Grateful Dead Tie Record for Most Top 40 Albums on Billboard 200, Joining Current Holders Frank Sinatra and Elvis

Photo Credit: Herb Greene

Today, the Grateful Dead have tied the record for most Billboard Top 40 albums by any act in history, joining fellow chart-busters Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. Previously, the Dead had broken the record as a group for the most Top 40 albums, having just earned their 58th album in the Top 40, with the debut of Dave’s Picks Vol. 48 at #33 on this week’s Billboard 200.

Produced and curated by Audio Archivist and Grateful Dead Legacy Manager David Lemieux, Dave’s Picks Vol. 48 is the 40th installment of the series to enter the Top 40. Each edition of Dave’s Picks presents fans and listeners of the band with high-quality cuts from live performances delivered four times a year via Rhino Entertainment. “Dave’s Picks is a testament to Rhino never veering off the path of its vision to treat Dead Heads with respect and caring,” commented Lemieux via press release. 

“Working with the Grateful Dead is such a unique experience because they really are one of one,” added Mark Pinkus, President of Rhino. “With over 2300 amazing shows in their illustrious 30-year career, Rhino has the wonderful responsibility to present those shows to new and old fans alike in a meaningful and magical way. Their continued chart success simply proves what we already know, there are still a lot of Dead Heads in the world and they dig what we do.”

The band’s latest achievement arrives after another milestone, recently delivering its 31st edition of the Grateful Dead Almanac. Before that, the San Francisco jamband turned out their Here Comes Sunshine box set and marked the 50th anniversary of Wake of The Flood. “This is a testament to the enduring connection between the Grateful Dead and their audience – a bond that is as strong today as it ever was and now spans multiple generations with huge numbers of new followers discovering them every day,” attested Bernie Cahill, Founding Partner, Activist Artists Management and manager of the Grateful Dead.

Moreover, last week, the band announced that Dave’s Picks Vol. 49 will land sometime in the first quarter of 2024 via Rhino. The set will feature four CDs, with two complete Grateful Dead shows from Stanford University’s Frost Amphitheater on April 27 and 28, 1985. Before the aforementioned release, Rhino will also begin to reissue all eight albums from the Grateful Dead’s Arista years, 1977-1990–released in pairs between now and July 2024. 

Now, with today’s achievement considered, the Grateful Dead is just one release away from breaking the all-time record for most Billboard Top 40 albums.