We hope you can join us on Wednesday, September 23rd at 4:00 PM when we host music historian and writer John Brackett in celebration of the release of his new book Touch of Grey or How The Grateful Dead Became Pop Stars. Brackett will be reading from and speaking about Touch of Grey before signing copies for attendees. He’ll be joined by Nashville’s own Rich Mahan, a knowledgable Grateful Dead enthusiast in his own right, who will also be performing a few Dead tunes for the occasion. You can preorder your copy of Touch of Grey or How The Grateful Dead Became Pop Stars on our site here now or pick up your copy when you’re here for the event. This is a free & all ages affair, so come one, come all!
Touch of Grey, or How the Grateful Dead Became Pop Stars tells the story of how one song transformed the popular legacy of one of rock’s most iconic musical groups. John Brackett traces the history of the song “Touch of Grey,” beginning with songwriter Robert Hunter’s lyrical sketches and the Grateful Dead’s earliest live arrangements, culminating in the group’s popular renaissance following the release of “Touch of Grey” and the album In the Dark in the summer of 1987. Brackett details how particular recording technologies, notable musical characteristics, modes of attending and listening, and the mechanics of the contemporary music industry shaped this defining moment in the group’s career. Drawing on extensive archival research, Touch of Grey examines how the band and their label worked to produce a hit record, a dynamic music video, and an effective promotional campaign that would propel the Grateful Dead from a group with a devoted cult following to become a pop culture phenomenon.
Before and after our Touch of Grey book event we’ll be spinning the latest Grateful Dead archival release, Merriweather 6/30/1985 (Live) and giving away some sweet GD freebies and one grand prize—a copy of the new 4 LP box set. Merriweather 6/30/85 features a previously unreleased, complete live performance from Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD 6/30/85, including favorites like “Sugar Magnolia,” “Cryptical Envelopment,” and what most Dead Heads consider the best version of “Shakedown Street” ever performed by the Grateful Dead. Be sure to enter to win our grand prize giveaway when you arrive on Wednesday. We’ll select the winner at the end of the event.
John Brackett
John Brackett is a writer and music historian (PhD, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). His previous books include Live Dead: The Grateful Dead, Live Recordings, and the Ideology of Liveness (Duke University Press, 2023) and John Zorn: Tradition and Transgression (Indiana University Press, 2008). He lives with his wife in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Rich Mahan
Musician and producer Rich Mahan is the cohost and producer of the official podcast of the Grateful Dead, the Good Ol’ Grateful Deadcast. His Nashville based band, GoldCoast, which is co-fronted with his wife Jennifer is releasing their debut album in early 2027. Rich is also a member of Alt-Country act Shurman, who has recently finished a new tribute album to the late-great Tom Petty and is also preparing that for release.
