'"[25], While in the Grateful Dead, McKernan sang and played blues-influenced organ and harmonica. Band: The Doors. About Ron "Pigpen" McKernan Ronald Charles McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973), known as Pigpen, was an American singer and musician. Around 1965, McKernan urged the rest of the Warlocks to switch to electric instruments. [29][30] Unlike fellow vocalists Garcia and Weir, he sang lead without playing any instrument except harmonica and actively interacted with the audience, occasionally walking out into the crowd. Ron McKernan — better known as “Pigpen” — was born on Sept. 8, 1945, in San Bruno, Calif. His father was one of the first white rhythm and blues disc jockeys, and so McKernan grew up amidst black music and culture, which would influence him later on. "[55], On March 8, 1973, aged 27, he was found dead of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage at his home in Corte Madera, California, by his landlady. Because neither took illegal drugs, McKernan and Constanten were the only members of the band not arrested in the January 31, 1970 police raid that inspired the lyrics of the band's song "Truckin'". From his biker good looks to his gruff, dusty voice, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan managed to work that combination into one of the '60s most encompassing jam bands. Steve Parish claims Pigpen and his brother both died from complications of Crohn's disease. I think he would have had at least as much success as like a Dr. John or something with a Ron "pigpen" Mckernan band a la Jerry Garcia Band. Definition.org quotes Garcia at McKernan's funeral: "After Pigpen's death we all knew this was the end of the original Grateful Dead. On March 8, 1973, Ron McKernan died at age 27. Drummer Mickey Hart … Ron "Pigpen" McKernan played keyboards and harmonica until shortly before his death in 1973 at the age of 27. Grateful Dead keyboard player Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, a founding member of the band, dies at age 27. 'Pigpen' McKernan lived up to his name but he died at 27 of alcohol abuse Garcia was paid $125,000 by Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for the use of ‘Cherry Garcia’ By Caroline Howe For Dailymail.com In contrast, though, McKernan was always encouraged to sing material live and left the group due to ill health, while Jones was fired. Pigpen's love of the blues was equaled only by his love of alcohol, a demon he couldn't shake. Above: Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan (1945-1973) photographed in 1972 (Image credit: Getty) The 80s began with new keyboard player Brent Mydland replacing Keith and Donna Godchaux, and the release of the patchy Go To Heaven album, whose cover made the group look like ageing New Romantics. No cause of death has been listed, but Wales suffered a medical emergency on December 6th and was rushed to the hospital where he died on the 7th. He took over de facto frontman duties in concert and began to reintroduce material originally chosen by McKernan into the Dead's live set after his death. The younger McKernan grew up in what was designated a Black neighborhood, and thus developed a love for Black music and culture (which undoubtedly helped to inspire the Dead's blues-infused melodies). Band: Grateful Dead. The vocalist and keyboardist proved responsible for the band's blues-based tone, even taking over singing duties on tunes such as "Turn on Your Lovelight," "Alligator," "Big Boss Man," and "Mr. Pigpen's love of the blues was equaled only by his love of alcohol, a demon he couldn't shake. According to Grateful Dead: What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been, biographer Michele Hollow tells us that one of McKernan's former girlfriends might've given him the nickname based on the perpetually-dirty character in Charles Schultz's Peanuts comics. Ron “Pigpen” McKernan was an American, singer, songwriter, and musician. He made his final concert appearance on June 17, 1972, at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. A new feature film about the life of Grateful Dead founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, "Pigpen…a blues singer," is in the works. [47] The event was covered in the first issue of Rolling Stone, where the reporter noted McKernan had a substantial rifle collection[48] and McKernan's picture appeared on a contemporary report in the San Francisco Chronicle. Ronald Charles McKernan, nicknamed "Pigpen" (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973), was a founding member of the Grateful Dead. [15] By the early 1970s, he also began to experience symptoms of congenital primary biliary cholangitis, a rare autoimmune disease which was unrelated to his use of alcohol. Name: Jim Morrison. He continued to be a frontman in concert for some numbers, including his interpretations of Bobby Bland's "Turn On Your Love Light" and the Rascals' "Good Lovin'". By the time he plays his last concert (June 17, 1972), he can only get through the first set. Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, the influential co-founding member of the Grateful Dead, sadly died on this date in 1973. The band's earliest sets centered around blues and R&B covers chosen by McKernan. The 1971 live album Grateful Dead featured three overdubbed organ parts from Merl Saunders in addition to McKernan's contributions on "Big Railroad Blues", "The Other One", and "Me & Bobby McGee". [54][b] Garcia spoke at his funeral, saying "After Pigpen's death we all knew this was the end of the original Grateful Dead". The band’s members also included Jerry Garcia, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan was the first member of the Grateful Dead to pass away. The Contra Costa County coroner's office said an autopsy would be performed today and the results would … ", The Tragic Death Of Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan. The cause of death was undetermined. Ron McKernan was born on September 8, 1945 in San Bruno, California, USA as Ronald Charles McKernan. Grateful Dead - Wikipedia In the fall of 1968, the Dead played some concerts without Weir and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. [45] While his bandmates and friends were using cannabis, LSD, and other hallucinogenic drugs, McKernan preferred alcoholic beverages such as Thunderbird and Southern Comfort. [50] Pianist Keith Godchaux was subsequently hired and remained a regular member of the Grateful Dead until 1979. If that is the case he did not necesariliy suffer from cogenital liver … Although Pigpen was no longer a member of the Dead, it's safe to say that his former bandmates were devastated. He initially played an indeterminate Farfisa combo organ[26] before switching to the more elaborate Vox Continental[2] in 1966. McKernan played his final concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on June 17, 1972. [16], In October 1968, McKernan and Weir were nearly fired from the band after Garcia and Lesh believed their playing was holding the band back from lengthy and experimental jamming. Discussion on rec.music.gdead about all this 1724, citing Alta Mesa Memorial Park, Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave . Garcia was impressed and McKernan became the blues singer in local jam sessions. [17] He went from contributing to every song and singing lead on all of side two of 1968's Anthem of the Sun to little more than sporadic appearances on the following year's Aoxomoxoa. Today would have been Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s 74th birthday had the founding Grateful Dead member not died in 1973 at the age of 27 due to complications from Crohn’s disease. Constanten often replaced McKernan on keyboards in the studio, as McKernan found it difficult to adapt to the new material that Garcia and Lesh composed for the band. Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan Ron McKernan, better known as Pigpen, was born in 1945 in California. McKernan played around with decidedly cooler-sounding names, first dubbing himself "Blue Ron," before going for "Pigpen." A founding member of the band The Grateful Dead, Ron McKernan, known affectionately by the band and Deadheads alike as “Pigpen,” was a piano and harmonica player on the San Francisco music scene. Cause of death: alcohol. Buried: Palo Alto, CA. And after years of hard living and hard drinking, it finally did him in. In the mid 1960s, he with musicians Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, formed the band The Grateful Dead and released their self-titled album on … [36] Several new songs emerged from a creatively fecund period coinciding with his health problems in 1971, most notably "Mr. Charlie", a collaboration with Dead lyricist Robert Hunter. McKernan was found dead of a gastrointestinal hemorrhage on March 8, 1973, aged 27, and is buried at Alta Mesa Memorial Park in Palo Alto. Pigpen was born Ron McKernan on September 8, 1945 in Palo Alto, California, where he also grew up. He began to alternate between the Vox Continental and the Hammond B-3 in June 1967, usually reserving the former instrument for outdoor and impromptu concerts, including the band's performance at the Columbia University protests of 1968. Born in California on September 8, … One day in February 1973, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan got out of bed in his apartment in Corte Madera, California, where he’d recently been spending most … Band: The Doors. McKernan grew up heavily influenced by African-American music, particularly the blues, and enjoyed listening to his father's collection of records and taught himself how to play harmonica and piano. He improvised lyrics over the band's accompaniment, using phrases he had heard from African American friends, such as "rider" (slang for "lover"), "she's got box-black nitties" (referring to female underwear) and "boar hog's eye". "[18] Weir promised to improve, but McKernan was more stubborn. Founding vocalist and keyboard player Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan, a heavy drinker, died of liver failure in 1973. Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann were eventually inducted into the lineup, which led to the band rebranding as The Warlocks. The group were keen to involve McKernan in the band, as he was the group's original leader and was considered the best singer and frontman. [35] "Turn On Your Love Light" was revived in 1981, with Weir singing lead. [58][59] Weir began singing "Good Lovin'" with the Dead in 1973, and the group recorded the song on 1978's Shakedown Street. Remembering Ron ‘Pigpen’ McKernan With 10 Early Grateful Dead Performances. [3] Onomastician Adrian Room has suggested McKernan was given the name due to his untidy and unclean habits[8] and band biographies say he got the nickname owing to his similarity to Pig-Pen, the permanently-dirty character in the comic-strip Peanuts. One day in February 1973, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan got out of bed in his apartment in Corte Madera, California, where he’d recently been spending most … As Beacham Journal reports, the young musician taught himself piano, guitar and harmonica while slowly growing a record collection of old blues 78s. "[34][35], McKernan was not a prolific songwriter, preferring to concentrate on blues covers and improvised lyrics. Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Barry McGuire fell into these traps. He was a founding member of "Grateful … McKernan was the first of the Dead's founding members to suggest they form a band, and his life-long infatuation with … Bassist Phil Lesh joined soon after, and they became the Grateful Dead. Unlike the other members of the Grateful Dead, McKernan avoided psychedelic drugs, preferring to drink alcohol (namely whiskey and flavored fortified wine). Ron 'Pigpen' McKernan would have been 27 years old at the time of death or 69 years old today. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan from the grateful dead died at age 27...just look at those names we all mentioned and imagine the band they could form...wow thats kinda sad...no its really sad ... Name: Ron “Pigpen” McKernan. Road manager Jon McIntire commented that "Pigpen was relegated to the congas at that point and it was really humiliating and he was really hurt, but he couldn't show it, couldn't talk about it. The son of one of the first white rhythm and blues disk jockeys, McKernan grew up around music. Band: Grateful Dead. McKernan's landlady found his body at his home in … Today would have been Ron “Pigpen” McKernan’s 74th birthday had the founding Grateful Dead member not died in 1973 at the age of 27 due to complications from Crohn’s disease. [56], Despite his outward image, friends and band biographers have described McKernan as a quiet, kind, and introspective person. (4) Ron “Pigpen” McKernan was born Sept. 8, 1945 and died from alcohol abuse on March 8, 1973. [49], In the early years of the Grateful Dead, McKernan was easily recognisable by his biker image, making him a minor celebrity. 'Pigpen' McKernan lived up to his name but he died at 27 of alcohol abuse Garcia was paid $125,000 by Ben and Jerry’s ice cream for the use of ‘Cherry Garcia’ By Caroline Howe For Dailymail.com His love for gospel and blues led him to be one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead. On the bootleg, McKernan played acoustic guitar and piano, instruments he seldom used with the Dead. [32] When the Grateful Dead appeared at Woodstock, the band's set (which was marred by technical problems and general chaos and described as one of their worst shows) ended with "Turn On Your Love Light". Discover the real story, facts, and details of Ron Pigpen McKernan. He plays the harmonica, Hammond organ, singer, percussion and sometimes he plays the guitar. 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