REMEMBERING BRENT MIDLAND (TEN BEST SONGS)

Excellent article on Brent. Click on the link to View the 10 best Brent tunes along with video  of both original and covers. 

Brent Mydland always saw himself as the new guy on keyboards for the Grateful Dead. He held that keyboard position longer than anyone before or since, but could never rid himself of the feeling of not completely belonging in the group.  He cut his teeth in the LA-based band Silver and then with Bob Weir’s “Midnites.” His arrival came after the Dead and the Godchaux’s decided to mutually part ways in 1979. The band wanted to utilize the then-new sound of electric keyboards while keeping the high harmonies that Donna handled (with varying degrees of success).  Brent was able to fil both jobs, although his voice sounded more like a soprano version of Gregg Allman.  

With his voice, he brought a rough-hewn edge to the music while his synthesizer gave it more polish.  After some rehearsals on April 16, 1979, Brent was thrown into the fire in San Jose six days later.  The next studio album, Go To Heaven, would contain two of his compositions. Even though it was a commercial failure, his influence would continue to grow on stage and in the studio.  

He seemed to have the biggest effect on Jerry. Video of any of the summer shows from ‘87-‘90 that have been officially released show amazing chemistry between the two. Brent was able to push Jerry on stage and was often the recipient of his biggest smiles. But Brent wasn’t able to make himself happy offstage and his death in 1990 symbolized the end of sustained excellence for many ‘Heads.  He may have felt underappreciated, but Glide commemorates what would have been his 65th birthday on October 21, 2017 with his 10 best songs.

https://glidemagazine.com/195530/remembering-brent-mydland-former-gratef...