New York - John Dawson, a founding member of the country- rock band The New Riders of the Purple Sage, died this week at age 64, reports said Friday.

A family friend told The New York Times that Dawson died Tuesday of stomach cancer.

Dawson, also known as Marmaduke, was involved in spinning off the band from the Grateful Dead in 1969. The Detroit native was the group's lead singer, guitarist and in the beginning chief song writer.

The group released about a dozen albums through the 1980s, including the gold record The Adventures of Panama Red.

After the dissolution of New Riders in 1982, Dawson continued to play with a different group using the old name until his retirement in 1997. He did not participate in a 2005-
06 revival tour because of declining health.(dpa)