Names and Terms

v.1.1. Rev. 03/2021

Grateful Dead-Related Band Names

7 Walkers (not Seven Walkers)

Bill Kreutzmann Trio (not BK3)

Dead and Company (not Dead & Co.; Dead & Company)

Furthur (not Further)

Mother McCree’s Uptown Jug Champions

Note: the spelling varied; this conforms to the official CD released by the Grateful Dead in 1999.

Phil Lesh and Friends (not Phil & Friends; Phil & Phriendz)

RatDog (not Ratdog)

the Grateful Dead (not The Grateful Dead)

the Other Ones (not The Other Ones)

the Warlocks (not The Warlocks)

Grateful Dead Band Members

First mentions should be full names: Jerry Garcia, Donna Jean Godchaux. Subsequent mentions should be by last name, except when Godchaux might be confusing:

Donna Jean Godchaux

Keith Godchaux

Kreutzmann (note: two N’s)

Ron “Pigpen” McKernan

Note: The spelling of Pigpen changed over time; it should be “Pigpen,” not “Pig-Pen,” though the proper reference is always by last name, McKernan.

Band Trademark Terms

Over the years, the classic band insignia known as the Steal Your Face logo has had several names, e.g. Lightning Jack, Smiling Jap, etc. It should be called the Steal Your Face logo or icon, without hyphens:

Steal Your Face logo (not Steallie or Steal-Your-Face logo)

Common Trademark Names

Some terms have retained their trademarked origins; others have not. Consult Merriam-Webster if unsure.

Jell-O (not jello)

teleprompter (not TelePrompTer)

Xerox (but “photocopy” is preferable)

Miscellaneous Names Common in Dead Writing

Day-Glo (not Day-glo or Dayglo)

Hammond B-3 (not B 3 or B3)

Hells Angels (not Hell’s Angels)

Warner Bros. (not Warner Bros or Warner Brothers)

General Names and Terms

Common or Associated Grateful Dead Terms

the Acid Tests (not The Acid Tests; the acid tests)

communitas (italicized)

T-shirt (not teeshirt; t-shirt)

X factor (not x-factor)

States

In text, spell out states, e.g. “Columbia, South Carolina,” not “Columbia, SC”

Nations

Chicago (10.33) specifies spelling out “United States” in running text, but abbreviating “US” as an adjective:

The United States was a fertile arena for the Grateful Dead.

The Dead were paid in US dollars.

Foreign Terms

Foreign language words and phrases and most Latin terms are italicized in order to minimize misunderstanding:

sine qua non

ne plus ultra

Common terms need not be italicized:

status quo

tête-à-tête

ur- (e.g., ur-text, ur-belief)