/ Source: The Associated Press
John "Marmaduke" Dawson, who co-founded the psychedelic country band New Riders of the Purple Sage with the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, has died. He was 64.
The band's Web site said Dawson died Tuesday in Mexico, where he had retired several years ago.
The singer-songwriter formed the New Riders in 1969 to showcase his songs along with Garcia's pedal-steel guitar playing. Two other Dead members, bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Mickey Hart, also played in New Riders for a time, according to the Web site.
The band toured with the Dead starting in 1970 and released eight albums on Columbia Records from 1971 to 1976.
The New Riders scored their first gold record in 1973 with the hit "The Adventures of Panama Red."