Antedating of "Deadhead"

[Shapiro, Fred]

The OED's first use for _Deadhead_ 'Grateful Dead fan' is dated 1972.  According to Wikipedia:


The term first appeared in print on the Grateful sleeve of Grateful Dead (also known as Skull & Roses), the band's second live album, released in 1971.[6] It read, as suggested by Hank Harrison:
“
DEAD FREAKS UNITE: Who are you? Where are you? How are you?
Send us your name and address and we'll keep you informed.
Dead Heads, P.O. Box 1065, San Rafael, CA 94901.
        ”
This phenomenon was first touched on in print by Village Voice music critic Robert Christgau at a Felt Forum show in 1971, noting "how many 'regulars' seemed to be in attendance, and how, from the way they compared notes, they'd obviously made a determined effort to see as many shows as possible."[6]

Eileen Law, a long time friend of the band, was put in charge of the mailing list and maintained the Dead Heads newsletter. It is estimated that by the end of 1971, the band had received about 350 letters, but this number swelled greatly over the next few years to as many as 40,000.[6] In total, 25 mailings/newsletters reached Dead Heads between October 1971 and February 1980.


Fred Shapiro

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