The surviving members of the cult band The Grateful Dead have decided to scrap their short-lived moniker “The Other Ones” and rename themselves what everyone was calling them anyway: “The Dead.”
An icon of 1960s California that has long attracted those embracing alternative lifestyles, the band lost its leader Jerry Garcia in 1995 when he died in a drug rehabilitation clinic. The band then retired the name “Grateful Dead” in tribute to Garcia.
The bands remaining members gave their first major concert together last August as “The Other Ones” featuring Phil Lesh on bass, Bob Weir on guitar and Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart on drums.
“Seven years ago, when Jerry passed, we made a conscious decision to retire the name Grateful Dead,” the band said in a statement posted on the Internet. “We did so after some deep soul searching and out of our love and respect for what we had created together.”
“With the greatest possible respect to our collective history, we have decided to keep the name ‘Grateful Dead’ retired in honor of Jerry’s memory, and call ourselves: ‘The Dead.’
The band is next performing at a Valentine’s Day benefit concert on Friday. Spokesman Dennis McNally said the band would conduct a substantial tour next summer.
