Quick Wiki
- Full Name Brent Mydland
- Occupation Singer, Musician, Songwriter
- Nationality American
- Birthplace Munich, West Germany
- Birth Date October 21, 1952
- Place Of Death Lafayette, California, USA
- Death Date 1990-07-26
- Age At Death 37
Brent Mydland | Biography
Inducted into the Rock-and-roll Hall of Fame in 1994Mydland died at 37 of a speedball overdose on 26 July 1990, at his home on "My Road" in Lafayette, California, just after the Grateful Dead's summer tour ended. He was buried in Lafayette's Oakmont Memorial Park.
Brent Mydland was a musician well known for being a member of the rock band Grateful Dead from 1979 to 1990.
Who is Brent Mydland?
Brent Mydland was an American vocalist, songwriter, and keyboardist. Mydland was born in Munich, Germany, on 21 October 1952 and grew up in Antioch, California. At one, Mydland moved to San Francisco with his parents. He began piano lessons at six and continued to take rigorous classical instruction until his junior year of high school.
Mydland began playing rock 'n' roll with his friends while in high school. After graduating, he performed in a few bands and produced one album with Silver before joining Bobby and the Midnites. The latter band included Bob Weir, jazz legends Billy Cobham, and Alphonso Johnson.
In April 1979, Mydland replaced Keith and Donna Godchaux, who left the Grateful Dead to form their band. On 22 April, after two weeks of practice, he performed his first concert with the band at Spartan Stadium in San Jose.
Mydland rapidly established himself as a vital member of the Dead because of his vocal and compositional abilities and keyboard skills. He would later pair his singing with founding members Weir and Jerry Garcia to generate great three-part harmonies on famous songs like' I Know You Rider,' 'Eyes of the World,' and 'Truckin.' Mydland also offered his touches in songs like 'Far From Me' and 'Easy to Love You.'
In addition, Mydland co-wrote the defiant classic 'Hell in a Bucket' with Weir and Barlow for the next album, In the Dark (1987), as well as the train ballad 'Tons of Steel.'
'Don't Need Love,' 'Never Trust A Woman,' 'Maybe You Know,' 'Gentlemen Start Your Engines,' and 'Love Doesn't Have To Be Pretty' were among the songs Mydland penned with Barlow that were performed live but never published on a studio album. He also collaborated on the tune 'Revolutionary Hamstrung Blues' with Phil Lesh's colleague Bobby Petersen. However, it was only performed live once.
On 23 July 1990, Mydland played his last song, 'The Weight' with the Grateful Dead in Tinley Park, Illinois, at the World Music Theater.
As a member of the Grateful Dead, he was inducted into the Rock-and-roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
Wife and Daughter
Mydland was married to his wife, Lisa. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Jessica.
Jennifer, Mydland's younger daughter, is an aspiring singer-songwriter.
Death
Mydland was known as a drinker, but he struggled to cope with family troubles and acute depression. As a result, he turned to heavy drugs later in his life. He died at 37 of a speedball overdose on 26 July 1990, at his home on "My Road" in Lafayette, California, just after the Grateful Dead's summer tour ended. He was buried in Lafayette's Oakmont Memorial Park.
