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Phil Lesh
Phil Lesh is the multi-talented founding bassist for the legendary rock group Grateful Dead, and he has continued to thrive after the demise of the band with his outfit Phil Lesh and Friends.
Lesh began his career as a trumpet player with an interest in jazz and avante-garde classical music. He met Dead frontman Jerry Garcia at Mills College and joined his band, The Warlocks. He had never played bass before joining the band, so he learned "on the job" - as a result, the rhythm section of the band wasnt typical - it had more of a classical twinge than most would expect.
Lesh was helped to create the sound of the electric bass, developed in the mid-1960s. The new sound brought the bass to the forefront of music, more than just a timekeeping roll. As a result, Lesh made the bass line just as primary as the lead guitar.
While Lesh was quite prolific with the bass, he wasnt nearly as involved with composing and singing in the band. He was much more known for bringing the band to a new level while performing, mostly due to his explorative music sense. He did, however, contribute to some of the most beloved songs including "Box of Rain" and "Unbroken Chain."
After the group disbanded, Lesh continued to perform with remaining members in The Other Ones and The Dead. His most successful venture, however, has been Phil Lesh and Friends. The group has had an amazing list of performers over the years, including Warren Haynes, Ryan Adams, Chris Robinson, Trey Anastasio, Bob Weir and Derek Trucks. The band is known for taking the sounds of the Grateful Dead and interpreting it in different ways, including more southern rock sounds and a faster pace for many songs.
From 2000 through 2003, the lineup was relatively solid - Haynes of Govt Mule and Allman Brothers Band, Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panice, Rob Barraco of The Zen Tricksters, John Molo of Keller Williams. The band released "There and Back Again" from Columbia Records in 2002. The group also released "There and Back Again" in 2002 and "Live at the Warfield" in 2006.
Lesh has also taken to writing. In April of 2005, he published "Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead." This account is the only book about the Grateful Dead written by a member of the band.
As a result of a liver transplant due to Hepatitis C, Lesh has become an organ donor advocate - he often prompts his fans to get involved with the cause and to donate organs at his shows.
Like the Grateful Dead, Phil & Friends allow fans to record shows and promote sharing. Lesh provides free soundboard records on his website, openly allowing fans to hear him and his friends live.
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