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Donna Jean Godchaux performed with The Grateful Dead during what many fans consider their peak years. Yet her background is largely a mystery to most, she's certainly the most underexplored long-time member of the band.
Born Donna Jean Thatcher, she started her singing career young and big. By the time she moved to California and met Jerry Garcia, she had sung backing vocals on numerous albums for artists like Percy Sledge, Boz Scaggs and Elvis Presley. At 18 years old, she was on a #1 hit while The Grateful Dead had just finished off the 'official Acid Tests,' had no record deal and hardly any original songs, played the Fillmore only 4 times and hadn't moved to 710 Ashbury yet.
Donna first sang on stage with The Grateful Dead December 31st, 1971, performing 'One More Saturday Night.' She joined them regularly beginning in March 1972 at the Academy of Music run in New York City. The Godchaux's final show with the Dead was February 17, 1979. Prior to this gig and despite her many years of professional singing, she had never sung live on stage. She is largely caught in a 'love-her hate-her' dynamic among fans. I love her and think she added a lot to the band. Which is not to say that there aren't moments from her which make me roll my eyes, but I can say the same about just about everyone else in the band. Certainly Weir, right?
Though she sang on dozens of songs, she sang lead on only four (From the Heart of Me, Sunrise, You Ain't Woman Enough and Tomorrow is Forever). I can't play everything on which she sang, but I think these nearly two hours will give a very good representative sample of her participation.
As with so many topics, Lost Live Dead has compiled an excellent, lengthy and extensively hyperlinked piece about Donna's singing background. Here are a couple of other interesting pieces with and about Donna. Also, you can find out more about her curent band.
Part 2 of this special (date TBD) will feature Donna's work in the Jerry Garcia Band.
Here's what I didn't get to play today. Click the date to access the entire show for each song.
8/27/72 - Sing Me Back Home, 11/17/73 - Row Jimmy, 8/6/74 - Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad, 8/13/75 - Crazy Fingers, 6/14/76 - High Time, The Wheel, 7/18/76 - Cassidy, 5/28/77 - Samson and Delilah, 9/3/77 - Mississippi Half Step, 10/29/77 - Might As Well, 4/22/78 - It Must Have Been the Roses, 4/24/78 - The Music Never Stopped
