Grateful Dead

Is to walk by my daughter's bedroom and hear her singing "Shake it shake it Sugaree" as she is playing with her stuffed animals. Sure beats her singing some Hannah Montana or Jonas Bros song. "Here's my half a dollar if you dare .. double twist when you hit the air. Look at Julie down below .. the levee doing the dopaso"

but even more satisfying is knowing i have taught him to have an appreciation for ALL music.....i just wish i could steer him just a leeeetle farther away from the "death metal"......(shudder!)

My partner's daughter is now 16 and she's been listening to her dad and I play GD music on guitar and in bands for most of her life. One of her favourite songs has always been Mississippi Half-Step - she's been requesting it since she was just a wee one. Now she plays it on piano and jams on it with her friends. She also loves singing Run for the Roses. The other day she caught a bit of a Shakedown from a live Dead show and was surprised - she had always thought we'd written it... =) Thanks for the compliment, Ceilidh! The best part about all her exposure to these great Hunter/Garcia compositions is that she's really evolved into an excellent songwriter. She's a bookworm and she's read and heard lots of literature and poetry, but I think Hunter's careful writing has made a distinct impression on her like it has on her dad and I. Nice to see the many generations loving the music. It's weird...I remember when I was considered just a baby on the scene. In a culture where vintage is pedigree, these kids are makin me look more legit every day!

Ever since my daughter was born, she's been hearing Grateful Dead playing at home or in the car. Now she's almost 4 years old, and requests me to turn up the Grateful Dead when we are in the car.

I've been singing GD lullabyes to my son since he was born. Ripple, Brokedown, WBYGN, even Crazy Fingers and China Doll. He knows them well. But nothing compares to hearing HIM sing Fire on the Mountain or Shakedown. I am a very proud daddy.

A few years ago my daughter then 12 expressed peer opinions that "the Grateful Dead sucks", and I shuddered to think where she was going. There wasn't a way to play it much then when we were together. Now at 15 she's thinking for herself as they all begin to do, she's gone through alot of stuff, and we're living together, me as a single parent. She saw The Dead twice and Furthur at NYE. She's into a lot of electronica and a mixture of new stuff I don't know, but she's a new generation Deader and feels at home at a show. She loves Shakedown, but even more of a good sign is she likes He's Gone, even without the pronounced beat. See you at Angel's Camp. That kid's going to be alright.

I've said some of this before on other posts on this site so forgive me if I repeat myself. I've been married twice and have 2 "sets" of kids. The older ones are 31 and 29. They both grew up listening to the Dead. My son and I attended our first show together when he was 8! The music of the Dead has been a shared experience for us since then. He still loves the music and he manages to turn me on to some newer bands that I might otherwise overlook. My daughter is by no means a full blown Deadhead but she did attend 2 shows and the music has obviously had an influence on her. A couple years ago she couldn't wait to play Jimmy Buffet's version of Scarlet Begonias for me! She is a bit of a parrot head, so she's sort of on the same wavelength. My 13 year old and 10 year old are both special needs kids. He has autism and she has Down syndrome. Josh and I have been to many Ratdog, Phil and Friends, Dead and Furthur shows. He knows the music very well and can remember set lists from several years ago (which I certainly can't). We saw Furthur on 2/12 at Hampton, VA with his older brother. That's where his brother and I saw our first Grateful Dead show. So it was like a family reunion "where it all began". Rachel hasn't been to any shows yet, but she sings Uncle John's Band, Playing in the Band, Truckin', Mama Tried and many other GD songs. She loves Bob Weir's vocal acrobatics! When you ask her what Bob Weir says she'll scream! The Dead have been a huge part of my relationships with all of my kids and our family is better off for it!

I am just starting out on this crazy journey of being a parent. my kids are 2 and 6 months and they love going to shows. Its so nice to hear my son request donna..then when the music starts he says "there's jerry donna coming wait a minute"......Sometimes i sing him to sleep..he picks a subject and i make up a song..one night i sang meerkat sunflower..he stoped me in a most serious tone "no daddy you can't sing that jerry sings that"....my mom always worries because of all the open partying at shows and don't want the kids thinking it is allright..well SOME TIMES it is....plus there is not to many places the kids can see people from many different walks of life gathering pretty much peacefully...

Or am I the only one. =) If you're going to Furthur Fest it would be great to connect there. My wife and I will be attending with our 5 year old daughter and 2 year old son. Rock on in Him. Dave

My little one saw (well heard) the Dead in June 2009, when she was 4 months in her mama's womb. Would be great for them to do it one more time so she can hear them better. She loves when we put them on, and American Beauty soothes her to sleep.

