Originally released in June of 1970, Workingman's Dead was the fourth studio album recorded by the Grateful Dead. A departure from Grateful Dead's historically psychedelic and experimental works, Workingman's Dead brought the songcraft of Jerry Garcia & Robert Hunter to the forefront in this now iconic Americana album, which will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2020. The title of the album comes from a comment from Jerry Garcia to lyricist Robert Hunter about how "this album was turning into the Workingman's Dead version of the band." The sound of this album was influenced by Garcia's pairing with songwriter Hunter as well as the group's friendship with Crosby, Stills and Nash. The sound that CSN created made the Dead strive for a better, more harmonious sound themselves. The album is ranked number 264 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
