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Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux explains how he finds gems in thousands of hours of live shows

NPR
Published February 16, 2024 at 7:20 AM EST
The Grateful Dead open up the final day of the US Festival in San Bernardino, Ca. early Sunday morning on Sept. 5, 1982. Guitarist Jerry Garcia, right, and drummer Mickey Hart play music spanning two decades to an enthusiastic crowd of rock and roll fans. (Lennox Mclendon/AP)
The Grateful Dead open up the final day of the US Festival in San Bernardino, Ca. early Sunday morning on Sept. 5, 1982. Guitarist Jerry Garcia, right, and drummer Mickey Hart play music spanning two decades to an enthusiastic crowd of rock and roll fans. (Lennox Mclendon/AP)

The Grateful Dead broke up when Jerry Garcia died almost 30 years ago, but the music never stopped. By some measures, the Dead are more popular than ever. Their latest archival release, “Dave’s Picks, Volume 49,” debuted at number 25 on last week’s Billboard 200.

It’s the band’s 59th album in the Top 40, breaking a record previously held by Elvis and Frank Sinatra. The vast majority of those Top 40s have come in the last decade or so, reflecting the band’s enduring appeal.

Here & Now‘s Celeste Headlee speaks with the person whose job it is to listen to thousands of hours of live Dead shows searching for gems — the Dave of ‘Dave’s Picks’ archivist, David Lemieux.

 

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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