The Grateful Dead in San Francisco, 1970, photographed by Robert Altman/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Grateful Dead this year, we asked one of our nation’s greatest Grateful fans, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, for her favorite song. “It’s a tough competition in my family for the favorite Grateful Dead song. For myself, it’s ‘Fire on the Mountain.’ ‘Ripple,’ however, has been a Pelosi family lullaby for years now. My daughter Christine has sung it to my granddaughter ever since she was three months old, and now my granddaughter sings it herself.
“As a San Franciscan, you’re automatically a Grateful Dead fan,” Leader Pelosi explains. “I love the music: not only is it fun, it is excellent — classically great music.”