Grateful Dead Set Guinness World Records® Title for Most Top 40 Albums on Billboard

Dave’s Picks Vol. 56 Marks 66th Top 40 Entry, More Than Any Act In History

Today, the Grateful Dead officially claim the Guinness World Records® title for the most Top 40 albums charted on the US Billboard 200. After previously making history with their 59th Top 40 entry in February 2024, severing a shortly-held tie with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, the group has since extended their own record to 66 Top 40 albums, up to and including the #25 debut of Dave’s Picks Vol. 56: Rainbow Theatre, London, England – 3/20/81 & 3/21/81 this past November. Arriving at the culmination of the band’s 60th Anniversary this year, the achievement further cements the Grateful Dead’s legacy as one of the world’s most treasured musical and social phenomenons – a tangible testament to the enduring connection between the Dead and their ever-growing, generation-spanning fandom. 

“This Guinness World Records title is something that no one could have anticipated 60 years ago when the Grateful Dead began, 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,” says David Lemieux, Grateful Dead legacy manager and archivist, and producer and curator of the long-running Dave’s Picks series.

“We’re excited to see the Grateful Dead reach another milestone with this Guinness World Records title. Rhino has been committed to preserving and honoring the Grateful Dead’s legacy through quality archival releases. What a wonderful way to close out their 60th anniversary celebrations,” shares Mark Pinkus, President of Rhino Records.

The newly-certified Guinness World Records® title marks the latest in a series of celebrations that have honored the Grateful Dead’s 60th Anniversary throughout 2025, following their commemorations in the 47th class of the Kennedy Center Honorees, as well as the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year during this past year’s GRAMMY® Awards. Earlier this fall, the band partnered with Pantone to create “Grateful Red” and “Stealie Blue,” immortalizing two colors that have been synonymous with the Dead and their iconography for the past six decades, while Rhino released the Grateful Dead’s first official greatest hits compilation, Gratest Hits, as well as a 60-CD collection, Enjoying The Ride, a 6LP/3CD collection, The Music Never Stopped, and more.