A Birth Surrounded by Music, Art, and Chaos
Courtney Michelle Harrison was born on July 9, 1964, in San Francisco — a city already pulsing with counterculture, jazz clubs, beat poets, psychedelic experimentation, and a new wave of artistic rebellion. Her entry into the world was not a quiet one; it came with the hum of cultural revolution in the air.
Her mother, Linda Carroll, was a bright young psychotherapist from a family with deep intellectual roots. Her father, Hank Harrison, was managing the Grateful Dead — one of the most influential psychedelic rock bands of the 20th century.
Even her name reflected this destiny. She was named after a character from a 1950s novel — a detail that now feels almost prophetic, because Courtney herself would become a character larger than life, someone whose existence blurred the lines between reality, myth, fame, and tragedy.
Her mother said Courtney showed early signs of imaginative genius: “Her imagination was fabulous — she was always making up plays and stories. She had an amazing creative energy.”
