Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan - Operator

[OAITW r.2.0]

https://music.

&list=RDAMVMTytIqm_d7uE

Dead playing behind him.

[OAITW r.2.0]

1. Some posted Pink Floyd's version of "king Bee' earlier today.

But seriously, this is the best version I know of-

https://music.

&list=RDAMVMcoFjbeitsw8

Ron was plugged in to the sounds and songs.....no greater white blues guy in my recollection.

[OAITW r.2.0]

2. Turn on Your Lovelight

https://music.

&list=RDAMVMi_E7MQU1ogI

You like it or you don't.Listening to this....the whole band is at their peak. Kruetzman/Lesh managing the the rhythm, Bob and Jerry doing their whatever. But back to Ron......

[OAITW r.2.0]

3. Hard to Handle - 1971

https://music.

&list=RDAMVMiRxp3M_ANq0

I loved these guys back then.......

[OAITW r.2.0]

4. The Dead were a differnt band when Ron was engaged with the Dead.

When he died in 73, they evolved.

[pitchforksandtorches]

5. Hey Man thank you for this!

I’m especially fond of the 1970/1971 Dead. Ron “Pigpen” McKernan was mighty fine.

Garcia once said if you never saw Pigpen with the band then you never really saw the Grateful Dead.

Grateful Dead Live at Hollywood Palladium on 1971-08-06
https://archive.org/details/gd1971-08-06.mtx.tobin.130793.flac16/gd1971-08-06d1t09.flac
The stellar Hard to Handle from the circulating AUD can be heard on the commercial release Fallout from the Phil Zone.

I was lucky to be with my brother and two of our friends at the legendary Aug. 6, 1971 Hollywood Palladium New Riders/“Grateful Dead Dance” . We were standing about fifteen feet from the guys in the audience who taped it! At the end of the long show we poured out into the 100plus degree 2am Hollywood night.

[OAITW r.2.0]

6. This is a Pigpen appreciation thread.

What he did, he did well.

Short but sweet life....

[peacefreak2.0]

7. I saw them a week before at the Yale Bowl.

Still remember Pig Pen doing Hard to Handle. It was my first show.