Ronald McKernan The Man, the Myth, the Legend

50 years ago today (3/8/73), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, keyboardist of the Grateful Dead, died at age 27 from liver failure. Lesh co-founded Grateful Dead in 1965 along with Garcia, vocalist and guitarist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, and keyboard and harmonica player Bob ... Ron McKernan aka Pigpen of the Grateful Dead Interview @ Hollywood Festival, England, May 24th, 1970. 9.2K views · 2 years ago ...more. Alex ... Ronald Charles McKernan (September 8, 1945 – March 8, 1973), known as Pigpen, was an American musician. He was a founding member of the San ... Bob Weir describes Janis Joplin as “one hell of a girl” and talks about her romance with his old friend Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. Pigpen became the Dead's main vocalist. For fans like me, his renditions of Buddy Holly's “Not Fade Away” or his half-hour plus “Turn On Your Love Light” will ... Ron got the nickname because the man could take 2 suitcases into a hotel room and within an hour or two would have it lookig like he had lived there for months! Born Ronald Charles McKernan on September 8, 1945, Pigpen grew up in the Bay Area where his father worked as one of the few white DJs on the ... Pigpen was a character and a talent that will always leave everyone wondering what the hell he would have become had he not chosen the hard drinking and ... Ron "Pigpen" McKernan was the primary figure & driving force at the core of the Grateful Dead's origin story.