The annual gala at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts features personalized tributes with performances and testimonials from fellow artists.

Simpson’s grown more acquainted with the Dead’s music in recent years, particularly as he joined some of the band for the Dead Ahead Festival in Mexico at the beginning of 2024. He told Uncut magazine that learning Jerry Garcia’s guitar playing gave him renewed inspiration.

Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt and Arturo Sandoval are among the recipients of the 47th annual Kennedy Center Honors. The ceremony will air Sunday, Dec. 22 on CBS and stream on Paramount+.

The event honored the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Arturo Sandoval, Francis Ford Coppola, and the Apollo Theater, and will air on CBS.

Those honored this year are Francis Ford Coppola, director and filmmaker; Grateful Dead rock band; Bonnie Raitt, singer, songwriter and guitarist; Arturo Sandoval, jazz trumpeter, pianist and composer;

Kennedy Center Honors celebrated the latest lineup of inductees, including Francis Ford Coppola, Bonnie Raitt and Grateful Dead bandmates Bobby Weir and Mickey Hart. The show featured appearances from Robert De Niro,

Francis Ford Coppola, the Grateful Dead, Bonnie Raitt, Arturo Sandoval and The Apollo will receive one of the arts’ highest honors on Sunday, Dec. 22.