Felix Contreras

We asked people to share the story of how they became a Deadhead and received hundreds of responses. Their stories are tender, comical and sometimes spiritual.

NPR's Felix Contreras explains why this summer was different than most for Grateful Dead fans around the country, and what Deadheads told him about why they got hooked on the band.

Jim James of My Morning Jacket and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco are two artists who've dipped their toes into the Grateful Dead extended universe through a singular experience: by sharing the stage with Bob Weir.

Over the last decade, reality TV mogul Andy Cohen has been spotted dancing at concerts for Dead & Company. But his ties to the Grateful Dead go much farther than that.

To devotees of the Grateful Dead, the first nine days of August are known as the "Days Between." This annual celebration commemorates the birth and death of guitarist Jerry Garcia.

The Grateful Dead understood the importance of recording its legacy. A number of archivists and historians are dedicated to maintaining the band's immense collection of music and memorabilia.

To devotees of the Grateful Dead, the first nine days of August are known as the "Days Between." This annual celebration commemorates the birth and death of guitarist Jerry Garcia.

Death never stopped the Grateful Dead before. Since Jerry Garcia's death in 1995, a sprawling collection of musicians and fans across generations have kept the band’s legacy alive in different ways. But without members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, Deadheads are experiencing their first summer where there’s no clear inheritor of the Grateful Dead’s mantle. Where does the music, and the dedicated community that has grown up around it, go from here? NPR Music's resident Deadheads Felix Contreras and Isabella Gomez Sarmiento took a cue from the Dead itself: They hit the road, interviewing musicians, fans and archivists to learn how the band and its fans built a legacy that has spanned generations, and to find out what's next. For more podcast episodes and stories about the future of the Grateful Dead, check out our series Dead After Death. This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell. It was edited by Jacob Ganz and Hazel Cills. The executive producer of NPR Music is Suraya Mohamed. Our executive director is Sonali Mehta.

This summer marks a moment of transition in the Grateful Dead's long, strange trip: the first in many years where there is no clear center of the band's universe. Where do Deadheads go from here?

Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest places, if you look at it right. And if you get confused, just listen to the music play. This week, resident Deadheads Isabella Gomez Sarmiento and Felix Contreras help host Robin Hilton hear what he’s been missing in the music of the Grateful Dead. Are you a Deadhead? Share your memories about the Grateful Dead and we may include them in a big series about the band we're launching Aug. 1. Support the show with a review on Apple or Spotify wherever you listen to podcasts. Questions, comments, suggestions or feedback of any kind always welcome: allsongs@npr.org Featured songs: (00:00) Intro and “King Solomon’s Marbles” (08:54) “China Cat Sunflower / I Know You Rider” Alpine Valley, WI 7.17.89 (11:03) “Help On the Way / Slipknot / Franklin’s Tower” (16:39) “Ripple” (23:34) “Morning Dew (Europe ‘72)” (26:17) “I Shall Be Released (Live)” (30:05) “Black Muddy River” (31:34) “One More Saturday Night” (32:09) “Sunrise” (33:21) “Shady Grove” (39:14) “Birdsong” (41:45) “Uncle John’s Band”