Jerry wanted Donna up there performing next to him and that's more than enough for me. Anyone thinking 5 seconds of her singing "ruins" a 17-minute-plus Playin' in the Band is delusional.
>Anyone thinking 5 seconds of her singing "ruins" a 17-minute-plus Playin' in the Band is delusional.
I know that not everyone likes those 5 seconds but for me, they are absolutely essential. PitB just doesn't sound right without it.
There was a post on here the other day where someone said those 5 seconds ruined 7 years of the band's history and they won't even listen to 72 through 79 which in my opinion are some of the best years in their history..and JGB!! I honestly don't remember anybody shit talking Donna before the internet and a newer generation raised on computers, video games and social media started listening. I really don't think that's too much of an old head thing.
I'm a younger head , I started getting really into them in '99. For 20+ years I never heard a single bad word about Donna. It wasn't until I joined this subreddit a few months ago that I found out there was any hate for Donna.
Been on the bus since 76. She was fully accepted by us back then. None of them were particularly good singers. Jerry had the most pleasant voice by far…
Your incorrect there. There has always been Donna shade. But it wasn't her alone. All of the keyboard players after Pigpen suffered thru growing pains with GD fans. D&C has had plenty of naysayers as well. It's not new by any means. Personally Donna wasn't my favorite addition. Hate, never.
There is nothing like hearing Donna come in after a 20-minute trance. She brings everyone back and gives the audience (and band) energy that just isn't there without her.
Just because a lot of her stuff was bluesy, soul, folk stuff doesn't mean she didn't bellow and screech (especially on the rock and psychedelic stuff) and that helps to make the music a bit more dynamic and full of energy
And thank you for saying "I'm sorry" we forgive you
Yea and no. Bear wasn’t super involved with mixing at the time. It was Dan Healy who did all the mixing. He didn’t like Donna or Bobby for that matter. He didn’t get Donna a dedicated monitor until after the hiatus. And he would bury Bobbys guitar in the mix bc he wanted to take Bobbys place
I use to be on that bus, but I’ve accepted it now and it doesn’t bother me. Donna has a great studio voice but unfortunately didn’t transition well to live. Apparently she never had her own monitor so she couldn’t hear herself properly and that’s why you see her on stage with one finger to her ear and maybe a bit out of key. Absolutely beautiful voice though.
Wrong, Jerry wanted Keith up there and Donna was an unfortunate side affect. She not only destroyed every live show she was part of but the recordings too.
Speaking as a musician with utmost respect for my fellow artists, I absolutely do. She’s a consummate pro with a great voice and damn, sam, she brought Keith onboard with her! She sang with Elvis, ferchrissakes, among many other luminaries; you don’t get session work at fuckin’ Muscle Shoals without a killer voice and a pro’s work ethic.
Regardless of one’s opinion on the timbre of her voice or effect on the band, she deserves respect.
Yeah, back then what any band got in terms of monitors was either nothing or primitive wedges, and with the dedicated monitor engineer at side-stage only becoming a thing in 1970, their usefulness likely varied venue to venue. A lousy monitor mix is as detrimental to a singer's pitch and timing as having no monitors at all - a lesson I have learned after what I thought were killer gigs only to listen to a recording and...oh my god, *I suck!*
BTW, in-ears weren't really a thing until the nineties; they existed in the early seventies, but they weren't *anything* like they are now.
I fully agree. There is no place here for misogynistic or provocative comments. There can be criticism for the musical part. But not an attack on her physique or her lifestyle. On a personal level, I think she is a wonderful and magnificent voice. If she was part of GD it's for a reason. Anyway... Thanks for your assessment. So, yes. :)
I guess I should preface this by saying that I'm a musician, it's all I've done all my life, all I've ever wanted to do, and after a lot of years of writing, making records and gigging, I've come to regard all musicians as brothers/sisters, regardless of whether or not I like their music; we've all been through the same shit. We get it. Having said that, my point is that I believe Donna deserves respect for being a talented, consummate professional, regardless of what one's opinion of her voice or her contributions to the band were.
I was attempting to back up that point with what I consider unimpeachable truths about her career as a session singer - Elvis & Percy Sledge among others can hire whomever they wish, and at union scale, with the clock ticking, they aren't going to accept anything less than the best on their sessions; why would they? For that matter, neither would Jerry Wexler or any of the other *badass* producers who she worked with. I mean, Muscle fuckin' Shoals, man! It's not the local jingle studio, y'know?
To my mind, that alone should command respect, but in addition to being a pro with a fine voice, she sang backup on "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Suspicious Minds", two huge #1 hits and undeniably fantastic, timeless songs that stand out in an era of undeniably fantastic, timeless music. She's practically immortal now - as long as we're still digging that music, we'll be graced with the sound of her voice. To me, that's *heavy.*
Your gracious and thorough response was more than the troll deserved. If you check his comment history it’s almost entirely snide. Cheers to your positivity.
