Phil Lesh

Acting

Phil Lesh

Born 1940-03-15 · Berkeley, California, USA

Philip Chapman Lesh (March 15, 1940 – October 25, 2024) was an American musician and a founding member of the Grateful Dead, with whom he played bass guitar throughout their 30-year career. After the band's disbanding in 1995, Lesh continued the tradition of Grateful Dead family music with side project Phil Lesh and Friends, which paid homage to the Dead's music by playing their originals, common covers, and the songs of the members of his band. Lesh operated a music venue called Terrapin Crossroads. He scaled back his touring regimen in 2014 but continues to perform with Phil Lesh & Friends at select venues. From 2009 to 2014, he performed in Furthur alongside former Grateful Dead bandmate Bob Weir. Lesh was born in Berkeley, California, United States, and started out as a violin player. While enrolled at Berkeley High School he switched to trumpet and participated in all of the school's music-related extracurricular activities. Studying the instrument under Bob Hansen, conductor of the symphonic Golden Gate Park Band, he developed a keen interest in avant-garde classical music and free jazz. After attending San Francisco State University for a semester, Lesh was unable to secure a favorable position in the school's band or orchestra and determined that he was not ready to pursue a higher education. Upon dropping out, he successfully auditioned for the renowned Sixth Army Band (then stationed at the Presidio of San Francisco) with the assistance of Hansen, but was ultimately determined to be unfit for military service. Shortly thereafter, he enrolled at the College of San Mateo, where he wrote charts for the community college's well-regarded big band and ascended to the first trumpet chair. (A snippet of tape of Lesh on trumpet at CSM can be heard on "Born Cross-Eyed" from the Grateful Dead's 1968 release Anthem of the Sun.) After transferring with sophomore standing to the University of California, Berkeley in 1961, he befriended future Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten before dropping out again after less than a semester. At the behest of Constanten, he studied under the Italian modernist Luciano Berio in a graduate-level course at Mills College in the spring of 1962; their classmates included Steve Reich and Stanford University cross-registrant John Chowning. While volunteering for KPFA as a recording engineer during this period, he met bluegrass banjo player Jerry Garcia. Despite seemingly opposite musical interests, they soon formed a friendship. Following a brief period as a Post Office Department employee and keno marker in Las Vegas (initially rooming with Constanten, who soon departed to study under Berio and other members of the Darmstadt School in Europe); a second stint with the Post Office in San Francisco; and a collaboration with the likes of Reich, Jon Gibson and Constanten upon the latter's return from Europe under the auspices of the San Francisco Mime Troupe, Lesh was talked into becoming the bassist for Garcia's new rock band (then known as The Warlocks) in the fall of 1964. This was a peculiar turn of events, as Lesh had never before played bass. According to Lesh, the first song he rehearsed with the band was "I Know You Rider". He joined them for their third or fourth gig (memories vary) and stayed until the end. ...

Acting credits

Gimme Shelter poster
7.3

A detailed chronicle of the famous 1969 tour of the United States by the British rock band The Rolling Stones, which culminated with the disastrous and tragic concert held on December 6 at the Altamont Speedway Free Festival, an event of historical significance, as it marked the end of an era: the generation of peace and love suddenly became the generation of disillusionment.

Gimme Shelter

1970

Grateful Dead: 2015.07.05 - Chicago, IL poster
7.5

The final of five farewell concerts by the 4 remaining members of the Grateful Dead performed on July 5, 2015 in Chicago, IL. SET 1: China Cat Sunflower, I Know You Rider, Estimated Prophet, Built to Last, Samson and Delilah, Mountains of the Moon, and Throwing Stones. SET 2: Trucking', Cassidy, Althea, Terrapin Station, Drums-Space, Unbroken Chain, Days Between, and Not Fade Away. ENCORE: Touch of Grey, and Attics of My Life.

Grateful Dead: 2015.07.05 - Chicago, IL

2015

Grateful Dead: 2015.06.27 - Santa Clara, CA poster
NR

The first of five farewell concerts by the 4 remaining members of the Grateful Dead performed on June 27, 2015 in Santa Clara, CA. SET 1: Tuning, Trucking', Uncle John's Band, Alligator, Cumberland Blues, Born Cross-Eyed, Cream Puff War, and Viola Lee Blues. SET 2: Tuning, Cryptical, Envelopment, Dark Star, Saint Stephen, The Eleven, Turn On Your Love Light, Drums-Space, What's Become Of The Baby, The Other One, Morning Dew, and Casey Jones.

