I have my younger brother to thank for being a Deadhead. He discovered the band when a lot of folks did, during the mid-to-late 1980s after Touch of Grey became a commercial hit. I attended my first show with him at the Oakland Coliseum Arena (now Oracle Arena) on February 20, 1991. I remember the “Dose Saddam” stickers and the fact that the audience stood for the entire show. I had been to fantastic shows in that arena (like Rush on the Presto Tour), but most of the folks in the seats sat at those concerts. They don’t do that, I learned, at Grateful Dead shows.

Since then I have seen many Dead related shows and spent thousands of hours listening to their music. While I still love listening to live Dead from time to time, the music continues to evolve. One way is through the unique interpretations of the Dead’s oeuvre by other artists. Indeed, several albums have been released over the years offering collections of interesting Dead covers. Two that stand out are the original Dead cover album Deadicated and the more recent Day of the Dead, produced by The National’s Bryce and Aaron Dresser.

Below are 9 favorite Dead covers.

  1. Black Peter by Allison Scott

Sultry and confident. Sung at times the way Garcia sang it and at times in her own way. The result is a unique, beautiful rendition of one of my all-time favorite Garcia ballads.

  1. Mississippi Half Step Uptown Toodeloo by Goose in St. Louis (June 10, 2025)

Straight, respectful cover (Goose has been playing this song for many years), then a beautiful high energy jam.

  1. Here Comes Sunshine by Real Estate

Straight cover, but beautiful vocals and tasty guitar work. My favorite song on the amazing Day of the Dead compilation, which contains a ton of great Dead covers.

  1. Friend of the Devil by Lyle Lovett

A lot of artists have covered this tune, including Bob Dylan, Mumford and Sons, Tom Petty, and Counting Crows, but this was the first one I heard that wasn’t a Dead version. I dig the short guitar solo and Lovett’s voice. A great storyteller’s voice for a good story.

  1. Dark Star by Dali

This is likely the most obscure pick. This was submitted to Youtube during the 2012 Dead Covers Project. I love the video, but I love the guitar work even more. My guess is many Deadheads will fault the vocals, but the creative take on the song has led me to listen to this one many times.

  1. Cassidy by Damià Timoner

Timoner is a classical guitarist from Manacor, Malloca and his rendition of Cassidy is sublime. He is clearly a Head as his playing is reverential. Indeed, he’s got a whole album of sublime Dead covers actually. What a treat!

  1. Althea by Polish Ambassador and Dead Polish

This one is the newest of the studio releases on the list. These artists have put out a handful of Dead covers in this style, though they are hit or miss (mostly hit, imho).

  1. Ripple by Jane’s Addiction

This is an oldie, but a goodie. From Deadicated, this is Jane’s Addiction doing Ripple the Jane’s Addiction way. Utterly different from the original version. Love the Bird Song and Other One teases at the end.

  1. Cumberland Blues by The Travelin' McCourys

A bluegrassy Dead tune done by a proper bluegrass outfit. So good!

  1. Oteil Burbridge’s covers of So Many Roads and High Time

Oteil is the bass player for Dead and Company, among other things (also formerly of the Allman Brothers Band). These are from a recent album honoring the Garcia/Hunter songwriting tandem. This whole album is such a beautiful tribute.

Honorable Mentions