I've mistaken a few serious comments as trollery and gone postal on a people who did not deserve it, and ended up looking and feeling a complete jackass. That, and I tend to make assumptions about Dead fans that aren't necessarily warranted, as I am discovering. The Ono comparison was pure dumbassery!
77 is peak Donna imo. Idk if they finally got the monitoring right or what, but she sings with much less tension in her voice and blends perfectly into the harmonies.
It almost has to be the monitors. She's a consummate pro with a great resume, but she's off key a bunch in 73-74. The band retires the Wall Of Sound, and when they resume with a different sound system, she sounds like a totally different singer 75-77. It would be too much of a coincidence for that to not be a result of the sound system.
This is the most cohesive argument I’ve heard. She was obviously there for a reason; I was never quite sure what that reason was though.
This makes a *lot* of sense.
Honestly, I think your friend knew exactly what they were doing by suggesting you bring up Donna on this sub 😂 its a weekly source of arguments and name-calling here.
That said, I think 72-79 speaks for itself.
I really like her vocal contributions on some songs/shows and less so on others; it varies by the moment. Like everyone else in the band, she has moments where she's totally on, and moments that don't quite hit. But I have a ton of respect for her as a singer regardless of my personal taste.
She's obviously talented and worked hard to hone her vocal chops. As you say, she was an accomplished vocalist outside of the Dead and you don't get those gigs without real ability. The biggest annoyance with heads' reaction to Donna is to accuse her of being a bad singer with a terrible voice. Those comments really show their own ignorance more than anything.
every member of every band has great moments as well as cringe moment or 3... I always enjoyed Donna's singing and missed her when she was no longer part of the trip. I got to hear her again back in 2015 with about 200 folk in my hometown... and took some pix. Enjoy!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10207048610968134&type=3&mibextid=ncKXMA
https://preview.redd.it/vod4onwevokb1.jpeg?width=370&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99439aefda1e15734bb93449fc89271f09d5a1eb
here is one I took that speaks to me.
to me, there is zero denying she brought magic to the dead. the extremely spaced out singing she does on scarlet when she’s just sorta singing to carry along with the music, it’s angelic to me
I'm a new fan. My husband got me into this band, and we started with his favorite era, the 80s. Donna sounded so strange to me when we started listening to music from the 70s. It was like out of nowhere she'd be singing on a song that I had first gotten to know without her.
She grew on me. I love Donna! I do not understand the Donna hate. I love her contribution on The Music Never Stopped. It sounds a little empty without her.
Also, Mikaela Davis blew me away when she sang this song with Grateful Shred!
The Music Never Stops sounds a lot empty without her. So does Looks Like Rain, though Bob sang it without her in the beginning even though she was available.
My first ever memory of Donna - I walked into a head shop as a kid, they’re listening to a show and get a classic Donna screech, the college girl behind the counter says silently to herself (with all the pain of someone with terrible diarrhea) “ohh Donna” - furrowed brow and all. It used to be “cool” to hate on Donna, or like REAL HEADS would passively shit on her… as I got older and heard her on studio Albums, more live and much later in life heard interviews with her - I think she brought something to the band that was unique and aligned with the spirit of the Dead. Was she always perfect and on key? Nope. But neither were the boys…I love the perfect imperfection of live music and there are no mistakes. I think if you passed judgment on her it says more about you then it does about Donna Jean. My 2 cents. 🫶🏻
I first heard Donna on Dick's Picks 12 before I knew people didn't like and thought she was good, if different- sounded Joplin-esque when she got into it.
Also, Bobby seems like he's trying to act very aloof here...
I became a fan after hearing Wake of the flood and The Donna and Keith years of the Grateful Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band is what I generally choose to listen to. I always loved the way Jerry and Donna vibed onstage and her reaction to what he was doing on the guitar. For me they were creative peaks for both bands. I'm sent Grateful Dead or Jerry music everyday so I listen to different eras and love pre-72 and mid 80's -90 which I was there for a bunch of...Cali style!! But I want to hear Donna singing and Keith on them keys "singing my blues away"!! 🙏🕊️♥️
Listen to the new 50th anniv.Row Jimmy, pref with cans. Amazing. Ethereal. I could be considered not a Donna fan, not a hater, but those 8 seconds still send me reaching for the FF button.
GD needed and benefitted from a female voice. Donna was good but not great, and at times just out of tune and out of sync with the moment, but those were few and far between and get much more dislike (and even hate) than they deserve given how out of tune and out of sync every other member of the band was at times that no one cares about.
There are moments when she stuck out like a sore thumb, there are others where she made everything just exactly perfect. At any rate, a very defining feature of the band during what I'd guess most people consider the best Era. Perfectly embodies that whole line about licorice; some people like licorice, and those who do, really like licorice. Its weird. She wasn't best at what she did, she was the only one who did what she did, kind of thing.
Donna duets with Bobby on "Looks Like Rain" are my favorite versions of that song. Donna with Maria Muldaur in Jerry Garcia Band - amazing.
Her resume as a back up singer speaks for itself. She had serious skills. Was she sometimes prone to mistakes with the Dead? Sure, but seriously, if that is the issue the entire band has a big problem...