Talk about a heartwarming experience: the phone rang just now and it was a friend of my partner's daughter. She surprised me by wishing me happy mothers' day! She was calling around to all her favourite moms and I was on her list. I was blown away. I guess common-law stepmothers count too! These 17yr olds today, I tell ya... some of them have their heads screwed on right... already respecting their elders. What happened to rebellious teenagers? I guess my Mom's generation did that one so well that I didn't have to and neither does she. To all the grateful moms - keep shining your special light as you glow in the beauty of the bonds you've created.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Mommies!___________________________________________ Will you come with me? Once in awhile you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right!

My kids grew up listen the dead. The went to shows and fests. i had to move away from my kids , all but youngest. Life has gotten to busy! where did that happen. 2 yrs ago i spent labor day week end at a fest with my daughter and my g/f. we had a blast. . Its an old school fest small unlike the big venues. Which are fun but.......... This one is in western massachussetts.( worm fest in greenfield mass.) We got lost in the woods a few times that weekend, and always ended up at the camps of the real ppl that welcome strangers. we were all in the right state of mind. Miss it so much.without the old dead shows the new times would not be possible. they set the course. thanks jerry. This all reminds me to slow down and enjoy what i had and will have again. see you all at the show.

Hey everyone...I'll try to get this on video and share it with you, but my four year old has been singing He's Gone every day for a week or so. It's one of those that we all sing together, and he is picking it up. Sometimes he makes up his own words, but he always gets the first verse right...it's just one of those fun things about being a deadhead parent.

we would be considered d.h. grandparents now that we have 3 & our kids were raised in it back in the '70's......

Mine once told me I "over glorify" the dead........then they had the nerve to turn around and ask me what jerrys best song was.......??????????????????????????

I need some heady help!!! We are having a baby in August and I am struggling with names. My son is Dylan Zimmerman but this one...we don't know if it is a boy or a girl yet....needs to be a Grateful Dead name, or at least a hippie name. I am leaning toward Althea or Berkeley if it's a girl, but have no ideas for a boy. I have ruled out Jack, Jed, Quinn, Stephen, John, Jerry, Phil, Bob, Bill, Mickey, David, Casey, Reuben, Samson, Dupree, Ashbury, August.....any ideas??? Thank you :)

Terrapin springs to mind; other kids can only shorten it to Terry. My 16 year old is moving away from the Dead right now and more into Alice in Chains, PJ d Chillies and Rory Gallagher - Can't criticise too much - he's a better guitar player than me -- he'll be back!

Charlie or Lee would be too conventional. How about Bayo? Conversation is always more interesting than recitation, so speak your mind and not someone else's.

That leaves out Catfish .. lol. Guess I'd go with Hunter then =) "It's got no signs or dividing line and very few rules to guide"

Speaking of Rain, I like that name. As I type, I'm reading through the song titles from Hunter's collected lyrics....how 'bout Cassidy, Elijah, Frank(lins Tower), Sunshine (after Sunshine Garcia- Jerry's daughter who now sings with Furthur ), Scarlet, Lucy, Mason, Rider, Rosemary, Tiger Rose, Valerie, Silvio, Carolyn...May God bless you and keep you and your family Hippie Chick. Peace, SW

hmmm....I like Keelin...thankx brothers and sisters btw :) My goal is to have something super meaningful but uncommon...every deadhead I know has a kid named Cassidy...beautiful name but too common. I hadn't thought of Rider...thats a list maker! Mason and Hunter are too common these days....if I can't come up with a good GD name I think a nature/hippie name would be second in line....I like Canyon....sw...thats funny that you say you are reading through song titles I have the complete annotated lyrics book right next to me!!! Keep them coming guys...this is a fun conversation anyways :) Love n light

Hey Tom Banjo It's time to matter The Earth will see you on through this time The Earth will see you on through this time

My oldest daughter got married this last Saturday and it was the only wedding I've ever been to that played Grateful Dead all night. I had a real good time! Will never forget dancing with her to "Bertha" and a whole lot of other songs. She looked like an angel in her white dress, my hippie angel. At the start of the partying, I told the DJ's that "my daughter was requesting more GD songs be added to the list" - they laughed at me and said she told them I would probably say something like that. She knows me so well. Her list was so long as it was and it lasted until midnight. That has to be the best wedding I've ever been to!

they would say they arent into to grateful dead. But its so much of there up bringing that they sing along to all the lyrics of a song :)

is...SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM and TROLL! That honest enough? :D ********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde

had alot of fun with that one, I can admit it marye!********************************** I am not young enough to know everything. Oscar Wilde

I'm new to the forum but I've been around for a long while. Raising two little girls ages 5 and 2 (scary!). They have been to a few shows and they love every minute of it. I love taking them and showing the next generation how the world could really be. I just wanted to say hi and thanks for having a place to come to when I'm feeling homesick! Spreading Love and Light One Person at a Time