Public Libraries of Suffolk County, New York

Cornell '77, the music, the myth, and the magnificence of the Grateful Dead's concert at Barton Hall, Peter Conners

eng

Includes bibliographical references and index

photographsplatesillustrationsfacsimiles

index present

non fiction

Cornell '77

bibliography

Peter Conners

the music, the myth, and the magnificence of the Grateful Dead's concert at Barton Hall

On May 8, 1977, at Barton Hall, on the Cornell University campus, in front of 8,500 eager fans, the Grateful Dead played a show so significant that the Library of Congress inducted it into the National Recording Registry. The band had just released Terrapin Station and was still finding its feet after an extended hiatus. In 1977, the Grateful Dead reached a musical peak, and their East Coast spring tour featured an exceptional string of performances, including the one at Cornell. Many Deadheads claim that the quality of the live recording of the show made by Betty Cantor-Jackson (a member of the crew) elevated its importance. Once those recordings―referred to as "Betty Boards"―began to circulate among Deadheads, the reputation of the Cornell '77 show grew exponentially. With time the show at Barton Hall acquired legendary status in the community of Deadheads and audiophiles. Rooted in dozens of interviews―including a conversation with Betty Cantor-Jackson about her recording―and accompanied by a dazzling selection of never-before-seen concert photographs, Cornell '77 is about far more than just a single Grateful Dead concert. It is a social and cultural history of one of America's most enduring and iconic musical acts, their devoted fans, and a group of Cornell students whose passion for music drove them to bring the Dead to Barton Hall

Prologue : grown up Dead -- The Sex Pistols, disco, and the Dead -- Cold rain and snow -- Sonic experiments -- Just the right night -- First set -- Second set -- Betty Boards -- The show that never happened -- Epilogue : a band out of time

adult