s your guide, from the Black Mountain Boys to Workingman’s Dead to Dawg.