Against doctor’s orders, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan hit the road one more time with the Grateful Dead. The band’s 1972 tour of Europe is legendary. But at the time, Pigpen was just trying to stay above ground. You could hear it in his voice when he took the mic onstage. Close your eyes and his voice was a window into the past. But listen closer, and you’d hear something else. Something you couldn’t quite put your finger on. A distance. Some pain. Truth was, Pigpen was on borrowed time.

Sources:

A Long Strange Trip: The Inside Story of the Grateful Dead, by Dennis McNally

Living with The Dead: Twenty Years on the Bus with Garcia and the Grateful Dead, by Rock Scully with David Dalton

Searching for the Sound, by Phil Lesh

The Grateful Dead FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Greatest Jam Band in History, by Tony Sclafani

This Is All a Dream We Dreamed: An Oral History of the Grateful Dead, by Blair Jackson and David Gans

Grateful Dead live at Chateau D’Herouville, France, 6/6/1971 (YouTube)

Château d'Hérouville: The Castle Studio Where Bowie, Elton, and Pink Floyd Recorded (Reverb)

June 21, 1971: Herouville, France (Dead Sources)

Grateful Dead at the The Honky Chateau (06-21-71) (Holiday at the Sea)

Grateful Dead live at the Fillmore East, 4/28/1971

April 1972: Weir & Pigpen Interview (Dead Sources)

Donna Jean Godchaux interview (YouTube)

The Lasting Impact, and Sudden Death, of the Grateful Dead's Keith Godchaux (Ultimate Classic Rock)

Enter Keith Godchaux (Dead.net)

Donna Jean MacKay 3/28/98 (Levity)

Grateful Dead live at the Boston Music Hall, 12/2/1971

April 1972: Weir & Pigpen Interview (Dead Sources)

Grateful Dead live at the Hollywood Bowl, 6/17/1972

Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions - Top of the Tangent (1964) (The Savage Saints)

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Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse and many more musical icons all died at the age of 27. Scandalous, tortured, dramatic, and incredibly talented, these artists torched a wild path to their early graves and shifted and shaped our culture along the way. 27 Club tells their stories. 27 Club is hosted and created by Jake Brennan, host and creator of the award-winning music and true crime podcast DISGRACELAND. 27 Club is not a journalistic podcast. It is an entertainment podcast inspired by true events. For more shows like 27 Club, check out www.doubleelvis.com.