In the mythos of the Grateful Dead, lyricist Robert Hunter is something like a fifth Beatle—a nonperforming member whose contributions were still pivotal to what the band became. In 1961, in Palo Alto, California, Hunter met Jerry Garcia, a folk guitarist from San Francisco who’d just completed an undistinguished Stateside stint with the U.S. Army. They became friends, and played a few gigs together as a duo under the name Bob and Jerry. Garcia went on to start a jug band that evolved into a rock band, known first as The Warlocks and later as The Grateful Dead. By 1967, the Dead had signed to a major label and released their self-titled debut album, and Hunter was living in New Mexico, trying to make it as a painter. In a letter from Taos, Hunter sent Garcia some lyrics he’d written, including words Garcia and the Dead would later set to music as “China Cat Sunflower” and “St. Stephen,” and so began a lyricist/composer partnership that would continue until Garcia’s death in 1995.