Robert Hunter (lyricist)

Early life

Hunter was born Robert Burns on June 23, 1941, in Arroyo Grande, California, near San Luis Obispo. He was a great-great-grandson of the Romantic poet Robert Burns. His father was an alcoholic and deserted the family when Hunter was seven, after which he spent several years in foster homes before returning to live with his mother. These experiences drove him to seek refuge in books, and he wrote a 50-page fairy tale before he was 11.

His mother married Norman Hunter, a publisher who gave Robert lessons in writing. Hunter attended high school in Palo Alto, learning to play several instruments as a teenager. His family moved to Connecticut, where he attended the University of Connecticut and played trumpet in a band called the Crescents. He left the university after a year and returned to Palo Alto, enlisting in the National Guard and serving a six-month tour of duty.

In 1961 he was introduced to Jerry Garcia by Garcia's then-girlfriend. The duo performed together as 'Bob and Jerry,' debuting at the graduation ceremony of the Quaker Peninsula School on May 5, 1961. The group did not last due to Hunter's limits as a guitarist and Garcia's drive to improve, but the two remained friendly. Hunter sometimes played mandolin with Garcia's bluegrass groups but was more interested in writing. By 1962 he had written a book, The Silver Snarling Trumpet, described as a roman à clef.

Grateful Dead

Hunter's first contributions to the Grateful Dead came from New Mexico, where he wrote the lyrics for "China Cat Sunflower," "St. Stephen," and "Alligator," all of which became longtime concert favorites. The band, originally called the Warlocks, formed in 1965 with Garcia, Ron McKernan, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, and Bill Kreutzmann. After covering other artists, they began developing their own sound and used Hunter's lyrics for "Alligator," prompting them to ask him to move to San Francisco and become their lyricist.

He officially joined at a show in Rio Nido, California, where he wrote the words for "Dark Star." Hunter had little involvement with the album Anthem of the Sun, but he and Garcia co-wrote every song on the next album, Aoxomoxoa, which included "China Cat Sunflower." Shortly before that album came out, Hunter and his partner Christie Bourne moved in with Garcia, his wife, and stepdaughter, which boosted their collaborative writing. Over time, Hunter became a non-performing but official band member.

After Aoxomoxoa, the band shifted toward Americana and country on American Beauty and Workingman's Dead, producing hits like "Cumberland Blues," "Box of Rain," and "Sugar Magnolia," many written by Hunter and later considered enduring folk songs. The band's songwriting process varied: Hunter sometimes supplied lyrics for the others to set to music, sometimes wrote words for existing music, and sometimes the group created both together. Hunter wrote "Dire Wolf" after a dream he had following a film adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Collaborations

After the Grateful Dead disbanded, Robert Hunter kept writing, teaming up with musicians like Jim Lauderdale, Elvis Costello, Cesar Rosas, and Bruce Hornsby. He would sometimes perform alone on acoustic guitar, playing both his older hits and fresh material. In 2004, he served as the opening act for most of the summer tour by the Dead, the band made up of former Grateful Dead members. Alongside David Nelson, he helped write many tracks for New Riders of the Purple Sage’s albums Where I Come From (2009) and 17 Pine Avenue (2012). For Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers’ 2009 album Levitate, Hunter contributed the song “Cyclone.” Hornsby noted that he had long admired Hunter’s work, describing the Garcia/Hunter songs as timeless, feeling like they could have been composed centuries ago.

Awards and legacy

When the Grateful Dead were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, Hunter was included as a band member, the only non-performer to ever be so honored. In 2013, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Americana Music Association and performed 'Ripple.' In 2015, Hunter and Garcia were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame; Hunter accepted the award along with Garcia's daughter, Trixie Garcia, and again performed 'Ripple.'

Hunter said his favorite line he wrote was in 'Ripple': 'Let it be known there is a fountain that was not made by the hands of men.' According to the New York Times, Hunter's lyrics helped define the Grateful Dead as a counterculture touchstone. His approach to songwriting is described as deeply literary and responsible for differentiating the band's music from mainstream popular music. The Los Angeles Times compared his lyrical aesthetic to that of Bob Dylan and Randy Newman.

Hunter was the only writer to collaborate extensively with Dylan, who said Hunter had 'a way with words.' Hunter was averse to explaining his lyrics and avoided interviews. Dennis McNally said the band only developed their potential for greatness after making Hunter their main lyricist, and that from Hunter and Garcia's collaboration came many of the band's masterpieces, including 'Ripple,' 'Brokedown Palace,' and 'Attics of My Life.' Rolling Stone considered him one of rock's most ambitious and dazzling lyricists, the literary counterpoint to the band's musical experimentation.