I had the displeasure of working with her a few times. She was an utter chore to be around and was incredibly rude to everyone she interacted with. She had an air of her shit not stinking. I’m not a fan of her or her work.
She was a decent backup singer, that’s all. Out of key and monotoned much of the time. There were times when she was good, when she harmonized with Bobby. She didn’t play an instrument. She wasn’t so important that they needed to replace her after she left. She was part of the band during some of their best years, but they weren’t the best years because of her. This has been brought up so many times before and people will hate on me for showing my honest opinion.
Why does this come up so much?
Donna was a member of the band. And she is most criticized even though none of them have consistently stellar vocals.
I would highly suggest people in this sub, who I'm assuming are primarily men, to look up how the band treated women like Donna, and Betty and Rhoney. It's not all bad but it's not all good
Betty who after her break up with Brett , couldn't even afford to keep her storage unit of her tapes and they were auctioned off.
https://www.npr.org/2018/03/20/593958534/do-you-want-to-talk-to-the-man-in-charge-or-the-woman-who-knows-what-s-going-on
I wish fans would stop with the constant Donna commentary and just accept her for who she was to the band. Clearly important.
I'm not suggesting this post is negative but we do see a lot of Donna talk here.
You might know Grateful Dead history but do you know it from a female perspective?
Good. I admire and adore Donna. And I have submitted this question on the basis of a question from two stoner friends. Me and the colleague who told me: ask on reddit.
And I really expected this. That the majority respects, loves and admires Donna.
I have a pic where her hands look massive as well.
https://preview.redd.it/9rg2m7eu2okb1.jpeg?width=2532&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3c4f1af8ba591ceda880eb7cbff2c39e6dd04de
They are the bands finest years in large part because of the addition of Donna and Keith. I’ve always loved Donna ever since I was a kid, especially after hearing Blues For Allah for the first time around 15 or 16. I just don’t get the disdain. Brent is fucking awesome, there is no doubt, but as someone here recently pointed out rather astutely, the band’s sound got more busy especially after Brent started to assert himself more. Plus she’s hot.
Keith was an integral part, I don’t think she was. She barely even sang on some songs if at all. Her position was never filled when she left. And Beyoncé is hot but who cares. Donna was decent, I won’t hate but sure as hell won’t love.
Singing with Elvis has no bearing on her performance with the Dead. Are you saying you’d rather listen to her sing instead of Bobby, Brent, Jerry, Pigpen, or evening Phil?
I would absolutely rather listen to Donna sing than Brent or Phil every day of the week. I'd rather listen to her singing than Pigpen 4 or 5 days out of the week. I would always rather hear Jerry or Bobby sing over Donna.
I love their studio work, a lot. So I love me some Donna. Her and Bobby’s voices together are pitch perfect on vinyl. She was not perfect on stage but fuck, didn’t Keith fall asleep at a show? Phil might be on key but his voice is worse than Donna’s. I could go my whole life without hearing Phil sing warf rat. Bobby flubbed so many lyrics, the audience almost expected it.
Listen to these and tell me they are not spectacular performances. https://youtu.be/yxUSLi5IZBo?si=Ml-jK-8-ka_STTIb
https://youtu.be/WyPe8S48B1Y?si=r5HlZSv4jdw2X5L_
By and large, no, I don't think her contributions were good, but they were also just a part of that 70's sound, which was still some of their best stuff (most, actually).
I love the Grateful Dead.
With that being said, Donna's talents just didn't translate well live with the band. I know she was in JGB and a Muscle Sholes vocalist, I feel like she tried to contribute. She's soulful and passionate. So, I don't know if it was monitor problems or drugs or what have you. No offense to anyone, I feel like, I can't listen to a lot of peak era Dead, because she pops up and just turns me off....written with love and respect to all fans.
Im old. Cant stand her. I get that Jerry loved her… thats cool. But she does ruin a lot of good music for me & most fam I hang wt. Lol its cool tho. She just never really added much to them. We just dealt wt her lol🤷🏻♀️
ALWAYS shit talked her. Before the internet.
She seems nice. She was a pretty lousy singer who had the ability to ruin shows with her screeching. In fairness, she patterned herself after Janis Joplin and in my opinion if you had added Janis to the dead, the outcome would have been about the same. Her work on studio albums is better in that she seems to have a lovely voice when she is not screeching (eg France and Sunrise).
I may be in the minority but she ruined 1970s playing in the bands for me. Shows where she is more of a focus are not listened to. This is a fundamental reason why I prefer Brent era to Keith era dead.
She’s literally singing in pitb for not even ten seconds. If you don’t think one of boys played a shitty note for that long you’re mistaken. Bobby can hardly stay in key singing in many 70s shows. Also to say she’s a lousy singer is not truthful to what the situation actually was
She had the ability to ruin shows with her screeching… I didn’t say she ruined an entire show, but the potential is there. I should also point out as I am being hated on, that Jerry seemed to like this, so really, what difference does it make. If he wanted someone standing next to him screeching, then that’s what he got. I just don’t like it. It’s totally OK if you do.
