Grateful Dead earns Guinness World Record

Grateful Dead has earned a new Guinness World Record.

The band’s most recent Dave’s Pick, Dave’s Picks Vol. 56: Rainbow Theatre, London, England – 3/20/81 & 3/21/81, debuted at #25 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it their 66th top-40 album. That earns them the Guinness record for the most top-40 albums charted on the Billboard 200.

The Dead have been the sole record holder for the most top-40 albums since February 2024, when they earned their 59th top-40 album with Dave’s Picks, Volume 49: Frost Amphitheatre, Stanford U., Palo Alto, CA  – 4/27/85 & 4/28/85. Prior to that they were in a tie for the record with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.

“This Guinness World Records title is something that no one could have anticipated 60 years ago when the Grateful Dead began,” David Lemieux, Grateful Dead legacy manager and archivist, said in a statement. “But the record demonstrates the dedication, passion, and loyalty of the massive legion of Dead Heads, as well as the consistent quality of the Grateful Dead’s recorded output and archival activities over the past six decades.”

The Guinness record caps off a big year for The Dead, who celebrated their 60th anniversary in 2025. The year included a celebration of The Dead as the MusiCares Person of the Year; three shows in San Francisco by Dead & Company; and the release of their first official greatest hits compilation, Greatest Hits, as well as a 60-CD collection, Enjoying The Ride.

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