About Rosie McGee

I came to San Francisco in 1951 as a five-year-old French immigrant who spoke no English. By the time I moved in with Phil Lesh and the Grateful Dead in early 1966, I'd already been documenting my life in photos for years - my life with the Dead now moved into my viewfinder.

After Phil and I parted as a couple, I stayed within the Dead's core family as the band’s friend, travel agent, and French interpreter; and when moved to do so, I danced onstage.

In my first self-published book, Dancing with the Dead—A Photographic Memoir, I tell ten years’ worth of stories—illustrated by 200 of my photos—of living, traveling, and working with the Dead during their first decade as a band. It's been continuously in print since 2013, except for a few months in 2025. 

I've updated the print edition with a short Addendum - outlining the 50 years that passed after I ended Dancing with the Dead in 1974 - and put it back in print in May of 2025.

Details on my Book Sales page, including links to all three formats of the book: HERE

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My second self-published book - My Grateful Dead Photos and How I Came to Take Them, 1966-1991, featured 400 photos in a coffee table book format.

It is currently out of print, with no plans for a third printing. However, many of those photos are available as prints, link below.

These days, I manage my business from my home in Oregon; fielding requests for photo licensing, selling prints through my online sales gallery, corresponding with members of the Deadhead community on social media, and answering numerous questions in my role as an, "I was there", historical archivist.

As I've done since I was 12 years old, I continue to document my life in photos—whether of people, scenic wonders, or anything else that happens to catch my eye. Some of my landscape and flower photographs are available at my online gallery for viewing and the purchase of prints, alongside my Grateful Dead photos, via the link above.