Rock Hall to open Grateful Dead exhibit

CLEVELAND - The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is opening an exhibit exploring the Grateful Dead, from its recordings, tours and fans to its instruments and album-cover art.

"Grateful Dead: The Long, Strange Trip" opens publicly April 12 during Induction Week at the Cleveland hall and runs through December. The Mickey Hart Band, featuring the Grateful Dead drummer, will perform at a special April11 event.

The exhibit features manuscripts, handwritten notes, five Jerry Garcia guitars, Hart's custom-painted drum kit and promoter Bill Graham's "Father Time" robe.

Jim Henke, a museum vice president, describes the California band formed in 1965 as timeless, with musical depth and cultural resonance.

He says, "In a 30-year career, this group wrote their own rules and created a community unlike any band before or since."