Grateful Dead Records: Realia, 1966-2012

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Summary

Creators:
Grateful Dead Productions
Extent:
178 Linear Feet 128 boxes, 21 oversize items
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Grateful Dead Records: Realia. MS 332 Ser. 10. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Background

Scope and content:

This series includes merchandise samples produced or licensed by the band, and other three-dimensional objects used by the band on tours, in performances, and in recording sessions. It also includes large objects and decorative pieces given to the band by fans. Items in the series include clothing, accessories, instruments, equipment, stage props, touring cases, signs, and furniture.

Biographical / historical:

The Grateful Dead were an American rock band that formed in 1965 in Northern California. They came to fame as part of author Ken Kesey's Acid Tests, a series of multimedia happenings centered around then-legal LSD. Famed for their concerts, the band performed more than 2,300 shows over thirty years, disbanding after the death of lead guitarist Jerry Garcia in August 1995. Although their only Top 10 hit, "Touch of Grey," charted in 1987, their popularity was based on concerts, and in their last decade they consistently placed in the top five tours every year. Known for the range of their repertoire and the caliber of their compositions, the Dead's songbook has been covered by a wide range of other musicians, from Bob Dylan to Jane's Addiction. They released thirteen studio albums and nine contemporary live albums during their career, and more than 100 live releases since then. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Grateful Dead Productions, 2008.
Processing information:

This finding aid was revised in the Reparative Archival Redescription Project in 2021-2022. Previous versions of this finding aid are available upon request.

Arrangement:

The Realia series is arranged into eight sub-series:

  • T-Shirts
  • East Asian Merchandise
  • Clothing and Accessories
  • Homeweare
  • Games and Toys
  • Beer and Wine
  • Other
  • Overzise

Accruals:

The first accrual was received in 2008. Second accrual was received in June 2012.

Physical location:
Stored in Special Collections and Archives.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection open for research. Advance notice is required for access.

Terms of access:

Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs. Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.

Preferred citation:

Grateful Dead Records: Realia. MS 332 Ser. 10. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Location of this collection:
Special Collections and Archives, University Library
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064, US
Contact:
(831) 459-2547
speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
Website