Tom Constanten

Tom Constanten (born 1944) was the Grateful Dead’s first full-time keyboardist, playing with the band from 1968 through 1970. A classically trained avant-garde composer, his tenure overlapped with Pigpen and produced the Dead’s most experimental recordings — Anthem of the Sun and Aoxomoxoa. His departure for religious reasons (he joined the Church of Scientology) opened the keyboard seat that would define the band’s later tragedies. Articles cover his brief but influential tenure.