The Kennedy Center has released official footage of Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Dave Matthews and others paying musical tribute to the Grateful Dead at this year’s Kennedy Center Honors show in Washington D.C.
The trio were joined onstage by American singer-songwriters Leon Bridges and Maggie Rogers for a cover of Buddy Holly’s Not Fade Away, a song long associated with the Grateful Dead, who played it over 600 times throughout their career. Country star Sturgill Simpson also paid tribute to the Dead, performing Ripple, which originally appeared on 1970’s American Beauty album.
The Kennedy Center Honors are awarded each year to “artists who have made an indelible mark on the cultural landscape of America.” In addition to the Grateful Dead, the Class of 2024 included singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt, film director Francis Ford Coppola, jazz trumpeter, composer and pianist Arturo Sandoval, and the Apollo Theater in Harlem, New York.
Paying tribute to Raitt, Brandi Carlile performed I Can’t Make You Love Me (from Raitt’s Luck of the Draw album in 1991) accompanied by Sheryl Crow on piano, while Emmylou Harris and Dave Matthews covered John Prine’s Angel From Montgomery, which appeared on Raitt’s Streetlights album in 1974.
Those who gave speeches honouring the Grateful Dead included talk show host David Letterman, actors Miles Teller and Chloë Sevigny, and outgoing US president Joe Biden, who described the band as “technical virtuosos fiercely dedicated to their craft” who “fused decades and dozens of musical styles to create a whole new American sound. Experimental, innovative and brave.”
US residents can watch the entire show via a free trial with Paramount+.
