Phil Lesh

Phil Lesh is a great musician to the Grateful Dead Band.

Phil Lesh is a very talented man. Phil Lesh is an extraordinary musician. His talents gave rise from Bob Hanson who was one of his teachers. Bob Hansen taught Phil the important principles of musicianship which included dynamics, phrasing, tempo, and context. Phil’s fundamentals of music came by example. Phil spent a lot of his growing up at the classic Bohemian coffeehouse. While hanging out at the classic Bohemian coffeehouse he soon discovered a new kind of an underground railroad that went by the name Chateau. This is the place where Phil meant Jerry Garcia.


In 1965 he was at a pizza parlor in Menlo Park attending a Warlocks show. The Warlocks was a band that his friend Jerry Garcia played in. This event changed Phil’s life forever. After the Warlocks show Phil was addressed by Jerry about playing the bass guitar. Phil had never played the bass before but agreed to play in the band. You could tell that Phil was an extraordinary player because he was able to learn the bass with on the job training. Phil Lesh was the one who suggested they change their name of the band due to that someone else had already made a record under the Warlocks. Phil pushed the Grateful Dead into new music territory. His voice was a great contribution to the Grateful Dead because it added to the four-part harmony section. His role was the higher countertenor. It has been reported by deadheads that if Phil was on the band was also on. After the bands disbanding in 1995 due to the death of Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh wanted to keep the Grateful Dead tradition alive. He did so with his project of Phil Lesh and Friends. This band is viewed by many deadhead fans as the post dead band.


In 1998 Phil went under a liver transplant due to chronic hepatitis C infection. The transplant gave a new rise to him. He has become an outspoken advocate for organ donating. Phil’s book: Searching for the Sound My Life with the Grateful Dead was published April of 2005 and is the only book ever written by a member of the Grateful Dead band.


Phil went back on tour in 2009 with the remaining members of the Grateful Dead and called it the Reunion Tour. Phil still’s keeping the music alive for all the deadhead fans a scheduled debut of the band Furthur featuring Phil and Bob Weir in September of 2009.