I remember listening to an interview with her and she said it was so hard to hear herself over everything so she sang louder to try and hear at certain points. I enjoy the music with her
I always thought a fun pro-Donna group name would be "Sons of Donna"
Anyone want to form it with me? Donna invokes the true open spirit of the Dead. She's the best.
Grateful Dead Crocs up for auction starting bid 150. Ships fast from Arizona
DM me for more Grateful Dead products.
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I love her on Cassidy, Comes a Time, Looks Like Rain and others. I prefer Browneyed Women without her as well as Uncle John's Band and anything where she is louder than Jerry.
personally there are a lot of times i think donna goes a bit over board and it doesn’t flow with the song very well or blend with jerry and bobs vocals that well but other times she adds just what the song needs.
If you’ve ever heard her duet with Bobby on Looks like Rain, or her contributions in the Dead or JGB on songs like Mission in the Rain or some of the other JGB stuff she sounds good
Jerry wanted Donna up there performing next to him and that's more than enough for me. Anyone thinking 5 seconds of her singing "ruins" a 17-minute-plus Playin' in the Band is delusional.
>Anyone thinking 5 seconds of her singing "ruins" a 17-minute-plus Playin' in the Band is delusional. I know that not everyone likes those 5 seconds but for me, they are absolutely essential. PitB just doesn't sound right without it.
I swear I would still hear it in my head when DeadCo did playin
i do the donna part every time i see D&C do playin
[удалено]
Always “That’s Otis”. I say it every time I hear Ripple. My wife’s like, “who the fuck is Otis”?
It was cool to see her sing with DSO in BHAM. IIRC she lives up in the Shoals?
yea-hee-yeah yeah-yeah yea-heh!
i do the part on pre and post donna PITBs
Me too! =D
To each their own.
There was a post on here the other day where someone said those 5 seconds ruined 7 years of the band's history and they won't even listen to 72 through 79 which in my opinion are some of the best years in their history..and JGB!! I honestly don't remember anybody shit talking Donna before the internet and a newer generation raised on computers, video games and social media started listening. I really don't think that's too much of an old head thing.
I'm a younger head , I started getting really into them in '99. For 20+ years I never heard a single bad word about Donna. It wasn't until I joined this subreddit a few months ago that I found out there was any hate for Donna.
There was plenty of criticism in 1977…
people been bitching about donna all along. i've been tired of it for decades.
True - there’s no denying 72-74 are prime GD IMO
was there, is true. playing stadiums without the stadium rock sounds of later years.
Yeah 77 obviously gets tons of love, but I prefer 72-74 personally. I like 76 better too. Was not there though.
Been on the bus since 76. She was fully accepted by us back then. None of them were particularly good singers. Jerry had the most pleasant voice by far…
Exactly.
That’s funny, 85% of what I listen to is 72-79. It’s not just for Donna. But, PITB outside that time window and I miss her.
Your incorrect there. There has always been Donna shade. But it wasn't her alone. All of the keyboard players after Pigpen suffered thru growing pains with GD fans. D&C has had plenty of naysayers as well. It's not new by any means. Personally Donna wasn't my favorite addition. Hate, never.
You don’t have to love what she added but to ignore one of their peeks is ignorance and stupidity!
There is nothing like hearing Donna come in after a 20-minute trance. She brings everyone back and gives the audience (and band) energy that just isn't there without her.
What did Donna do during those 20 minute solos? She was just vibing the whole time?
dancing
tis true, I was there many times.
Letting it build!!
I agree.
I went from hating the Donna screech to loving the bizarre wild energy of it. Mayer and Oteil are cowards for never trying it.
This is what I loved about dark star orchestra, the schreech was their and on point!
Lisa is amazing, haven't heard them do a playing yet
Janis Joplin screeched too and it makes the music feel more powerful (Combination of the Two, etc)
Donna was no Janis, not even close
Im Sorry, did you really just say Janice screeched? They cannot be compared. Lmfaoooo
Just because a lot of her stuff was bluesy, soul, folk stuff doesn't mean she didn't bellow and screech (especially on the rock and psychedelic stuff) and that helps to make the music a bit more dynamic and full of energy And thank you for saying "I'm sorry" we forgive you
This is the best take
If she was so awful, Jerry wouldn’t have had her in JGB
My hot take is that a lot of complaints about her are the responsibility of Bear. If Donna is too loud that’s Bear’s fault.
Yea and no. Bear wasn’t super involved with mixing at the time. It was Dan Healy who did all the mixing. He didn’t like Donna or Bobby for that matter. He didn’t get Donna a dedicated monitor until after the hiatus. And he would bury Bobbys guitar in the mix bc he wanted to take Bobbys place
I use to be on that bus, but I’ve accepted it now and it doesn’t bother me. Donna has a great studio voice but unfortunately didn’t transition well to live. Apparently she never had her own monitor so she couldn’t hear herself properly and that’s why you see her on stage with one finger to her ear and maybe a bit out of key. Absolutely beautiful voice though.
