Bob Weir

From New Year's Eve 1963 to the final Dead & Company show in 2023, a rhythm guitarist who jammed with God.

Robert Hall Weir (born Robert Parber; October 16, 1947 – January 10, 2026) was an American musician best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. On New Year's Eve 1963, the 16-year-old Weir met Jerry Garcia at Dana Morgan's Music Store in Palo Alto, sparking a collaboration that would define their careers. Influenced heavily by The Beatles, Weir helped steer his early groups from jug bands to rock 'n' roll. Throughout the Grateful Dead's 30-year run, he played rhythm guitar and sang many of their rock and country-styled songs, later inducting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Robert Hall Parber

Born

16 October 1947

Birthplace

San Francisco, California, U.S.

Died

10 January 2026

Place of death

Mill Valley, California, U.S.

Genre

Rock
psychedelia
jam
Americana

Occupation

Musician
singer
songwriter

Instrument

Guitar, vocals

Lore & Background

Weir's unique guitar style was forged through adversity and diverse influences. After being expelled from nearly every school he attended due to undiagnosed dyslexia, he found his voice in music. His playing was described by bassist Phil Lesh as "quirky, whimsical and goofy," noting Weir's ability to play complex chord voicings with only four fingers that mimicked a keyboard's ten-finger reach. Influenced by hard bop pianist McCoy Tyner and artists like John Coltrane and Igor Stravinsky, Weir began experimenting with slide guitar in the late 1970s. A pivotal moment occurred in the fall of 1968 when Garcia and Lesh temporarily excluded Weir from shows billed as "Mickey and the Hartbeats" because they felt he wasn't pulling his weight. The band eventually relented, reinstating him full-time, which triggered a period of significant growth for his playing. By early 1971, during Mickey Hart's temporary departure, Lesh was "astounded, delighted and excited beyond measure" by Weir's clarity and contribution. This evolution allowed him to anchor the band through its entire history, from Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions to the formation of Dead & Company in 2015.

Reader's Guide

Weir's musical journey extended far beyond the Grateful Dead. In 1975 and 1976, he played with Kingfish in the Bay Area, later forming the Bob Weir Band in 1978 with Brent Mydland. He also led Bobby and the Midnites (formed in 1980), Scaring the Children, and RatDog, which he formed shortly before Garcia's death in 1995. RatDog performed covers of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Chuck Berry alongside Grateful Dead originals. In 2009, Weir co-led Furthur with Phil Lesh, named after Ken Kesey's famous bus. He also founded the Tamalpais Research Institute (TRI Studios) in 2011 to stream live concerts. His resilience was tested on April 25, 2013, when he fell onstage during a Furthur performance at the Capitol Theater; though unable to perform for several weeks, he returned that summer and surprised fans at the Huichica Music Festival on June 15. In 2024, Weir was awarded Kennedy Center Honors as a member of the Grateful Dead, cementing his legacy alongside Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann.

Did You Know?

Weir was born Robert Parber and grew up with adoptive parents Frederic Utter Weir and Eleanor Cramer after being given up for adoption by his biological mother.
In 2015, during the Fare Thee Well concerts, a natural rainbow appeared over Levi Stadium, which fans believed proved the band truly 'jammed with God'.
The Grateful Dead briefly played shows without Weir and Pigpen in 1968, billing themselves as 'Mickey and the Hartbeats'.