Were They Ever Here at All? More Epic Tales of the Grateful Dead

Were They Ever Here at All ? More Epic Tales of the Grateful Dead is author Scott W. Allen's third and final biography of the famed San Francisco group, updating the Dead's history through October 2021. Were They Ever Here at All ? completes a series of success biographies written by Mr. Allen that are the most detailed, encompassing, and up-to-date histories of the Dead ever written.

The Foreword to Were They Ever Here at All ? is written by the late acclaimed civil libertarian and Grateful Dead lyricist John Perry Barlow.

Mr. Allen's biographies of the Grateful Dead are proven sellers, as they offer unique perspectives filled with insightful observations on the band's history.

Aces Back to Back reached No. 2 on two separate Amazon best-seller lists and is approaching 30,000 units sold.

Scott is an astute at marketing his books, which plays a major role in their success. His Facebook blog, "Aces Back to Back," has well over 40,000 readers and gives Mr. Allen the perfect platform to showcase both his writing gifts and excerpts from his Dead books.

The surviving members of the Grateful Dead have done both a remarkable and admirable job of perpetuating and growing the Grateful Dead's music, legacy and popularity since the 1995 death of co-founding member Jerry Garcia. The Grateful Dead are more popular now than at any point during their three-decade reign and have had more Top Ten albums (archival live releases) on the Billboard charts post-1995.

Were They Ever Here at All ? focuses on the last years of Jerry Garcia's life. Mr. Allen shares intimate details and information from Garcia's former wife and a core group of his closest friends who openly discuss on record how the Grateful Dead callously treated Garcia in the post-1992 world, continuously refusing his requests to leave the band while increasing the number of concerts they played as the guitarist's health waned.

Garcia spent the final two years of his life pleading with the Grateful Dead in organizational meetings to release him from his contract and allow him to exit the band. Long-time personal friend Joe McCord confirms this: "One of the things that is very important for people to know is that Jerry wanted to quit the Dead."

"Scott intuitively understood at the time the music was being made the historical, sociological and aesthetic importance of the Grateful Dead and its scene that are still going strong 56 years after they first played as a group in a local pizza joint. His books are a pleasure to read and are filled with funny and interesting stories, anecdotes, first-hand accounts, and sometimes profound observations."

- Robert Pistella

Deadhead

Freehold, NJ

"The best books ever written about the best band ever."

- Bob Carmody

Deadhead

Eugene, OR

Scott wrote and worked for Relix magazine as a Senior Writer, columnist, and feature article writer from 1984-92. His essay on the Grateful Dead's show on May 8, 1977 was published by the Library of Congress in 2017 and accompanies the concert's induction into the National Recording Registry. All of his work with Relix is preserved in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum, which houses the first 100 issues of the magazine.

Were They Ever Here at All ? More Epic Tales of the Grateful Dead is Mr. Allen's crowning achievement as a Grateful Dead historian, an honest look at a wide range of topics related to the band's story, completing the Dead's fascinating, lengthy, and history-changing tale.