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Latvala (Dick) Papers
MS.333
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Santa Cruz
Title: Dick Latvala Papers
creator:
Latvala, Dick, 1943-1999
Identifier/Call Number: MS.333
Physical Description:
47 Linear Feet
67 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1966-1999
Date (bulk): 1990-1999
Abstract: This collection documents the tape collecting and archival release work of Dick Latvala.
Physical Location: Collection stored, in part, off-site at NRLF: Advance notice is required for access.
Collection is open for research.
Property rights for this collection reside with the University of California. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. The publication or use of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use
for research or educational purposes requires written permission from the copyright owner. Responsibility for obtaining permissions,
and for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information on copyright or to order a reproduction, please visit
guides.library.ucsc.edu/speccoll/reproduction-publication.
Dick Latvala papers, MS 333. Special Collections and Archives, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz
Dick Latvala (1943 – 1999) was the first Vault Archivist for the Grateful Dead. He graduated from San Francisco State University
and attended shows at the Fillmore Auditorium, the Avalon Ballroom, and other San Francisco venues in the 1960s, including
famous events such as the Trips Festival in January 1966 and the Great Human Be-In in January 1967. He began taping shows
in 1971 from radio broadcasts and began collecting and trading concert tapes in 1974, amassing an impressive collection that
he thoroughly documented in notebooks and correspondence. He became a friend of the band and the crew, and was hired by the
band in 1985 to organize their tape collection. As the first Vault Archivist, he was instrumental in the archival recordings
released by the band; the series
Dick's Picks is named in his honor, and was continued by his successor David Lemieux for a total of 36 releases.
This collection documents the tape collecting and archival release work of Dick Latvala, the Grateful Dead's first Vault Archivist.
The papers comprise his notebook entires, documenting his impressions of live performance tapes, and his later research on
what shows would be good cadidates for commercial release. His personal collection of reel-to-reel tapes, a series in the
collection, is an indication of the range of recordings that the first generation of Deadhead tape collectors could amass.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Latvala, Dick, 1943-1999
Grateful Dead (Musical group)