It’s a story inseparable from the history of the Grateful Dead - and, for that matter, perhaps the entirety of western culture over the past half-century. They’re marching.īack cover of Bear’s Choice, art by Bob Thomas, 1973Īlso known as Bear, and in addition to his work as a trailblazing pioneer of live concert sound, Owsley Stanley was also the most legendary underground LSD chemist in history. And he would’ve told you the bears aren’t dancing. The “Bear” was Owsley Stanley, and it was the first release of music from he called his Sonic Journals, verite audio documents of his work as the Grateful Dead’s first sound engineer.
The album was a tribute to Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, who’d passed away that spring.
The bears first appeared in July 1973 on the Grateful Dead live album, The History of the Grateful Dead, Volume One: Bear’s Choice. What’s With the Bear(s)? Supplementary NotesĪll those dancing bears might look cute and cuddly, but there’s a lot more to them.
