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One Year Ago Today, We Lost the Grateful Dead Singer Who Also Sang on No. 1 Hits by Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge
Donna Jean Godchaux, a vocalist with the Grateful Dead and a former Muscle Shoals session singer, died in Nashville on 2 November 2025, aged 78, after a long battle with cancer. Her career connected two very different musical worlds: she sang on major recordings including Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds” and Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman”, then toured and recorded with the Dead.
Godchaux joined the band in 1972 with her husband, keyboardist Keith Godchaux, and remained until 1979. She appeared on several albums, including *Wake of the Flood* and *Terrapin Station*, and performed with the group at the Great Pyramid in Egypt. After leaving, she continued making music with several bands; she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Grateful Dead in 1994 and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
In short
- Donna Jean Godchaux died aged 78 in 2025.
- She sang on hits by Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge.
- She toured and recorded with the Grateful Dead from 1972 to 1979.
Explained simply
The Grateful Dead were an American rock band known for long concerts that blended rock, folk, blues and improvisation. Donna Jean Godchaux joined them in 1972 with her husband, keyboardist Keith Godchaux, and sang with the group until 1979.
Before joining the band, Godchaux worked as a session singer in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, lending her voice to recordings by artists including Elvis Presley and Percy Sledge. Session singers perform on other musicians’ records, often without being the main artist.
Her career linked studio recordings in the American South with the Grateful Dead’s touring and live performances. She later continued making music, and her induction into two music halls of fame reflected recognition from both parts of her career.