Donna Jean Godchaux-MacKay, the distinctive mezzo-soprano voice and key member of the Grateful Dead throughout the 1970s, has died at the age of 78 following a long struggle with cancer, reports uncut.co.uk.
Before joining the iconic psychedelic rock band, the Alabama native, then known as Donna Jean Thatcher, forged a significant career as a Muscle Shoals session singer in the late 1960s. Her powerful voice graced recordings for legends including Percy Sledge, Duane Allman, Joe Tex, and Neil Diamond. Notably, she was also a presence at American Sound in Memphis, contributing vocals to classic tracks like Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” and “In The Ghetto.”
She relocated to San Francisco in 1970, where she met and married pianist Keith Godchaux. It was through her persistence that her husband joined the Dead in October 1971, with Godchaux herself being invited to join the lineup shortly thereafter.
The couple’s arrival marked a crucial period for the band. Their musical impact was immediately felt on the 1972 European tour, where bassist Phil Lesh noted the music became “warmer and more organic.” Godchaux’s unmistakable vocals can be heard across a defining run of albums, from Europe ’72 up to 1978’s Shakedown Street. The couple also recorded the 1975 album Keith & Donna.
The Godchauxs departed the Grateful Dead in 1979 and returned to Alabama to form the Heart Of Gold Band. Following Keith’s sudden death in 1980, Godchaux stepped back from her music career before returning to head various bands from the late 1990s onward. Her most recent release was the 2014 album Back Around, which featured a version of the Dead’s “Crazy Fingers.”
The remaining members of the Grateful Dead family paid tribute to her contribution. “Her unmistakable voice and radiant spirit touched the lives of countless fans and immeasurably enriched the Grateful Dead family,” the band noted. “Her contributions will forever remain part of the tapestry that continues to be woven.”
Guitarist Bob Weir added a personal reflection: “She blazed a path in music many aspire to follow. In her quiet, unassuming way she’ll be goin’ for it, even though there may not even be words for what it is – how she always was…”
•Featured image by Ed Perlstein/Redferns/Getty Images
