Donna Jean Godchaux's Birth Card: The 4 of Clubs

In the record

Donna Jean Thatcher Godchaux-MacKay (August 22, 1947 – November 2, 2025) was an American singer best known as a member of the rock band the Grateful Dead from 1972 to 1979. The birth-card coordinate for August 22 is the 4 of Clubs — a calendar position, not a forecast of the 1994 Performers with The Grateful Dead induction.

Rock Hall record

• 1994 Performers — inducted member of The Grateful Dead

The 4 of Clubs coordinate

Donna Jean Godchaux's birthday maps to the 4 of Clubs (The Systematic Builder). Card Blueprints treats that as a 365-day coordinate: solar value = 55 − (2 × month + day), and the year is unused. It is not a prediction about a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame vote and not a verdict on Donna Jean Godchaux. The card's own language, quoted as system copy rather than biography: You put knowledge into an order other people can actually use.

Live 4 of Clubs meaning page

Donna Jean Godchaux in the public record

In addition to the Dead, she performed with the Jerry Garcia Band and the short-lived Heart of Gold Band, all alongside her first husband, Keith Godchaux. She formed the Donna Jean Godchaux Band in 2006. Donna Jean Thatcher was born in Florence, Alabama, on August 22, 1947. Prior to 1970, she had worked as a session singer in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, eventually singing with a group called Southern Comfort and appearing as a backup singer on at least two number one hit songs: "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge in 1966 and "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley in 1969. Her vocals were featured on other recordings by Boz Scaggs and Duane Allman, Cher, Joe Tex, Neil Diamond and many others. She then moved to California and met future fellow Grateful Dead member Keith Godchaux, whom she married in 1970. Donna introduced Keith to Jerry Garcia after Garcia's performance at San Francisco's Keystone Korner in September 1971. At the time, Donna was not working as a musician.

Summarised from the lead section of the Wikipedia article Donna Jean Godchaux (CC BY-SA 4.0). No biographical facts were written for this page beyond that article.

Where the record meets the 2 of Diamonds

A card is a calendar coordinate, not a cause. What follows sets one line of the card's own published language beside one sentence of the sourced record, paired by a documented rule. It is a resemblance offered for the reader to weigh — not a claim about Donna Jean Godchaux, and not a forecast of induction.

You name the exchange out loud and keep it fair for both sides. You understand value exchange and partnership in material terms. You're good at splitting bills, sharing assets, creating fair deals. Your mind works in reciprocity.

Prior to 1970, she had worked as a session singer in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, eventually singing with a group called Southern Comfort and appearing as a backup singer on at least two number one hit songs: "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge in 1966 and "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley in 1969.

Paired on shared wording: minds, worked.

Also on the record

1. She joined the band shortly afterwards, remaining a member until February 1979.
2. Donna provided backing and lead vocals in the group's music.
3. During their membership in the Grateful Dead, the couple also issued the mostly self-written Keith & Donna album in 1975 with Jerry Garcia as a Keith and Donna Band member and played several Bay Area gigs with Garcia sitting in.
4. From January 26, 1976 thru November 3, 1978 Keith and Donna played 146 nights as members of the Jerry Garcia Band along with John Kahn and fellow Elvis-alumnus Ron Tutt.

Other inductees with this card

• Ben Shepherd — 2025 Performers with Soundgarden
• Chris Layton — 2015 Performers with Stevie Ray Vaughan
• Chuck Berry — 1986 Performers
• Cliff Williams — 2003 Performers with AC/DC
• Colin Greenwood — 2019 Performers with Radiohead
• GZA — 2026 Performers with Wu-Tang Clan
• Garry Shider — 1997 Performers with Parliament-Funkadelic
• Gladys Knight — 1996 Performers with Gladys Knight & the Pips
• John Fogerty — 1993 Performers with Creedence Clearwater Revival
• Johnny Moore — 1988 Performers with The Drifters
• Laura Nyro — 2012 Performers
• Mick Jones — 2003 Performers with The Clash
• 1 more inductees share this card.

FAQ

What is Donna Jean Godchaux's birth card?

The 4 of Clubs. August 22 maps to that card through the public Card Blueprints formula. The year of birth is not used.

Does a birth card predict a Rock Hall induction?

No. These pages are coordinates, not fortune-telling. A birth card names a calendar day in a 52-card year. It does not forecast awards, character, or fate.

Where do Donna Jean Godchaux's dates come from?

Birth date 1947-08-22 is the day-precision date on Donna Jean Godchaux's Wikipedia infobox, verified against Wikidata P569 (CC0, day precision, Gregorian preferred). The two sources match. Inductee identity comes from the Wikipedia Performers list, which cites RockHall.com. Year-only dates and Wikipedia↔Wikidata conflicts are dropped, not guessed. Page hooks and evidence come from the Wikipedia REST summary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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