Remembering Bob Weir, guitarist and founding member of the Grateful Dead

By Sam Briger

Published January 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM EST

Weir was 16 in 1963 when he ran into Jerry Garcia at a music store in Palo Alto. They decided to start a band, which evolved into the Grateful Dead. Weir died Jan. 10. Originally broadcast in 2016.

Related Content

John Fogerty: Tiny Desk Concert

Bobby Carter

Surrounded by family in the band and in the audience, John Fogerty bookends solo material with the rock and roll staples of Creedence Clearwater Revival.
Remembering jazz singer Rebecca Kilgore

Terry Gross

Kilgore, who died Jan. 7, was a talented interpreter of American popular song. We'll remember her by listening back to her in-studio concerts with pianist Dave Frishberg from 1995 and 1999.
'Stranger Things' brings Prince and Fleetwood Mac back to the charts

Stephen Thompson

Netflix's Stranger Things finale, which dropped Dec. 31, is shaking up the Billboard Hot 100.
MLK Day concert held annually at the Kennedy Center for 23 years is relocating

Elizabeth Blair

Georgetown University is moving Let Freedom Ring, its annual event celebrating the life of Martin Luther King Jr., to the historical Howard Theatre in order to save money, the university said.
From the Top: Tiny Desk Concert

Tom Huizenga

A trio of amazing young musicians, from ages nine to 18, give jaw-dropping performances that will bolster your faith in the future of great music making.

You make NHPR possible.

NHPR is nonprofit and independent. We rely on readers like you to support the local, national, and international coverage on this website. Your support makes this news available to everyone.

Give today. A monthly donation of $5 makes a real difference.