The Grateful Dead formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965, when members of Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions and The Wildwood Boys got together, initially as The Warlocks. They drew from a vast array of Roots music, including Folk, Blues, Jazz, R&R, R&B, Gospel, Country, Bluegrass and even Reggae, melding it into a unique fusion of Heavy Psychedelia. The Dead were particularly known for free-form improvisation in their live performances. Their early albums consisted of covers of artists like The Memphis Jug Band, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Jesse Fuller, The Mississippi Sheiks, Cliff Carlisle, Elizabeth Cotton, etc. This unique compilation presents the records that inspired many of the songs that they recorded, notably Tossi Aaron's 'I Know You Rider', Obray Ramsey's 'Rain And Snow', Blind Gary Davis' 'Death Don't Have No Mercy', Bill Browning's 'Dark Hollow', The Shelton Brothers' 'Deep Elem Blues'.