July 23, 1993: James Raymond Jordan Sr. (56), father of basketball legend Michael Jordan, was killed at a rest stop near Lumberton, North Carolina. Even had Keith Godchaux kept his playing chops, I don't think he would have shone as he did during 1971-74, as the band's sound had changed. "gome on back stage." Keith Godchaux death quick facts: When did Keith Godchaux die? The rest of the Dead – funeral fatigued by now — were philosophical. The band continued on for another year, adding keyboardist Mark Adler and replacing Dexter LaBlanc with Donna Godchaux's future husband, David MacKay, before disbanding. July 23 holds a great deal of significance in the history of the Grateful Dead. The original keyboardist, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, died in 1973 as a result of alcohol abuse (he was joined for a time from 1968 - 1970 by Tom Constanten). So I am belatedly celebrating Keith Godchaux's 60th birthday and the 28th anniversary of his tragic passing. They lived in a boarding house in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district during the fabled Summer of Love in 1967, as drummer Bill Kreutzmann recalled in a 2015 article for the San Francisco Chronicle.That era in the band's history was riddled with countless incidents, both delightful and madcapped. He died on 23rd July 1980,at 32 years of age. picked up a Chronicle one morning and on the obituary pages was "Keith R. Godchaux" along with a picture, a short bio, and an article describing his recent death in an auto accident. Tom Constanten had helped the Dead realize their musical visions in the late '60s on Anthem of the Sun and Aoxomoxoa, but they had since moved into a rootsier direction and piano and harpischord were no longer needed. He got heavy into heroin in the early '70s, A few years later, he claimed to have been poisoned with strychnine-laced heroin. {¶2} Appellants were injured in a car accident on March 10, 2001. Keith Godchaux. Keith Godchaux was killed in a car accident on July 23, 1980, just a few days after the band's first gig. Mydland had succeeded Keith Godchaux, who died in a car crash shortly after leaving the band. this heart of gold band effort is part of the one and only release currently available from the time after keith and donna left the grateful dead and just before keith's passing from this world in a car accident. Donna Jean Godchaux grabbed Garcia by the arm as he was walking to the dressing room at the keystone Korner and said "My husband and i have something very important to talk to you about." share. Godchaux was leaving a toll plaza and drove into the back of a flatbed truck. Since the 1980s, Mydland … They formed a new act called the Heart of Gold Band and even managed to cut a record. About Keith Godchaux Keyboard player with the Dead from 1971 to 1979. The first set saw Mydland lead the Dead’s final version of “Never Trust A Woman.” Notably, the final verse Brent sang with the Dead was during “The Weight” encore in which he belted out, “I gotta go, but my friend can stick around.” Here’s Brent’s last show with the Dead: Set One: Cold Rain And Snow, Picasso Moon, Never Trust A Woman, Stagger Lee, Cassidy, Truckin’ > Smokestack Lightning, Set Two: Victim Or The Crime > Foolish Heart > Man Smart, Woman Smarter, Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > All Along The Watchtower > Standing On The Moon > Around & Around > Good Lovin’, “If you pour some music on whatever’s wrong, it’ll sure help out.” — Levon Helm, “Just give me one thing that I can hold on to.” — John Prine. Early on, Mydland stayed in the background, providing both vocal and … A year later, Keith died as the result of a car accident. Killed in a car accident July 23rd, 1980. Keith passed away on July 22, 1980 at the age of 32 in Marin County, CA. Your comprehensive live music resource for show listings, artist tracking, music news, photos, reviews and more. The Grateful Dead lost two keyboardists and one lead singer/guitarist to substance abuse, one keyboardist (Keith Godchaux, who Lesh once said reached “an almost vegetative state” due to … On this day, 37 years ago, Keith Godchaux died in a horrible car accident...A sad way to go. save hide report. This post is intended to dispel a number of false narratives that have been put forth around the subject of Keith's last few years with the Grateful Dead. Keyboard player with the Dead from 1971 to 1979. Mydland was the keyboardist for the Grateful Dead for 11 years until his death by narcotics overdose in July 1990, becoming the third Dead keyboardist to pass away. Godchaux and her husband, keyboardist Keith Godchaux, were members of the Grateful Dead from 1972 to 1979. Enter Keith Godchaux, whose wife, Donna Jean Godchaux, cornered Garcia after a solo gig and announced, "This is my husband, Keith. The original keyboardist, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, died in 1973 as a result of alcohol abuse (he was joined for a time from 1968 - 1970 by Tom Constanten). ~ BlabMstr@aol.com Godchaux and her husband, keyboardist Keith Godchaux, were members of the Grateful Dead from 1972 to 1979. Keith's cause of death was car crash. He died on 23rd July 1980,at 32 years of age. 146. This thread is