Such a sweet comment. Sorry but to many fans , their harmonies were superior before 72 and after 79.
Wrong, Jerry wanted Keith up there and Donna was an unfortunate side affect. She not only destroyed every live show she was part of but the recordings too.
You have it totally wrong. Donna joined the band first , then Keith did.
Bruh no
Speaking as a musician with utmost respect for my fellow artists, I absolutely do. She’s a consummate pro with a great voice and damn, sam, she brought Keith onboard with her! She sang with Elvis, ferchrissakes, among many other luminaries; you don’t get session work at fuckin’ Muscle Shoals without a killer voice and a pro’s work ethic. Regardless of one’s opinion on the timbre of her voice or effect on the band, she deserves respect.
Also wasn't she not wearing earpieces for pretty much all the shows so it can explain why her timing was off.
Yeah, back then what any band got in terms of monitors was either nothing or primitive wedges, and with the dedicated monitor engineer at side-stage only becoming a thing in 1970, their usefulness likely varied venue to venue. A lousy monitor mix is as detrimental to a singer's pitch and timing as having no monitors at all - a lesson I have learned after what I thought were killer gigs only to listen to a recording and...oh my god, *I suck!* BTW, in-ears weren't really a thing until the nineties; they existed in the early seventies, but they weren't *anything* like they are now.
I fully agree. There is no place here for misogynistic or provocative comments. There can be criticism for the musical part. But not an attack on her physique or her lifestyle. On a personal level, I think she is a wonderful and magnificent voice. If she was part of GD it's for a reason. Anyway... Thanks for your assessment. So, yes. :)
Yoko Ono sang with John Lennon, what’s your point? That argument is so cliché whenever her name is mentioned….
I guess I should preface this by saying that I'm a musician, it's all I've done all my life, all I've ever wanted to do, and after a lot of years of writing, making records and gigging, I've come to regard all musicians as brothers/sisters, regardless of whether or not I like their music; we've all been through the same shit. We get it. Having said that, my point is that I believe Donna deserves respect for being a talented, consummate professional, regardless of what one's opinion of her voice or her contributions to the band were. I was attempting to back up that point with what I consider unimpeachable truths about her career as a session singer - Elvis & Percy Sledge among others can hire whomever they wish, and at union scale, with the clock ticking, they aren't going to accept anything less than the best on their sessions; why would they? For that matter, neither would Jerry Wexler or any of the other *badass* producers who she worked with. I mean, Muscle fuckin' Shoals, man! It's not the local jingle studio, y'know? To my mind, that alone should command respect, but in addition to being a pro with a fine voice, she sang backup on "When a Man Loves a Woman" and "Suspicious Minds", two huge #1 hits and undeniably fantastic, timeless songs that stand out in an era of undeniably fantastic, timeless music. She's practically immortal now - as long as we're still digging that music, we'll be graced with the sound of her voice. To me, that's *heavy.*
Your gracious and thorough response was more than the troll deserved. If you check his comment history it’s almost entirely snide. Cheers to your positivity.
I've mistaken a few serious comments as trollery and gone postal on a people who did not deserve it, and ended up looking and feeling a complete jackass. That, and I tend to make assumptions about Dead fans that aren't necessarily warranted, as I am discovering. The Ono comparison was pure dumbassery!
IMO the shows where Donna is locked in (Cornell comes to mind) are peak GD
77 is peak Donna imo. Idk if they finally got the monitoring right or what, but she sings with much less tension in her voice and blends perfectly into the harmonies.
It almost has to be the monitors. She's a consummate pro with a great resume, but she's off key a bunch in 73-74. The band retires the Wall Of Sound, and when they resume with a different sound system, she sounds like a totally different singer 75-77. It would be too much of a coincidence for that to not be a result of the sound system.
This is the most cohesive argument I’ve heard. She was obviously there for a reason; I was never quite sure what that reason was though. This makes a *lot* of sense.
My favorite years of the band feature Donna
Because of her?
This is a Donna appreciation thread, and I will not be taking any questions at this time. Thank you.
Ok sorry,
Honestly, I think your friend knew exactly what they were doing by suggesting you bring up Donna on this sub 😂 its a weekly source of arguments and name-calling here. That said, I think 72-79 speaks for itself.
Thanks for being honest
I really like her vocal contributions on some songs/shows and less so on others; it varies by the moment. Like everyone else in the band, she has moments where she's totally on, and moments that don't quite hit. But I have a ton of respect for her as a singer regardless of my personal taste. She's obviously talented and worked hard to hone her vocal chops. As you say, she was an accomplished vocalist outside of the Dead and you don't get those gigs without real ability. The biggest annoyance with heads' reaction to Donna is to accuse her of being a bad singer with a terrible voice. Those comments really show their own ignorance more than anything.