Grateful Dead: 2015.06.27 - Santa Clara, CA

2015

Grateful Dead: 2015.07.03 - Chicago, IL poster
NR

The third of five farewell concerts by the 4 remaining members of the Grateful Dead performed on July 3, 2015 in Chicago, IL. SET 1: Tuning, Box Of Rain, Jack Straw, Bertha, Passenger, Technical Difficulties/Tuning, The Wheel, Crazy Fingers, and The Music Never Stopped. SET 2: Tuning, Mason's Children, Scarlet Begonias, Fire On The Mountain, Drum Solo, Space, New Potato Caboose, Playin' In The Band, Let It Grow, Help On The Way, Slipknot!, and Franklin's Tower. ENCORE: Thanks/Phil Donor Rap, and *Ripple.

Grateful Dead: 2015.07.03 - Chicago, IL

2015

Grateful Dead poster
8.0

A series of still photographs taken by Linda McCartney of the Grateful Dead at the Dead's house in Haight-Ashbury and at a concert in Central Park, both in the early days of the band. Panning, morphing, and other techniques are used to impart some motion. Excerpts from three Dead songs are played in the background.

Grateful Dead

1995

Last Days at the Fillmore poster
7.0

Legendary rock impresario Bill Graham closed the Fillmore West in early summer 1971 with five nights of all-star concerts, the last curtain going down on July 4. The storied San Francisco venue had become an institution, an integral part of the West Coast music scene of the '60s and, now, an essential element of the mythology of rock 'n' roll. Always the showman, Graham made sure the Fillmore West was sent off in a blaze of glory, spotlighting bands - including the Grateful Dead and Santana-that rose to fame at the hall. The madness leading up to the shows and the concerts themselves were filmed for FILLMORE: THE LAST DAYS, a gritty, behind-the-scenes look at a fascinating moment in rock history and a showcase for great performances by iconic artists who epitomized 'the San Francisco Sound.' Originally released in 1972 and long out-of-print, the documentary film makes its DVD debut with Rhino's landmark reissue.

Last Days at the Fillmore

1972

Grateful Dead: Tivoli Concert Hall, 4/17/72 poster
NR

This year we're celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the legendary Europe '72 Album, by bringing the previously unreleased Tivoli Concert Hall, 4/17/72 performance to the big screen.

Grateful Dead: Tivoli Concert Hall, 4/17/72

2022

Grateful Dead: View from the Vault III poster
10.0

Grateful Dead - View from the Vault III Shoreline Amphitheater Mountain View CA June 16, 1990 First Set: 1 Let The Good Times Roll 2 Truckin' 3 Touch Of Grey 4 Mama Tried 5 Big River 6 Friend Of The Devil 7 Cassidy 8 Big Boss Man 9 One More Saturday Night Second Set: 10 China Cat Sunflower 11 I Know You Rider 12 We Can Run 13 Estimated Prophet 14 Terrapin Station 15 Jam 16 Space 17 Drums 18 China Doll 19 Sugar Magnolia 20 It's All Over Now, Baby Blue Bonus Footage: Shoreline Amphitheatre - Mountain View, CA - October 3, 1987 21 Hey Pocky Way 22 New Minglewood Blues 23 Candyman 24 When I Paint My Masterpiece 25 West L.A. Fadeaway 26 My Brother Esau

Grateful Dead: View from the Vault III

2002

Inside Scofield poster
NR

Inside Scofield is a feature documentary about master guitarist and touring musician John Scofield.

Inside Scofield

2022

Festival Express poster
7.2

The filmed account of a large Canadian rock festival train tour boasting major acts. In the summer of 1970, a chartered train crossed Canada carrying some of the world's greatest rock bands. The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy, and others lived (and partied) together for five days, stopping in major cities along the way to play live concerts. Their journey was filmed.

Festival Express

2003

Long Strange Trip poster
8.1

The tale of the Grateful Dead is inspiring, complicated, and downright messy. A tribe of contrarians, they made art out of open-ended chaos and inadvertently achieved success on their own terms. Never-before-seen footage and interviews offer this unprecedented and unvarnished look at the life of the Dead.

Long Strange Trip

2017

Grateful Dead: View from the Vault IV poster
10.0

The Grateful Dead perform two live concerts in Oakland and Anaheim in 1987. Featuring the entire sets from both shows, View from the Vault 4 is a must-rent for the legions of Deadheads. Songs include "When Push Comes to Shove," "Funiculi Funicula," "Terrapin Station," "Throwing Stones" and many more.

Grateful Dead: View from the Vault IV

2003

Grateful Dead: Live at Foxboro poster
NR

The Dead’s 20-song performance on 7/2/89 saw the band at the height of their late-80s success following the release of In The Dark just two years prior. Songs which made their way into the setlist that night included “Playing in the Band”, “Wang Dang Doodle”, covers of Bob Dylan‘s “Queen Jane Approximately” and “Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)”, “Friend of the Devil”, “Eyes of the World”, “He’s Gone”, “Sugar Magnolia”, and “Dear Mr. Fantasy” just to name a few.

Grateful Dead: Live at Foxboro

1989

The Grateful Dead Movie: Bonus Songs poster
NR

100 minutes of bonus songs not included in the film during the band's October 1974 five-night run at Winterland in San Francisco.

