McKernan was more stubborn, missing three Dead shows he finally vowed not to “be lazy” anymore and rejoined the band. Weir asked repeatedly to be let back into the band, promising to step up his playing, and eventually the rest of the band relented. Ultimately, the task of firing them was delegated by Garcia to Rock Scully, who said that McKernan “took it hard.” The remaining members did a number of shows under the monikers Mickey and the Hartbeats and Jerry Garrceeah and His Friends, mainly playing Grateful Dead songs without lyrics. In October 1968, McKernan and Weir were nearly fired from the band because of their reluctance to rehearse. Constanten often replaced Pigpen on keyboards. In 19 respectively, Mickey Hart and Tom Constanten joined the Grateful Dead, causing the band to take a stylistic turn from blues-based danceable rock toward full-blown experimental psychedelia influenced by avant-garde jazz, serialism, and world music traditions. He steadily added more signature tunes to the Dead’s repertoire, including some that lasted for the remainder of their live performance career such as “Turn On Your Love Light” and “In the Midnight Hour.” While his friends were taking LSD, marijuana and other psychedelics, McKernan preferred alcoholic beverages such as Thunderbird and Southern Comfort. McKernan played blues organ as well as harmonica and vocals. Around this time Phil Lesh joined, and they became the Grateful Dead. Around 1965, McKernan urged the rest of the Warlocks to switch to electric instruments. Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann were added and the band evolved into the Warlocks. McKernan was a participant in the predecessor groups leading to the formation of the Grateful Dead, beginning with the Zodiacs and Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions. Ma– Ronald Charles McKernan, nicknamed “Pigpen”, born on September 8, 1945, was a founding member of the Grateful Dead.
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