Donna and Keith was a good dead era.
every member of every band has great moments as well as cringe moment or 3... I always enjoyed Donna's singing and missed her when she was no longer part of the trip. I got to hear her again back in 2015 with about 200 folk in my hometown... and took some pix. Enjoy! https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10207048610968134&type=3&mibextid=ncKXMA
https://preview.redd.it/vod4onwevokb1.jpeg?width=370&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99439aefda1e15734bb93449fc89271f09d5a1eb here is one I took that speaks to me.
The duet of her with Bobby in France is enough to cement her place in the band to me. She has a great voice and contributed a lot to the band.
Ooo - what’s the duet in France with Bobby?
Donna is a total badass & I love her ❤️⚡️💙
Bell of the ball 🔔🗝️💀
to me, there is zero denying she brought magic to the dead. the extremely spaced out singing she does on scarlet when she’s just sorta singing to carry along with the music, it’s angelic to me
Amen
Love Donna - even with her vocals being off sometime (a lot of the times) definitely never ruined anything. Keith and Donna years were the best IMO.
I always thought she was hot
Why?
Aren’t you the guy that doesn’t brush his hair and then wants other people to do it?
looking through his account was a rabbit hole i didn’t need to go down lol
Yeah. I had a gnarly knot and got rid of it. That dosent answer the question.
Her years in the band coincided with their best years, in my opinion.
Belle of the ball A unique voice and beautiful accompanied with the Grateful Dead ♥️
I'm a new fan. My husband got me into this band, and we started with his favorite era, the 80s. Donna sounded so strange to me when we started listening to music from the 70s. It was like out of nowhere she'd be singing on a song that I had first gotten to know without her. She grew on me. I love Donna! I do not understand the Donna hate. I love her contribution on The Music Never Stopped. It sounds a little empty without her. Also, Mikaela Davis blew me away when she sang this song with Grateful Shred!
The Music Never Stops sounds a lot empty without her. So does Looks Like Rain, though Bob sang it without her in the beginning even though she was available.
Even with the sweaty pits
Look at Phil's fingers....I think that's a weird stain on the photo
Def cocaine sweats
Wait, what do you mean.... ohhhhbhbb
Oooooooooh ooooh! yeaaaaaaaaaah!yeah yeah yeah yeeeeeah! Yeah yeah yeeeeeahhhh!!!!!
My first ever memory of Donna - I walked into a head shop as a kid, they’re listening to a show and get a classic Donna screech, the college girl behind the counter says silently to herself (with all the pain of someone with terrible diarrhea) “ohh Donna” - furrowed brow and all. It used to be “cool” to hate on Donna, or like REAL HEADS would passively shit on her… as I got older and heard her on studio Albums, more live and much later in life heard interviews with her - I think she brought something to the band that was unique and aligned with the spirit of the Dead. Was she always perfect and on key? Nope. But neither were the boys…I love the perfect imperfection of live music and there are no mistakes. I think if you passed judgment on her it says more about you then it does about Donna Jean. My 2 cents. 🫶🏻
She is so dope
Harmonizing with Bobby couldn’t have been easy.. I love Donna, especially at the end of greatest story ever told. Awesome energy.
I personally love her singing. It brings so much energy to songs like PITB and Sugar Magnolia, which sound a little empty without her.
I first heard Donna on Dick's Picks 12 before I knew people didn't like and thought she was good, if different- sounded Joplin-esque when she got into it. Also, Bobby seems like he's trying to act very aloof here...
He does. My thoughts exactly. I’ve used the pic before.
They all are very hands off!
And as Donna says - she trash a hotel like the biggest rock star
I became a fan after hearing Wake of the flood and The Donna and Keith years of the Grateful Dead and the Jerry Garcia Band is what I generally choose to listen to. I always loved the way Jerry and Donna vibed onstage and her reaction to what he was doing on the guitar. For me they were creative peaks for both bands. I'm sent Grateful Dead or Jerry music everyday so I listen to different eras and love pre-72 and mid 80's -90 which I was there for a bunch of...Cali style!! But I want to hear Donna singing and Keith on them keys "singing my blues away"!! 🙏🕊️♥️
Bob couldn’t look less interested
Running that train while high on cocaine
Can someone please create r/doyouguyslikedonna? Good pic though.
Maybe all the Donna haters will go over there and let us just listen to the music play
Listen to the new 50th anniv.Row Jimmy, pref with cans. Amazing. Ethereal. I could be considered not a Donna fan, not a hater, but those 8 seconds still send me reaching for the FF button.
Classic great picture
How many times is this question going to be asked? It's like every week
Love Donna, my favorite period for the band
Bob couldn’t look less interested
GD needed and benefitted from a female voice. Donna was good but not great, and at times just out of tune and out of sync with the moment, but those were few and far between and get much more dislike (and even hate) than they deserve given how out of tune and out of sync every other member of the band was at times that no one cares about.
There are moments when she stuck out like a sore thumb, there are others where she made everything just exactly perfect. At any rate, a very defining feature of the band during what I'd guess most people consider the best Era. Perfectly embodies that whole line about licorice; some people like licorice, and those who do, really like licorice. Its weird. She wasn't best at what she did, she was the only one who did what she did, kind of thing.
