The Grateful Dead and Bonnie Raitt are among the recipients of the 47th annual Kennedy Center Honors.
The Kennedy Center said that "a social and cultural phenomenon since 1965, the Grateful Dead’s music has never stopped being a true American original, while inspiring a fan culture like no other," and that Raitt has "made us love her again and again with her inimitable voice, slide guitar, and endless musical range encompassing blues, R&B, country rock, and folk."
The four living members of the Dead, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bobby Weir, issued a statement that said, "To be recognized alongside the artists who have in the past received this honor is beyond humbling. The Grateful Dead has always been about community, creativity, and exploration in music and presentation. We've always felt that the music we make embodies and imparts something beyond the notes and phrases being played—and that is something we are privileged to share with all who are drawn to what we do—so it also must be said that our music belongs as much to our fans, the Dead Heads, as it does to us. This honor, then, is as much theirs as ours."
Raitt issued her own statement that said, "I am deeply honored and thrilled to have been chosen to receive one of this year’s Kennedy Center Honors. I have long been an admirer of the Awards and have been so blessed to be able to participate in several shows honoring others. There is no higher level of esteem nor as delightful a celebration and I want to extend my sincere thanks to all who have chosen me to receive this honor. I look forward to the upcoming ceremony and festivities, which I know will be one of my life’s peak experiences.”
The Dead and Raitt will be honored in Washington, D.C. on December 8th alongside their fellow honorees, director and filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer Arturo Sandoval. New York's Apollo Theater will receive a special honors as an iconic American institution. The show will air on CBS December 23rd.
Meanwhile, Dead and Company are still playing the Sphere in Las Vegas August 1st-3rd and August 8th-10th.