50 years ago today (3/8/73), Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, keyboardist of the Grateful Dead, died at age 27 from liver failure. Pigpen was a founding member of the Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972 and served as the band’s front-man prior to Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir playing harmonica and electric organ while adding a bluesy biker feel (and Farfisa organ) to many songs in the band’s early live and recorded catalog. Unlike the other members of the Grateful Dead, Pigpen avoided psychedelic drugs, preferring to drink alcohol (namely whiskey and wine) which in the end, contributed to his early death. Courtesy of YouTube – check out this Ron Pigpen McKernan mix from 1964 to 1972.