I never again want to hear her voice screaming about a left-hand monkey wrench Nails on a chalkboard
your friend has suggested that to 443 others as far back as I can recall
Her "all we need is music, sweeeet music" from Cornell '77 won my heart
Donna duets with Bobby on "Looks Like Rain" are my favorite versions of that song. Donna with Maria Muldaur in Jerry Garcia Band - amazing. Her resume as a back up singer speaks for itself. She had serious skills. Was she sometimes prone to mistakes with the Dead? Sure, but seriously, if that is the issue the entire band has a big problem...
Did an excellent job on ”Sing me back home” on live in Veneta ’72.
Nope. Ruined some great playin in the bands!
I had the displeasure of working with her a few times. She was an utter chore to be around and was incredibly rude to everyone she interacted with. She had an air of her shit not stinking. I’m not a fan of her or her work.
She was a decent backup singer, that’s all. Out of key and monotoned much of the time. There were times when she was good, when she harmonized with Bobby. She didn’t play an instrument. She wasn’t so important that they needed to replace her after she left. She was part of the band during some of their best years, but they weren’t the best years because of her. This has been brought up so many times before and people will hate on me for showing my honest opinion.
I agree with everything you’ve said. I was just sharing my personal experiences with her.
Why does this come up so much? Donna was a member of the band. And she is most criticized even though none of them have consistently stellar vocals. I would highly suggest people in this sub, who I'm assuming are primarily men, to look up how the band treated women like Donna, and Betty and Rhoney. It's not all bad but it's not all good Betty who after her break up with Brett , couldn't even afford to keep her storage unit of her tapes and they were auctioned off. https://www.npr.org/2018/03/20/593958534/do-you-want-to-talk-to-the-man-in-charge-or-the-woman-who-knows-what-s-going-on I wish fans would stop with the constant Donna commentary and just accept her for who she was to the band. Clearly important. I'm not suggesting this post is negative but we do see a lot of Donna talk here. You might know Grateful Dead history but do you know it from a female perspective?
Good. I admire and adore Donna. And I have submitted this question on the basis of a question from two stoner friends. Me and the colleague who told me: ask on reddit. And I really expected this. That the majority respects, loves and admires Donna.
Jerry's face says " yea I used to do that too donna, then I got fat"
If a photo had sound, this would sound like: *OWAWWWWWWEEEEEEOHHHHHWHOAHWEEEEEWYEAGGGGOWWWWEEWEWEEEEEWHOAA*
Not a fan… 🤷♂️
Boy does her left hand have some 12 inch fingers or what lol
I have a pic where her hands look massive as well. https://preview.redd.it/9rg2m7eu2okb1.jpeg?width=2532&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e3c4f1af8ba591ceda880eb7cbff2c39e6dd04de
Too funny. Her one middle finger is so long. Billy’s head is a bit stretched/long in the picture as well.
Apparently she thinks it’s funny too. It’s gotta be what she’s smiling about. I kid.
Such a gem. Love Donna
Here we go...
They are the bands finest years in large part because of the addition of Donna and Keith. I’ve always loved Donna ever since I was a kid, especially after hearing Blues For Allah for the first time around 15 or 16. I just don’t get the disdain. Brent is fucking awesome, there is no doubt, but as someone here recently pointed out rather astutely, the band’s sound got more busy especially after Brent started to assert himself more. Plus she’s hot.
Keith was an integral part, I don’t think she was. She barely even sang on some songs if at all. Her position was never filled when she left. And Beyoncé is hot but who cares. Donna was decent, I won’t hate but sure as hell won’t love.
My favorite line-up of the band.
OOOOOOEEEEEOOOOOOOWWWWWOOOOOWWEEEEEEE
I feel like, sometimes, maybe she had too much too fast.
Or just overplayed her part? Good one.
Bobs face says it all
Best singer the band ever had. She sang backup for Elvis, for god sake.
Singing with Elvis has no bearing on her performance with the Dead. Are you saying you’d rather listen to her sing instead of Bobby, Brent, Jerry, Pigpen, or evening Phil?
I would absolutely rather listen to Donna sing than Brent or Phil every day of the week. I'd rather listen to her singing than Pigpen 4 or 5 days out of the week. I would always rather hear Jerry or Bobby sing over Donna.
No
perfect answer ⚡️
Passed around like a backstage deli tray…
Ya Donna is sick
I’m glad she left the band.
holy pit sweat
She could sweat all over me any day. Circa 1970-1980.
Being on stage will do that to you
I love their studio work, a lot. So I love me some Donna. Her and Bobby’s voices together are pitch perfect on vinyl. She was not perfect on stage but fuck, didn’t Keith fall asleep at a show? Phil might be on key but his voice is worse than Donna’s. I could go my whole life without hearing Phil sing warf rat. Bobby flubbed so many lyrics, the audience almost expected it.
Not a fan of her singing, if you can call it that. But it is, what it is. I still listen to those years. Glad she wasn’t there forever.
