"Black-Throated Wind" is the second song from

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

member

Bob Weir Robert Hall Weir ( ; né Parber, born October 16, 1947) is an American musician and songwriter best known as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the group disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead ...

's solo debut, ''

Ace An ace is a playing card, die or domino with a single pip. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol (a heart, diamond, spade, or club) located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the c ...

''. The song was written by Weir and lyricist

John Perry Barlow John Perry Barlow (October 3, 1947February 7, 2018) was an American poet, essayist, cattle rancher, and cyberlibertarian political activist who had been associated with both the Democratic and Republican parties. He was also a lyricist for the ...

about the experiences Barlow had on a road trip from New York City to San Francisco in 1971. Barlow has said that the experience was "right out of ''

Easy Rider ''Easy Rider'' is a 1969 American independent drug culture road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American So ...

''", in that he was accosted by locals in the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

for having long hair. The song was performed by the Grateful Dead frequently in 1972, as heard on the live ''

Europe '72 Volume 2 ''Europe '72 Volume 2'' is a live album by the rock band the Grateful Dead. It is a two-CD set which features 20 tracks from the band's Spring 1972 tour of Europe. As such, it represents a belated sequel to the band's original three-LP 1972 releas ...

'', '' Steppin' Out with the Grateful Dead: England '72'', '' Dick's Picks Volume 24'', and ''

Dick's Picks Volume 30 ''Dick's Picks Volume 30'' is the 30th installment of the Grateful Dead's archival series. Just prior to their ''Europe '72'' tour, the Grateful Dead played seven shows at the Palladium (New York City), Academy of Music on 14th Street in New York ...

''. It also appears twice on '' Winterland 1973: The Complete Recordings''. In addition, as part of the band's set at

Winterland Winterland Ballroom (more commonly known as Winterland Arena or simply Winterland) was an ice skating rink and music venue in San Francisco, California. The arena was located at the corner of Post Street and Steiner Street. It was converted for ...

in October 1974, it appears on the Grateful Dead's fifth live album, ''

Steal Your Face ''Steal Your Face'' is a live double album by the Grateful Dead, released in June 1976. The album was recorded October 1720, 1974, at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, during a "farewell run" that preceded a then-indefinite hiatus. It was the ...

'', released in 1976. The song was dropped from the setlist after 1974, and then was played occasionally after 1990. Featured on 30 Trips Around the Sun September 10, 1991 live from Madison Square Garden. The song has gotten a revival, as Dead & Co., who formed in October 2015, put the song in their rotation, and was most recently played Nov 8 2019 in Hampton VA.

References

External links

Annotated lyrics and song history
{{authority control 1972 songs Grateful Dead songs Songs written by Bob Weir