The Grateful Dead will be honored as MusiCares' 2025 People of the Year, the Recording Academy announced Wednesday, 60 years after the groundbreaking jam band formed in 1965 and quickly became an avatar of the burgeoning counterculture based in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco.
The prestigious music industry accolade, which praises an act's philanthropy and cultural impact and comes with an all-star tribute concert that traditionally takes place two nights before the annual Grammy Awards, will go to the original members of the Dead Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann. , as well as the band's founding guitarist and primary songwriter, Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995. Next year's MusiCares gala is scheduled for Jan. 31 at the Los Angeles Convention Center; The concert schedule, of which Don Was will be musical director, will be announced later.
In a statement, MusiCares CEO Laura Segura said the Grateful Dead “built a community of fans and collaborators who embody the spirit of connection and support” and praised the band's “longstanding commitment to social causes,” including environmental conservation and musical education. The statement quoted the surviving members of the Dead as saying they were “deeply honored to be recognized as MusiCares People of the Year,” which they called “a testament to the legacy of music, which has always been bigger than us: it's about of the connection between us, the crew and all those who have been on this long and strange journey.
“It's not just about what we create, but making sure that the people behind this, behind us every night, the ones who silently make it all happen, get the support they need to keep going, no matter what lies ahead. life.” the musicians added.
Last February, Jon Bon Jovi received the MusiCares award at a gala that featured performances by Bruce Springsteen, Melissa Etheridge, Jason Isbell, Shania Twain, Jelly Roll and the War and Treaty, among others. Previous honorees include Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Bob Dylan and Barbra Streisand.
The Dead's recognition follows a successful 30-date residency at Dead & Company's Sphere in Las Vegas, in which Weir and Hart perform the Grateful Dead's repertoire with the help of pop hitmaker John Mayer. In an interview with The Times in June, Weir suggested the band could return to the state-of-the-art venue just off the Las Vegas Strip, calling the group's spectacular show there “a work in progress.”