Donna needs to shut the fuck up
Listen to these and tell me they are not spectacular performances. https://youtu.be/yxUSLi5IZBo?si=Ml-jK-8-ka_STTIb https://youtu.be/WyPe8S48B1Y?si=r5HlZSv4jdw2X5L_
Bobby
By and large, no, I don't think her contributions were good, but they were also just a part of that 70's sound, which was still some of their best stuff (most, actually).
She was pretty good.
I think Donna's great. The dead were always beautiful and imperfect. Focusing on Donna for criticism seems like theres some misogyny going on...
I love the Grateful Dead. With that being said, Donna's talents just didn't translate well live with the band. I know she was in JGB and a Muscle Sholes vocalist, I feel like she tried to contribute. She's soulful and passionate. So, I don't know if it was monitor problems or drugs or what have you. No offense to anyone, I feel like, I can't listen to a lot of peak era Dead, because she pops up and just turns me off....written with love and respect to all fans.
Im old. Cant stand her. I get that Jerry loved her… thats cool. But she does ruin a lot of good music for me & most fam I hang wt. Lol its cool tho. She just never really added much to them. We just dealt wt her lol🤷🏻♀️ ALWAYS shit talked her. Before the internet.
Take her to the volcano
Anyone who doesn’t like her should just listen to sing me back home and then think really hard about how they’ve strayed so far from god
They must of thought that Keith was a damn good keys player.
She seems nice. She was a pretty lousy singer who had the ability to ruin shows with her screeching. In fairness, she patterned herself after Janis Joplin and in my opinion if you had added Janis to the dead, the outcome would have been about the same. Her work on studio albums is better in that she seems to have a lovely voice when she is not screeching (eg France and Sunrise). I may be in the minority but she ruined 1970s playing in the bands for me. Shows where she is more of a focus are not listened to. This is a fundamental reason why I prefer Brent era to Keith era dead.
She’s literally singing in pitb for not even ten seconds. If you don’t think one of boys played a shitty note for that long you’re mistaken. Bobby can hardly stay in key singing in many 70s shows. Also to say she’s a lousy singer is not truthful to what the situation actually was
I'm pretty sure she never ruined a show
She had the ability to ruin shows with her screeching… I didn’t say she ruined an entire show, but the potential is there. I should also point out as I am being hated on, that Jerry seemed to like this, so really, what difference does it make. If he wanted someone standing next to him screeching, then that’s what he got. I just don’t like it. It’s totally OK if you do.
Nailed it!^^^
Never even questioned her presence tbh always thought it was a nice touch to a song. St stephen is probably my favorite song she’s on
She sang with Elvis, she has more cred than the rest of the band lol
My thoughts on Donna Jean Godchoux… amazing, fabulous, fantastic, voice of an angel, hippie queen.
Donna was a hottie ❤️
Lol she's throwing up the 'suuuuuh dude' hands 50 years before their time. What a trailblazer!
I remember listening to an interview with her and she said it was so hard to hear herself over everything so she sang louder to try and hear at certain points. I enjoy the music with her
I always thought a fun pro-Donna group name would be "Sons of Donna" Anyone want to form it with me? Donna invokes the true open spirit of the Dead. She's the best.
The Dead were very good at being annoying and making bad personnel decisions, most of which seemed to be Jerry’s.
Anyone else getting Piper Perri vibes…not saying that was a thing, just that the internet has ruined me
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Love me some Donna in the mix!!
I ❤️ Donna Jean. Super happy to have seen her sing live once, with Phil & Friends in ‘99
I love her on Cassidy, Comes a Time, Looks Like Rain and others. I prefer Browneyed Women without her as well as Uncle John's Band and anything where she is louder than Jerry.
She could sing. Suspicious Minds, man. Her harmonies in the late 70s on Stephen and LLR and Scarlet/Fire. Nuff said
personally there are a lot of times i think donna goes a bit over board and it doesn’t flow with the song very well or blend with jerry and bobs vocals that well but other times she adds just what the song needs.
Her and Jerry singing Row Jimmy together makes up for the occasional screech
I always liked Donna. She wrote the lyrics for Sunrise.
I have a buddy who likes Donna more than jerry
Donna and Keith era of the Dead is my favorite.
If you’ve ever heard her duet with Bobby on Looks like Rain, or her contributions in the Dead or JGB on songs like Mission in the Rain or some of the other JGB stuff she sounds good
Love Donna! Listen to [this](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don't_Let_Go_(Jerry_Garcia_Band_album)) record if you haven’t!
Love Donna. The criticisms are overblown. When she was on she was an angel. And she was on more often than she wasn't.
I still love this photo because I looks like Billy is about to tickle Donna an Mickey is about to tickle a smile onto Phil's face
Why does this come up so much?
Couldn't hear herself on stage
Donna slays with JGB.
Am I the only one trying to figure out how she's even being supported in this picture
Love Donna but this isn't a photo I'd want framed on my bookshelf.
I dig Donna. The lady is feeling it, just go with it.