The Grateful Dead Movie: Bonus Songs

2004

Grateful Dead: So Far poster
8.0

So Far is a music documentary video by the Grateful Dead. Directed by Jerry Garcia and Len Dell'Amico, it is intended to give a subjective view of the Grateful Dead experience. The soundtrack includes Dead song performances, largely from 1985. The visuals combine scenes of the band playing the songs, other Dead related material, computer animation, and found footage that has been altered and edited in various ways. So Far was released on VHS videotape and on laserdisc in 1987, and has a running time of 55 minutes.

Grateful Dead: So Far

1987

Grateful Dead: View from the Vault poster
NR

View from the Vault, Volume One, sometimes known simply as View from the Vault, is the first release in a series of DVDs and companion soundtracks by the Grateful Dead known as "View from the Vault". The audio is taken from the soundboard and the video from the video screens at the concerts. The first volume was recorded and filmed at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on July 8, 1990 with bonus material recorded two days earlier at Cardinal Stadium, Louisville. The set was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 2, 2001.

Grateful Dead: View from the Vault

2000

Grateful Dead: England 1970 poster
NR

The lost documentary of the Grateful Dead's first trip to England in May of 1970. As the story goes, the camera crew was dosed during filming and the project was abandoned. Leaving the film in a rough unfinished state.

Grateful Dead: England 1970

1970

Grateful Dead: Fare Thee Well - 50 Years of Grateful Dead (Chicago) poster
9.8

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Grateful Dead, the "core four" original members - Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir - reunited at Chicago's Soldier Field on July 3rd, 4th and 5th for the most anticipated concerts in recent history. Joined by Trey Anastasio, Jeff Chimenti, and Bruce Hornsby. Fare Thee Well: Celebrating 50 Years Of Grateful Dead is the original members' last-ever performance together nearly 20 years to the day of the last ever Grateful Dead concert with Jerry Garcia, which took place at the same historic venue.

Grateful Dead: Fare Thee Well - 50 Years of Grateful Dead (Chicago)

2015

Grateful Dead: View from the Vault poster
5.9

View from the Vault, Volume One, sometimes known simply as View from the Vault, is the first release in a series of DVDs and companion soundtracks by the Grateful Dead known as "View from the Vault". The audio is taken from the soundboard and the video from the video screens at the concerts. The first volume was recorded and filmed at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh on July 8, 1990 with bonus material recorded two days earlier at Cardinal Stadium, Louisville. The set was certified Gold by the RIAA on February 2, 2001.

Grateful Dead: View from the Vault

2000

Grateful Dead: Bird Song poster
NR

Grateful Dead: Bird Song

Grateful Dead: Bird Song

2005

Grateful Dead: Anthem to Beauty poster
6.8

This installment of the Classic Albums series follows the making of two Grateful Dead albums, the fiercely experimental Anthem of the Sun and the understated masterwork American Beauty, which spawned melodic gems like "Sugar Magnolia" and "Ripple." Between the archival scenes and contemporary interviews with band members, the DVD shows a band making seismic inroads in pop music--and five young guys coming to terms with artistry, mortality, and, yes, the pursuit of happiness. There is priceless footage of Neal Cassady driving Ken Kesey's bus and of the Dead, surrounded by martini-sipping hipsters, on Playboy After Dark. The best scenes involve band members talking about specific songs (you will never hear Phil Lesh's "Box of Rain" again without thinking of it as a gift to his dying father) or deconstructing a tune by playing each track separately. Intimate and surprisingly cohesive, Anthem to Beauty is a rare glimpse into how the Dead's magic was made.

Grateful Dead: Anthem to Beauty

1997

Grateful Dead: Downhill from Here poster
6.7

Grateful Dead show on July 17, 1989 at Alpine Valley.

Grateful Dead: Downhill from Here

1989

Grateful Dead: Crimson, White & Indigo poster
NR

Grateful Dead: Crimson, White & Indigo | Philadelphia July 7, 1989: SET I: 1)Hell In A Bucket, 2. Iko Iko, 3. Little Red Rooster, 4. Ramble On Rose, 5. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again, 6. Loser, 7. Let It Grow, 8. Blow Away | SET II: 1. Box Of Rain, 2. Scarlet Begonias, 3. Fire On The Mountain, 4. Estimated Prophet, 5. Standing On The Moon, 6. Rhythm Devils, 7. Space, 8. The Other One, 9. Wharf Rat, 10. Turn On Your Lovelight, 11. Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Grateful Dead: Crimson, White & Indigo

2011

Monterey Pop - The Outtake Performances poster
7.5

Additional musical performances from the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival in California, shot for the film Monterey Pop (1968) and released on the Criterion Blu-ray The Complete Monterey Pop Festival.

Monterey Pop - The Outtake Performances

2002