The
Grateful Dead was an American
rock band formed in 1965 in
Palo Alto, California. Ranging from quintet to septet, the band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of
country,
folk,
bluegrass,
blues,
reggae,
rock, improvisational
jazz,
psychedelia,
space rock, for
live performances of lengthy
instrumental jams, and for their devoted fan base, known as "
Deadheads". "Their music," writes
Lenny Kaye, "touches on ground that most other groups don't even know exists." These various influences were distilled into a diverse and
psychedelic whole that made the Grateful Dead "the pioneering Godfathers of the
jam band world". The band was ranked 57th in the issue
The Greatest Artists of all Time by
Rolling Stone magazine. The band was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 and their Barton Hall Concert at Cornell University (May 8, 1977) was added to the
Library of Congress's
National Recording Registry. The Grateful Dead have sold more than 35 million albums worldwide.