Ron “Pigpen” McKernan Episode 8: Turning off the Love Light, Long-Awaited Redemption, and a Deadly Diagnosis

A dark cloud of death hung over the Grateful Dead as they went into the studio to make what is arguably their masterpiece, American Beauty. Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones…they were all gone. All dead at the age of 27. But time didn’t stop. Time marched on. The cold hands of death could close in on any of them. But who? When would they go? And how would they go?

Sources:

A Long Strange Trip: The Inside Story of the Grateful Dead, by Dennis McNally

Living with The Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus with Garcia and the Grateful Dead, by Rock Scully with David Dalton

Searching for the Sound, by Phil Lesh

The Grateful Dead FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Greatest Jam Band in History, by Tony Sclafani

This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead, by Blair Jackson and David Gans

Euphoria Ballroom - July 16, 1970 (Dead.net)

The Story Behind the Song: The burden lifted by Grateful Dead's 'Box of Rain' (Far Out)

Grateful Dead live at Winterland, 10/4/1970

The Story of the Grateful Dead 'American Beauty' (Classic Album Sundays)

50 Years Later; Grateful Dead's American Beauty (Open Chord Music)

How Grateful Dead Rose Above Hard Times on 'American Beauty' (Ultimate Classic Rock)

October 1970: Jerry Garcia Interview (Dead Sources)

Pigpen Solo Projects 1969, 1971, 1973 (Why?) (Lost Live Dead)

“Operator” take 5

Greatest Stories Ever Told - "Operator" (Dead.net)

Janis Joplin Remembered After Her Death (Rolling Stone)

The Day Grateful Dead's Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan Died (Ultimate Classic Rock)

Ron "Pigpen" McKernan Dies | World History Project (World History Project)

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Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse and many more musical icons all died at the age of 27. Scandalous, tortured, dramatic, and incredibly talented, these artists torched a wild path to their early graves and shifted and shaped our culture along the way. 27 Club tells their stories. 27 Club is hosted and created by Jake Brennan, host and creator of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND. 27 Club is not a journalistic podcast. It is an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. For more shows like 27 Club, check out www.doubleelvis.com.

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