Jerry Garcia would have turned 75 today; Grateful Dead concert film screening scheduled for tonight

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Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagicToday, August 1, marks what would have been late Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia‘s 75th birthday. The singer/guitarist was the de facto leader of The Dead until his death from heart failure at age 53 in August 1995.

Garcia co-wrote most of The Grateful Dead’s songs, often in collaboration with lyricist Robert Hunter, including well-known tracks like “Casey Jones,” “Ripple,” “Friend of the Devil,” “Truckin’,” “Bertha,” “Alabama Getaway” and “Touch of Grey.” Myriad musicians have been influenced by Garcia’s guitar playing and music, while his surviving band mates continue to help carry on his legacy.

To coincide with the milestone, the seventh annual “Grateful Dead Meet-Up at the Movies” event will be held tonight at hundreds of U.S. theaters. The one-night-only film screening will showcase a previously unreleased concert that took place July 12, 1989 at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. For ticket information, check out FathomEvents.com.

In addition, fans are being asked to share tributes to Garcia on social media today using the hashtag #Garcia75th.

As previously reported, a special concert commemorating Garcia’s 75th birthday, headlined by founding Grateful Dead singer/guitarist Bob Weir, takes place on August 4 at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. Weir will be backed by his solo group, The Campfire Band.

The event also will feature a musical collective dubbed The Jerry Garcia 75th Birthday Band, which includes longtime Jerry Garcia Band members Melvin Seals, Jackie Labranch and Gloria Jones, ex-Allman Brothers Band and current Dead & Company bassist Oteil Burbridge, and others.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now at AXS.com. Additionally, you can watch the event live online via nugs.tv. It’ll cost $24.99 for a high-def stream, and $19.99 for standard definition.

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