EXCLUSIVE I’m told the Grateful Dead, or what’s left of them, has more to look forward to than getting a Kennedy Center honor this year.
The group will be honored, sources say, by the Grammy Awards’ Musicares as Persons of the Year on January 31, 2025.
The remaining living members include Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart. Jerry Garcia’s legend will be alive that night.
This means that a couple dozen artists will hike down to the LA Convention Center two nights before the Grammys and play Dead songs. One artist at the top of the list will be John Mayer. In August 2024, musician John Mayer acquired a 51% majority stake in Dead & Company. And who knows? Maybe former Person of the Year Bob Dylan will jump in as well.
I would guess another group on the Dead list would be Phish. And maybe Dave Matthews.
What I’d like to hear is some R&B singers try out Dead material. But please, not John Legend doing “Truckin’.”
The Dead are incredibly philanthropic, which meets the requirements of Person of the Year. Indeed, the Jerry Garcia Foundation gave grants last year totaling $178,237 according to its Form 990 tax return. The Dead are involved in five other 501c3 charities as well, all directed at social causes.
Musicares is a vital foundation taking care of musicians left without resources for health and living issues. They are particularly of assistance for recovery and rehab. Past recipients of Person of the Year include Aretha Franklin, Sting, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Geldof, Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy, Neil Diamond, Joni Mitchell, and so on.
Guests should prepare themselves for a long night as Dead songs are Loooong, and often turn into jam sessions. The caterers may want to hold back dessert until the very end as everyone will be very hungry after a night of pot smoke hanging in the air!
