Sturgill Simpson has honoured the Grateful Dead with a touching ‘Ripple’ cover – watch it below.
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Earlier this month (December 8), Grateful Dead were among the honourees in President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris‘ final Kennedy Center Honors hosting. Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart and Bob Weir were in attendance at the ceremony, while bassist and co-founding member Phil Lesh, who died in October at age 84, was represented by his son Grahame. Former frontman Jerry Garcia, who died in 1995, was represented by daughter Trixie Garcia.
During the ceremony, Sturgill Simpson performed a cover of the band’s ‘Ripple’, though footage of the performance hadn’t been shared until this past weekend (December 22), when the ceremony was broadcast to public.
Watch a snippet of Sturgill Simpson’s ‘Ripple’ cover below.
Elsewhere during the ceremony, President Biden said of the band: “In the San Francisco Bay at an inflexion point in history, the Grateful Dead have long since transcended 1960s counterculture.”
“Technical virtuosos fiercely dedicated to their craft, they fused decades and dozens of musical styles to create a whole new American sound. Experimental, innovative and brave,” Biden continued.
Biden went on to say: “Look, there’s still a lot of Deadheads around,” before pointing at himself, and adding: “No two performances even the same, but their spirit and joy is enduring. Tonight we honour Bobby, Bill and Mickey.”
In other news, Dead & Company recently announced a 2025 residency at the Las Vegas venue, the Sphere.
The band – who are made up of Grateful Dead‘s Bob Weir and Mickey Hart alongside John Mayer, Oteil Burbridge, Jeff Chimenti and Jay Lane – return to a venue after a wildly successful residency this year, which saw them perform in front of the Sphere’s 240-foot screens from May to July 2024.
Elsewhere, Kreutzmann revealed in November that there were plans for a 60th-anniversary reunion that would have included Lesh, prior to his death. “I was hoping that we could play with him again one more time,” he said. “So that, that was my sadness… ’cause I know he wanted to play with us again too.”
“We were kickin’ it around,” Dead & Company member Bob Weir added. “In fact, we were gonna, we were gonna get together and, and kick some songs around tomorrow.”