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To: The Kennedy Center and President Donald Trump
Kennedy Center Honors for The Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead were truly an All-American band. They created an entirely new genre of music. They were innovators in the fields of music production and presentation. Their work ethic was legendary, often playing over 100 shows per year. They were involved in many charitable causes and performed many benefit concerts. Most importantly, they have written and performed some of the greatest music ever made.
The Grateful Dead were pioneers in the production of music and sound. The first to use 16-track recordings in the studio. They were also one of the first (if not the first) to really reach out to their fans, sending out newsletters and unreleased recordings to their fans at no charge. They established a mail order ticket purchasing system that many groups still used. One of the first newsgroups created on the internet (before e-mail) concerned the Grateful Dead.
The Grateful Dead changed the way many live concerts were presented. Most groups did the same set night after night for their entire tour; if you saw them once, you saw them a hundred times. The Dead rarely played the same song 2 consecutive nights. While many of today's choreographed concerts are identical from one night to the next, many groups have followed the example of the Dead and give people variety and spontaneity that is often lacking in many shows.
Their work ethic was legendary. In their thirty year history, they played over 2000 shows. Jerry Garcia, with his side work included, has probably sold more tickets than any other musical figure in the 20th century.
Their impact on cover art for albums was also huge. Grateful Dead logos are everywhere, from "stealies" to dancing bears and skeletons. Rearding merchandising, you see Grateful Dead tee shirts and bumper stickers in almost any store.
The Grateful Dead supported their community and have done many concerts for various charitable organizations. Their sponsorship of the Lithuanian Basketball team in 1992 is a truly great story. The surviving members of the band continue to perform benefit concerts for the Rex Foundation and other charities.
Their music appeals to all generations that bother to take the time to listen to it. They have written some of the deepest, most powerful songs I have ever heard. They rarely performed standard rock songs about sex, drugs and rock & roll. The influence of their music on many of my generation is inestimable. Their music is still widely available to the public. Unlike most famous groups who carefully guard copies of live recordings, tapes of Dead shows are available for free at countless internet sites.
Jerry Garcia would have been 70 years old today, it would be a fitting tribute for the band to receive Kennedy Center Honors for their legendary careers.
The Grateful Dead were pioneers in the production of music and sound. The first to use 16-track recordings in the studio. They were also one of the first (if not the first) to really reach out to their fans, sending out newsletters and unreleased recordings to their fans at no charge. They established a mail order ticket purchasing system that many groups still used. One of the first newsgroups created on the internet (before e-mail) concerned the Grateful Dead.
The Grateful Dead changed the way many live concerts were presented. Most groups did the same set night after night for their entire tour; if you saw them once, you saw them a hundred times. The Dead rarely played the same song 2 consecutive nights. While many of today's choreographed concerts are identical from one night to the next, many groups have followed the example of the Dead and give people variety and spontaneity that is often lacking in many shows.
Their work ethic was legendary. In their thirty year history, they played over 2000 shows. Jerry Garcia, with his side work included, has probably sold more tickets than any other musical figure in the 20th century.
Their impact on cover art for albums was also huge. Grateful Dead logos are everywhere, from "stealies" to dancing bears and skeletons. Rearding merchandising, you see Grateful Dead tee shirts and bumper stickers in almost any store.
The Grateful Dead supported their community and have done many concerts for various charitable organizations. Their sponsorship of the Lithuanian Basketball team in 1992 is a truly great story. The surviving members of the band continue to perform benefit concerts for the Rex Foundation and other charities.
Their music appeals to all generations that bother to take the time to listen to it. They have written some of the deepest, most powerful songs I have ever heard. They rarely performed standard rock songs about sex, drugs and rock & roll. The influence of their music on many of my generation is inestimable. Their music is still widely available to the public. Unlike most famous groups who carefully guard copies of live recordings, tapes of Dead shows are available for free at countless internet sites.
Jerry Garcia would have been 70 years old today, it would be a fitting tribute for the band to receive Kennedy Center Honors for their legendary careers.
Why is this important?
The Grateful Dead are truly an All-American Band. They created an entirely new genre of music. They deserve to be honored for their contributions to music and American life.