It’s been 25 years since Grateful Dead keyboardist/vocalist Brent Mydland passed away on July 26, 1990- at the time the third keyboardist to die following Ron “Pigpen” McKernan in 1974 and Keith Godchaux in 1980. Mydland was a fan favorite with an out of this world voice that dominated harmonies and lead vocals, along with a tendency to improvise lyrically and drop “f bombs” that sometimes shocked the otherwise sunflowery fans. He was also a stellar songwriter who had a natural knack for harmony and pop structure, along with being a proficient organist who also added other electronic keyboards into the mix that weren’t present during earlier Dead eras. Lets take a look back at this stellar version of the Bydland original “Blow Away” from 7/7/89 complete with a mid-song soulful sermon.
