80 years ago today (9/8/45), Ron Pigpen McKernan, who was a founding member of The Grateful Dead and played in the group from 1965 to 1972, was born. Pigpen served as the band’s “frontman” in the band’s early years, playing harmonica and electric organ, and added a bluesy biker feel to many songs in the band’s early live and recorded catalog. Unlike the other members of the Grateful Dead, Pipgen avoided psychedelic drugs, preferring to drink alcohol, and brought a sense of depth and strength to the band. Pigpen died at 27 in 1973 after years of ill health. Watch Pigpen sing lead on “Hard to Handle” live in 1970.