Maggie Rogers, Sturgill Simpson & Leon Bridges Pay Tribute To The Grateful Dead With Covers Of “Ripple” & “Fire On The Mountain” At Kennedy Center Honors

According to stereogum.com, every year Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center throws gala to salute artists and musicians who have made important contributions to American culture. This year’s Kennedy Center Honors, the last of Joe Biden’s presidency, happened on December 8. Biden and Kamala Harris were on hand to celebrate the Grateful Dead and Bonnie Raitt, as well as Cuban-American jazz bandleader Arturo Sandoval and director Francis Ford Coppola.

The three surviving members of the Grateful Dead were all in attendance and according to Billboard, the late Phil Lesh’s grandson Graham performed with band that included Sturgill Simpson and Don Was. Simpson sang “Ripple,” while Maggie Rogers and Leon Bridges duetted on “Fire On The Mountain” and Dave Matthews performed “Sugaree” with Susan Tedeschi. All the singers came together for a show-closing version of Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.”