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Wishing a Happy Birthday to Ron "Pigpen" McKernon, who would have turned 70-years-old today. Pigpen was a founding member of the the Grateful Dead, which he performed in from its inception in 1965 to 1972. He was the band's original frontman as well as playing harmonica and electric organ, but Jerry Garcia and bassist Phil Lesh's influences on the band became increasingly stronger as they embraced psychedelic rock. McKernan struggled to keep up, causing the group to hire keyboardist Tom Constanten, with McKernan's contributions limited to vocals, harmonica and percussion. However, he remained a frontman in concert for some numbers, including covers of Bobby Bland's "Turn On Your Love Light" and The Rascals' "Good Lovin'".
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Pigpen passed away far too early at age 27, but his legacy lives on forever.
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