John Dawson
Musician · 1945–2009 · Chicago, Illinois
Best known for
Guitar
John “Marmaduke” Dawson was an American singer-songwriter and rhythm guitarist who founded and fronted the New Riders of the Purple Sage, the pioneering country-rock band that grew directly out of the Grateful Dead's early-1970s circle. He sang lead on most of the group's material and wrote much of its catalog.
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- Born June 16, 1945, in Chicago; died July 21, 2009, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
- Met Jerry Garcia, David Nelson, and Robert Hunter in the Bay Area folk scene.
- Co-founded the New Riders of the Purple Sage in 1969 with David Nelson; the early lineup featured Jerry Garcia on pedal steel.
- Co-wrote the Grateful Dead standard “Friend of the Devil” with Garcia and Hunter, on American Beauty (1970).
- Wrote signature New Riders originals including “Glendale Train” and “Last Lonely Eagle.”
- Retired from music in 1997 and moved to Mexico, where he taught English.
