Grateful Dead will be honored as the 2025 MusiCares Persons of the Year. They'll be the third band in history to receive the honor, following Fleetwood Mac in 2018 and Aerosmith in 2020.
The 34th annual Persons of the Year benefit gala will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Friday, January 31, 2025, two nights before the 67th annual Grammy Awards at Crypto.com Arena. Marking the band’s 60th anniversary in 2025, original members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bobby Weir will be recognized for their contributions to music, their philanthropic efforts, and their pioneering role in fostering communities through their concerts and activism. The event will also include posthumous tributes to Jerry Garcia, one of the band’s founders, who died in 1995 at age 53.
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Hart, Kreutzmann, Lesh, and Weir released an extended joint statement about the honor. “It’s simple: we all need music. It speaks to each of us, offering what we need to face what life presents—enhancing our joys, helping us spread them, and making our sorrows easier to bear," they said. "We can’t imagine a world without it. As our ol’ pal, Jerry, used to say, ‘You get some, you give some back,’ a tremendously effective way to share those benefits."
They continued: "While we can’t prove that the Muse—the force behind what we do—is working to build a support system for the show, over sixty years in music has taught us that it takes a lot of dedicated people to bring everything to life. Each person behind the scenes has honed their skills to meet the many needs of the show. Without them, it wouldn’t be what the Muse intends, and each of them is essential, pouring their hearts and spirits into it. We also want to recognize the community of Dead Heads for their unwavering support over the years—we wouldn’t be here without you."
They added: "We are deeply honored to be recognized as MusiCares Persons of the Year. This honor is truly a testament to the legacy of the music, which has always been bigger than us—it’s about the connection between us, the crew, and all those who’ve been on this long strange trip. It’s not just about what we create, but about making sure the people behind it, behind us every night, the ones who quietly make it all happen, get the support they need to keep going, no matter what life throws at them. We’re grateful to stand with MusiCares and hope everyone continues to support this vital mission to ensure music thrives in perpetuity.”
Formed in 1965, Grateful Dead is one of the most influential bands in American history, renowned for their distinctive blend of rock, folk, jazz, and avant-garde music. Despite never winning a single Grammy and only having one Top 40 song on the Billboard Hot 100, the group became one of the most legendary live acts in history.
In December, the month before the MusiCares honor, Grateful Dead will be included in the 47th class of the Kennedy Center Honorees, alongside Bonnie Raitt, Arturo Sandoval, and Francis Ford Coppola at an event at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. The band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, the year before Garcia died.
See the Grateful Dead's MusiCares announcement below.
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Article Image: Bob Weir and Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead perform at Terrapin Crossroads (Bmwmunk via DepositPhotos.)
