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 2011.

To order e-book edition (with photos in color), or audiobook narrated by author,
click on link below. As of 4/27/25, print edition is currently out of print, but I'm working on getting it back in print. Meanwhile, used print copies are available various places.

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.