Happy birthday Robert Hunter.
From wiki wiki:
Robert C. Christie Hunter (born
Robert Burns, June 23, 1941 – September 23, 2019) was an American lyricist, singer-songwriter, translator, and poet, best known for his work with the
Grateful Dead.
[1][2] Born near
San Luis Obispo, California, Hunter spent some time in his childhood in foster homes, as a result of his father's abandoning his family, and took refuge in reading and writing. He attended the
University of Connecticut for a year before returning to
Palo Alto, where he became friends with
Jerry Garcia. Garcia and Hunter began a collaboration that lasted through the remainder of Garcia's life.
Garcia and others formed the Grateful Dead in 1965, and some time later began working with lyrics that Hunter had written. Garcia invited him to join the band as a lyricist, and Hunter contributed substantially to many of their albums, beginning with
Aoxomoxoa in 1969. Over the years Hunter wrote lyrics to a number of the band's signature pieces, including "
Dark Star", "
Ripple", "
Truckin'", "
China Cat Sunflower", and "
Terrapin Station". Hunter was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Grateful Dead in 1994, and is the only non-performer to be inducted as a member of a band.
[3] Upon his death,
Rolling Stone described him as "one of rock's most ambitious and dazzling lyricists".
[1]