"Workingman's Dead" is the fourth studio album by the Grateful Dead. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in June 1970. The album and its studio follow-up, "American Beauty," were both released within the span of one year. These albums marked a departure from the psychedelic rock that the Grateful Dead had been known for and were instead influenced by elements of folk and country music.
The album is primarily acoustic and contains a significant amount of harmony work, indicative of the group's shifting musical views and the influence of their surroundings in the countercultural movement. The lyrics are storyteller-style folk narratives which tackle themes of love, loss, and the American experience.
"Workingman's Dead" produced some of the band's most enduring and popular songs, such as "Uncle John's Band," "Casey Jones," and "Black Peter." Despite its initial mixed critical reception, over time it has been seen as one of the strongest albums in the Dead's repertoire, and a touchstone of what is now called Americana.
These albums led to the band's successful rise in the early 1970s, despite the death of founding member and key contributor, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. The Grateful Dead continued to forge their careers, gaining a dedicated fan base known as "Deadheads," whose engagement in the culture of attending shows and following the band on tour became a defining aspect of their legacy and impact on popular culture.
