Jerry Garcia
The Warlocks soon became the Grateful Dead. Garcia found the name in a dictionary. While Garcia was the frontman, the band always operated as a leaderless democracy. Garcia continued to experiment musically. He became known for his extended guitar improvisations. He also worked on numerous side projects and frequently sat in with other groups. Jefferson Airplane, in their 1967 album Surrealistic Pillow, credited him as the group's "spiritual adviser". In 1969, he and John "Marmaduke" Dawson founded the country rock band New Riders of the Purple Sage. The New Riders, or NRPS, became the opening act for the Grateful Dead. At this time Garcia was experimenting with the pedal steel guitar for both NRPS and the Dead.