Workingman's Dead was recorded and released in 1970, with the band turning away from the elaborate psychedelic studio work of its previous albums. Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter's songs supplied a different centre. The project favoured a quicker recording process and a return to folk-related resources.
American Beauty is the Grateful Dead’s 1970 studio album — recorded fast, under pressure, without their usual crew, and produced by Stephen Barncard. It features pedal steel instead of lead guitar, mandolin from David Grisman, and songs from Lesh, Weir, and McKernan alongside Garcia and Hunter. Eight tracks became live staples. It helped pioneer Americana — not as revival, but as reinvention.