Remembering Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan: With The Grateful Dead In 1970
By Andy Kahn Mar 8, 2017 • 8:33 am PST
Co-founding member of the Grateful Dead Ron “Pigpen” McKernan sadly passed away on this date in 1973 at the young age of 27. The Bay Area native left an indelible mark on the legendary band he helped establish in the late-1960s, injecting a cool, bluesy swagger into the group’s formative sound. That prowess as a frontman, keyboardist and harmonica player is on display in the collection of videos below captured in 1970.
The videos start with four clips from the Grateful Dead’s July 4, 1970 performance at McMahon Stadium in Calgary that was part of the Festival Express train tour through Canada. An acoustic “Don’t Ease Me In” led by Jerry Garcia is followed by “New Speedway Boogie” featuring McKernan’s harmonica work. Pigpen then takes over to lead the ensemble on covers of the blues classics “Turn On Your Lovelight” and “Hard To Handle.” Finally, there’s a clip from an August 30, 1970 appearance on the PBS program Calebration featuring Pigpen singing Robert Hunter’s “Easy Wind.”
Check out the man who “was and is now forever one of the Grateful Dead” in action below:
