Happy Birthday Donna Jean Godchaux: Keith & Donna Band At Winterland In 1975

Famed vocalist Donna Jean Godchaux was born in Florence, Alabama on this date in 1947. Donna and her husband keyboardist Keith Godchaux were members of the Grateful Dead from late-1971 through early-1979. The pair were a crucial component of the legendary band’s ’70s sound. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994 and the Alabama Music Hall Of Fame in 2016.

Donna first found success as a session singer in both Muscle Shoals and Memphis. Her vocals can be heard on such iconic hits as Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” and Percy Sledge’s “When A Man Loves A Woman.” She went on to move to California where she met and married Keith Godchaux. Donna introduced her shy husband to Jerry Garcia in September 1971 and a month later he would join the band. She became a member of the Grateful Dead shortly thereafter. The pair parted ways with the group in February 1979 and sadly Keith died in a car accident the following year.

In 1975, the Godchauxs released Keith & Donna on the Grateful Dead’s Round Records imprint. The album turned out to be their lone record leading a band. Keith & Donna performed live at Winterland on October 4, 1975 as part of a bill that also featured The Sons Of Champlin and Kingfish. The pair was joined by guitarist Ray Scott, bassist Mike Larshied, multi-instrumentalist Scott Schuster and Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann for the nine-song performance. Keith & Donna’s set mixed originals such as “Showboat” and “Sweet Baby” with a variety of covers including Otis Redding’s “I Can’t Turn You Loose,” Bob Dylan’s “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” and “Ain’t That Peculiar” by Marvin Gaye.

Watch pro-shot video of Keith & Donna from October 4, 1975 thanks to Music Vault:

Tracklist

• 0:00:00 – Ain’t That Peculiar
• 0:05:52 – Come See About Me
• 0:11:23 – The Stranger
• 0:15:22 – Sweet Baby
• 0:23:14 – Instrumental
• 0:35:01 – It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry
• 0:42:35 – I Can’t Turn You Loose
• 0:46:28 – Showboat
• 0:55:01 – Knock On Wood (Incomplete)