Posted on 11/03/2025 9:18:46 AM PST by dayglored
[Subtitle] The vocalist spent the Seventies with the legendary group, and also sang backup on hits by Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge
Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, who spent the Seventies singing with the Grateful Dead, sang back-up on several classic Sixties hits, and fronted her own bands, has died. She was 78.
Godchaux joined the Grateful Dead in 1971 alongside her husband, Keith, who played keyboards. Her vocals were a key feature of the Dead’s seminal run during the Seventies, appearing on such classic albums as Europe ’72, Wake of the Flood, and Terrapin Station, not to mention countless legendary live recordings (including the famed Cornell ’77 gig and the Dead’s September 1978 shows at the Giza pyramid in Egypt).
Prior to joining the Dead, Godcheaux was working as an in-demand session singer in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. She contributed to hits like Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” and Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds,” while also singing on songs by Duane Allman, Cher, Neil Diamond, and Boz Scaggs.
(Excerpt) Read more at rollingstone.com ...
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Your right...and i realized that as soon as I hit ENTER.
Although “Kid Charlemagne” gets all the noise for best guitar solo on the album, I’ve always preferred “Don’t Take Me Alive” as LC’s best ever.
Ruth Underwood was outstanding in Zappa's band.
There's Tina Weymouth of Talking Heads...
SD knew how to pick guitarists
Like Bowie and Alice Cooper
An eye for paceman
I grew up in Dayton, OH and a relatively local guitarist, Rick Zehringer, started a band in high school - the McCoys. They got a contact and had a hit with “Hang On Sloopy”.
Rick left the group, went to LA, changed his last name to Derringer and quickly gained a reputation as an A-list session player.
Rick played on a number of SD tracks incl the hot slide on “Show Biz Kids” and Fagen solo tracks.
Grace Slick and Linda Ronstadt might disagree.
This could get me killed but… The GD was the most overrated band in history.
.....
After Aerosmith and zz top
I dare you to come down here to Texas as say that ZZ Top is overrated.
I am a Dead fan (not a proper Deadhead, as I never followed them around, but I like the music) but let’s face it - neither Jerry nor Bobby nor any of the others were any great shakes as vocalists. Donna Jean at least could sing - she should have been more than backing vocals during her time with the band. And she was nice looking for a hippie chick.
Opinions vary.
When I come to texas..then what?
I saw ZZ Top in concert once they were so FKing bad I never bought any album and when the radio station plays their music...I change channels
I wonder, is she now grateful?
I believe there are two reasons she was never given many lead vocals. First was that most of the GD songs are "guy songs" that don't lend themselves well to being re-gendered into "chick songs". Second was that with a strong female lead vocalist, the band would quickly morph into "Donna Jean and the Dead" which is a different vibe altogether.
Jerry wanted a female voice in the mix (see the Jerry Garcia Band stuff). He didn't want to step away from the lead microphone for anyone but Bobby. Brent got some leads later on but not many.
> And she was nice looking for a hippie chick.
She was indeed very pretty back in the day.
Love Derringer ..recent RIP
White Trash was very popular that era in the Deep South
I saw white trash at southern miss in Hattiesburg in I think early 73
A treat:
https://youtu.be/WbZq5idUJcI?si=2Zx0r_DaC1lF7ZMd
Great story about Petty, hadn’t heard that one.
LOL....
I agree on Jerry, he was marginal as a vocalist, but Bobby Weir, the dayglo cowboy, was much better when he was in his prime.
The fact remains...the Dead of 1976 was not the Dead of 1970, and that’s a shame, but that’s what happens when a band has no central core. The Dead was a fusion band with many diverse influences. They had moments of brilliance and moments of “who cares”. Somehow, perhaps it was the chemicals, it held together longer than it should have.
I’m a Deadhead, but not a fan of Donna Jean’s wailing. RIP regardless.
“Robert Plant sounded like a woman in childbirth often enough. And looked like a woman with his goldilocks”
Something I ran across on Twitter- a 20 something girl posted a picture of Robert Plant in his 1970s, goldilocks hair, rockstar glory.
She complained: “Why can’t I ever find a guy like this??”
A balding guy responded: “Hey”.
She replies: “Ugh, no way!!”.
He, the actual Robert Plant, responded: “I’m literally the guy in the picture!”
**She complained: “Why can’t I ever find a guy like this??”**
Lol
Everybody is different. My wife grew up puzzled at girls her age that fawned over rock band members. She said once, “Mick Jagger??? Are you kidding? Ick!”
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