RIP Rob Wasserman

I didn't learn until Friday (two days after he died) & was at the D&C shows in Boulder this past weekend ... great tribute of "Even So" (Ratdog). Until I read the obituary below, I was unaware that Rob played in the David Grisman Quintet.

Rob Wasserman, the Grammy Award-winning upright bass player and co-founder of the band Ratdog, has died, according to an announcement on Facebook by Grateful Dead guitarist and vocalist Bob Weir.

Weir’s post said the following: "I'm devastated to pass along that Rob Wasserman lost his struggle today, and we have lost a beautiful friend and artist. I can still hear the sound of his bow playing those strings unamplified and pure. It's one of the most glorious sounds I've ever heard, and the music and warmth he gave us will live on in the hearts of everyone he touched."

A cause of death was not immediately known. The announcement came just hours after Weir posted that Wasserman had been hospitalized, asking for strength and support.

Weir co-founded the band RatDog with Wasserman in 1995. The band mostly played Grateful Dead songs and cover songs by artists such as Bob Dylan.

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Wasserman studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Early in his career, he played with Van Morrison and the Dave Grisman Quintet. He won a Grammy for the song “Brothers” from his 1988 album Duets.

He played with many great musicians including Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, Jerry Garcia and Brian Wilson.