The Posters of the Grateful Dead Archive

The Carousel

Though known for their partnership, both Mouse and Kelley worked alone as well. This image advertised a famous concert at the Carousel, the ballroom cooperatively run by the Dead, the Airplane, and others, and a recording of the concert became a famous early fan recording, widely circulated because of a radio broadcast and subsequent bootleg LP. It was officially released as one of the band’s Road Trips series of live recordings in 2009. The Carousel inspired one of Mouse’s most famous designs, an entirely airbrushed masterpiece that did not advertise the Dead explicitly but nonetheless captured their signature ethos with its title, “Tuesday Night Jam.” Mouse’s range expanded dramatically in the sixties, but for this poster, he returned to his roots, when he was known for his airbrush work at hot rod meets in the late fifties and early sixties.