Bill Kreutzmann

A founding drummer who played nearly all 2,300 Grateful Dead shows, alongside fellow original members Bob Weir and Phil Lesh.

William Kreutzmann Jr., born May 7, 1946, in San Francisco, California, is an American drummer and a founding member of the Grateful Dead. He played with the band for its entire thirty-year career, often alongside fellow drummer Mickey Hart. His journey began at age 13 on a borrowed Slingerland kit, overcoming early doubts from a sixth-grade teacher who claimed he could not keep a beat. Encouraged by author Aldous Huxley after a high school practice session, Kreutzmann developed an enthusiasm for Ray Charles and jazz groups like Elvin Jones. He remained with the Dead until their dissolution in 1995 following Jerry Garcia's death, having performed at nearly all of the band's 2,300 shows alongside Garcia, Bob Weir, and Phil Lesh.

Quick Facts

Birth name

William Kreutzmann Jr.

Born

7 May 1946

Birthplace

Palo Alto, California, U.S.

Genre

Rock
psychedelia
jam
jazz

Occupation

Drummer

Years active

1959–present

Current member of

Billy & the Kids

Lore & Background

Kreutzmann co-founded the Warlocks in late 1964 with Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan; Dana Morgan Jr. filled in temporarily on bass. Their first gig occurred on May 5, 1965, just two days before his nineteenth birthday; during these early years, he sometimes used a fake draft card named "Bill Sommers" to enter bars as an underage musician. In November 1965, the band became the Grateful Dead. A pivotal moment arrived in the fall of 1967 when Kreutzmann met Mickey Hart. Their collaboration formed one of the first rock bands with two drummers, earning them the nickname "the Rhythm Devils"—a name coined by the band's sound engineer or by the band themselves. From 1978 to 1995, their lengthy drum duets became a staple of nearly every show. In the early 1990s, Kreutzmann led side projects like The Billy Kreutzmann All-stars, Kokomo, and Go Ahead, featuring musicians such as Brent Mydland and David Nelson. He also collaborated with Neal Schon to form the Trichromes in 2002.

Reader's Guide

Kreutzmann's post-Dead career includes forming BK3 in 2008 with bassist Oteil Burbridge and guitarist Scott Murawski. In 2010, he formed 7 Walkers with Papa Mali, Matt Hubbard, and Reed Mathis, releasing a studio album on November 2, 2010. In October 2014, he announced Billy & the Kids, debuting in December with Mathis, Aron Magner, and Tom Hamilton Jr. His memoir, "Deal: My Three Decades of Drumming, Dreams, and Drugs with the Grateful Dead," was published on May 5, 2015. That same year, he formed Dead & Company with Weir and Hart, touring until 2019 and returning in fall 2021 and summer 2022. However, in September 2022, the band announced a Final Tour for Summer 2023, stating Kreutzmann would not perform due to a "shift in creative direction." Outside music, he produced the 1995 documentary "Ocean Spirit" and has created digital art since acquiring his first computer in 1993.

Did You Know?

The nickname "the Rhythm Devils" for Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart was coined by the band's sound engineer or by the band themselves, not by Francis Ford Coppola.
In 2015, Dead & Company announced their Final Tour for Summer 2023, but Kreutzmann would not perform due to a "shift in creative direction."