The Grateful Dead break record for most Top 40 albums
The Grateful Dead have broken the record for the most Top 40 albums to chart on the Billboard 200.
With the debut of the band’s archival release ‘Dave’s Picks, Volume 49’ at the 25th position in this week’s chart, the group have now scored a record-breaking 59 entries in the Top 40 Albums chart.
With the feat, they have beaten out the likes of Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra, who they were previously tied with at 58 albums apiece.
The majority of The Grateful Dead’s Top 40 chartings have taken place long after the group disbanded in the wake of Jerry Garcia’s death in 1995. As Billboard notes, 41 of their 59 entries into the Top 40 have occured since 2012, thanks to a series of archival albums complied by David Lemieux, also known as ‘Dave’s Picks’.
The record-breaking feat comes after Dead & Company – Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir and Mickey Hart alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti and Jay Lane – confirmed that they will play a residency at the Las Vegas Sphere in 2024.
While no dates have been announced yet, Rolling Stone confirmed that the band will play at least 15 shows in the spring. The news follows recent reports that the American rock band would be following residencies from U2 and Phish at the $2billion venue.
In 2022, the band suggested that their “final tour” in 2023 could be their last time performing live together. “As we put the finishing touches on booking venues, and understanding that word travels fast, we wanted to be the first to let you know that Dead & Company will be hitting the road next summer for what will be our final tour,” Mayer said in a statement. “Stay tuned for a full list of dates for what will surely be an exciting, celebratory, and heartfelt last run of shows.”
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Surej Singh
NME
