Is my favorite of the Dead’s keyboardist . His Ragtime/bluesy chops always get my spine tingling, not so much to dance, as to recognize the melodies surrounding me. His innate grasp of the fundamental building blocks of boogie woogie astounds me to this day.
When wife Donna and he joined the band in late 71, they enabled the Dead to explore realms of music previously beyond their grasp. With his beard and mustache his appearance brought to mind a magician who could evoke modular passages from the ivory portals. His intense run of cascading notes vibrate with a profound destiny bourn of astral journeys.
One night he might sound like a gospel revival, on the next a Dixieland carnival relic. On rock and roll numbers he banged the keys with knowledgeable abandon. When the band downshifted to a blues progression, he could ease smoothly into the grove. Unfortunately he was mired in a losing battle with smack and started to nod during jams. An extended separation followed which was both draining and painful for the entire band.
