Mickey took time off to rebound from his father's embezzling of the Dead's funds. His last show at that time was at the Capital Theater, Port Chester, NY, 2/18/71.

During his hiatus, he built a 16-track studio, which he used to record several albums, including:

Rolling Thunder - 1972
Diga - 1976
Apocalypse Now Sessions - The Rhythm Devils Play River Music - 1980

Grateful Dead:
Jerry Garcia, 28 - guitar, vocals
Bob Weir, 23 - guitar, vocals
Phil Lesh, 30 - bass, vocals
Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, 25 - keyboards, harmonica, vocals
Bill Kreutzmann, 24 - drums