archived. About Keith Godchaux. Keyboardist for the Grateful Dead, who were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. He was in a car accident and received massive head injuries from which he didn’t recover. Highlighted by the “Lazy Lightning” > ”Supplication” first set closing sequence and second set pairing of “The Wheel” and “Shakedown Street,” stream Keith and Donna’s final show from February 17, 1979 here: Set One: Greatest Story Ever Told, Don’t Ease Me In, Mama Tried > Mexicali Blues, Friend Of The Devil, Passenger, High Time, Looks Like Rain, Jack-A-Roe, Lazy Lightning > Supplication, Set Two: Might As Well, I Need A Miracle > Bertha > Good Lovin’, From The Heart Of Me, Big Railroad Blues, Terrapin Station > Playing In The Band > Drums > The Wheel > Shakedown Street > Playing In The Band > Sugar Magnolia. Watch Keith and Donna Godchaux Perform in 1975 at Winterland Keith and Donna regrouped and started the Heart of Gold Band, featuring a hot-shot Bay Area guitarist named Steve Kimock. Founding member Ron (Pigpen) McKernan died of liver disease in 1973, and Keith Godchaux died in a car crash in 1980, one year after leaving the … Killed in a car accident July 23rd, 1980. 17 comments. 97% Upvoted. 17 comments. Founding member Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan died of liver disease in 1973, and Keith Godchaux died in a car crash in 1980, one year after leaving the band. It's a serious mistake for people to For those of you who do not know who Keith is let me enlighten you. He was the second of four Grateful Dead keyboardists to die prematurely. 146. Keith Godchaux Death. A much more revealing story titled: Godcheaux was leaving a … Famous Deaths. Brent Mydland replaced Keith; Donna was destined to remain the only woman member in the band’s history. The Heart of Gold Band was organized by Keith and Donna Godchaux after their departure from the Grateful Dead in 1979. 1898) Keith Godchaux, American pianist (Grateful Dead), dies in a car accident at 31 The Grateful Dead lost two keyboardists and one lead singer/guitarist to substance abuse, one keyboardist (Keith Godchaux, who Lesh once said reached “an almost vegetative state” due to … The earliest rehearsal tapes from September 1971 find the new keyboard player already comfortable and confident with the material. Godchaux played keys for the Grateful Dead throughout the 1970s. They had a son in 1974, and the couple named him Zion. Now, Mydland in ‘90. Eventually, he and Donna left the band in 1979. Since the 1980s, Mydland … Godchaux played keys for the Grateful Dead throughout the 1970s. After one wonderful night of rehearsal, Keith drove off to the car crash that killed him. Godchaux sustained massive head injuries in an auto accident while being driven home on his birthday by noted tie-dye artist Courtenay Pollock (who was hosting the Godchauxs at his home in San Geronimo, California as they worked with their new band) in July 1980. Joseph Kessel, French journalist and novelist (b. Killed in a car accident July 23rd, 1980. 97% Upvoted. Brent made his first appearance as a member of the Grateful Dead at the band’s next show, which was held on April 22, 1979 at Spartan Stadium in San Jose, California. Keith Godchaux had played piano his entire life. In 1975, during a group hiatus, the Godchauxs released Keith and Donna on the Dead's Round Records imprint. Keith first performed as a member of the Grateful Dead at a show on October 19, 1971 in Minneapolis at Northrop Auditorium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. Donna is still performing while Zion, whose adorably scowling infant self appears on the “Keith and Donna” LP, currently plays in the band BoomBox. share. Phil Lesh associate Ned Lagin and Jerry Garcia collaborator Howard Wales had both contributed piano and organ to American Beauty, but Lagin was returning to the East Coast for graduate school (he would return to the band in 1974, helping create the avant-garde Seastones collaboration with Lesh), and Wales' playing was just too "out there" for a band uncovering its Americana roots. Founding member Ron (Pigpen) McKernan died of liver disease in 1973, and Keith Godchaux died in a car crash in 1980, one year after leaving the band. They had a son in 1974, and the couple named him Zion. 40 years ago today (7/23/80), the late Keith Godchaux died from injuries sustained in an automobile crash.During most of his tenure with the Dead (1971-1979), Godchaux contributed to the Dead’s most creatively fruitful period, where marathon peformances were rampant and his acoustic piano contributions served as springboard and engine of improvisation and melody. Unfortunately, Keith Godchaux was killed in a car accident in 1980, effectively scuttling the new group, though tapes of them were issued on … ", Watch Keith Godchaux Play 'Big River' With the Grateful Dead. By the end of the '70s, his playing had fallen by the wayside, and tours became filled with nightly clashes with Donna. Remembering Keith Godchaux (July 19, 1948 – July 23, 1980) he was a pianist best known for his tenure in the rock group the Grateful Dead from 1971 to 1979. Keith's cause of death was car crash. 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