THE UNTOLD TALES AND WONDEROUS STORIES OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD BROUGHT TO LIFE

Songs to Fill the Air: Tales of the Grateful Dead is my follow-up to Aces Back to Back: The History of the Grateful Dead. Songs to Fill the Air is a collection of my essays on the Dead: never-before-told tales that reach across far-ranging, and fascinating, topics and individuals. Vital players in the band’s history, never before given their due, come to life on the pages of my new and exciting tome. Important concerts in Grateful Dead history are analyzed, and there are two different essays that connect the Dead’s history to the Beatles, and others connecting Dead lore to David Bowie, Pink Floyd and rapper Tupac Shakur. There are also musings on the Grateful Dead song “Jack Straw” and songs such as “Morning Dew.” Included are a number of tales about my on-the-road experiences hitchhiking and traveling to see the Dead — everywhere from San Francisco to Philadelphia, from Texas to Manhattan! I’ve also detailed the last four years of Garcia’s life (1992-95) as never detailed before. Songs to Fill the Air: Tales of the Grateful Dead is an engaging and compelling read that completes the story, and history, of the Dead in an informative and captivating manner.

Scott W. Allen is the author of Songs to Fill the Air: Tales of the Grateful Dead, as well as Aces Back To Back: The History of the Grateful Dead (1965 - 2016), the latter an exciting, accurate, and up-to-date accounting of the Dead’s 50-plus year history. Mr. Allen’s essays and articles on the Grateful Dead have been published on the Library of Congress website and in Relix magazine, for which Scott served as Senior Writer, columnist and feature article writer from 1983-92. His work in Relix is archived in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum. Mr. Allen is a graduate of the University of Oregon (BS Journalism, 1984) and Manhattanville College (MAT Special Education, 1994). Scott taught on the high school and college levels for 28 years and saw the Grateful Dead 236 times. He regrets not seeing them more often.