Brent Mydland

A BRENT MYDLAND KURZWEIL PC88 MX KEYBOARD, LATE 1980S An electronic keyboard used by the musician on-stage at various concerts throughout the late 1980s; with serial number 42941200873 noted on the back.?

"Mydland, who joined in 1979 only to die suddenly on July 26, 1990, brought a classic soul and R&B sound that shook away the cobwebs, courtesy of a Hammond B3 organ with spinning Leslie speaker."

He's known for the Hammond, which has now been passed down to Jeff Chimenti, Dead and Company's current keyboardist.

In this video, if you watch the second tune, Greatest Story Ever Told, you can see Brent playing the Polymoog. I know it's a Polymoog because I had one a long time ago...this was during the mid to late 1980s when that keyboard was very popular and versatile...kind of the grandfather of the Kurzweil.

You can also see Brent setting the fine programming on the Polymoog at the beginning of the full concert video, "Truckin' Up to Buffalo" from 7/4/89.

Note the Fender Rhodes directly underneath the Moog.

In the mid-1980s, Brent Mydland was seen using the E-Mu Emulator II, as confirmed by an image from Ryan Storm's article "The Grateful Dead Keyboard Rigs - Yes, All of Them." The photo shows the Emulator II alongside a GS-1, with a B3 organ just out of frame and one of the Leslies visible in the background.

Brent Mydland was seen using a Yamaha GS-1 during the mid-1980s, as confirmed by Ryan Storm in his article "The Grateful Dead Keyboard Rigs - Yes, All of Them." This setup also included an Emulator II, with a Hammond B3 organ just out of frame to the left and one of the Leslies visible at the back left.

In 1989, Brent Mydland was captured on stage with his PC-88, with the Roland MKS-20 and a B3 visible to his right. This setup is verified by Ryan Storm in his article "The Grateful Dead Keyboard Rigs - Yes, All of Them."