Sturgill Simpson can do it all.
Country music star with countless genre-bending hits? Check. Succeed under the completely different name of “Johnny Blue Skies” that allows for an exploration into a different sound? Check. The ability to drop in and play with one of the most recognizable bands in the history of music? Check.
He’s simply one of the most versatile artists the music industry has ever seen, and maybe that’s why he’s never exactly fit in with the traditional mold of modern music. Sturgill is everything you want out a modern artist, but everything that modern music doesn’t want. It’s a weird juxtaposition, but that’s what makes the artist known both as Sturgill and Johnny Blue Skies so special.
I’ll tell you this much… if a band as iconic and revered as the Grateful Dead trusts someone to come in and not only help share their music, but give it a spirit of its own, they’re one of the best of business.
The surviving members of the Grateful Dead – Bobby Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, and Mickey Hart – were recently recognized at the 47th Annual Kennedy Center Honors for their work with a band that has existed in some form or fashion since the mid 1960’s. For reference, it’s the equivalent of if the surviving members of The Beatles were still touring together.
Though the official Grateful Dead band broke up shortly after frontman Jerry Garcia passed away in 1995, other versions of the band have kept the spirit of the Grateful Dead alive (confusing, I know). And the only two artists that the surviving members have trusted to step into long-term roles that honor Garcia – not replace – is John Mayer and Sturgill Simpson.
Mayer has historically played with the version of the band called Dead and Company, but Simpson has also subbed in a time or two. Sturgill is even set to play with the Dead Ahead rendition of the group at their upcoming “Dead Ahead Festival,” which will take place on the sandy beaches of Riviera Cancun, Mexico in early January.
So it made sense for Sturgill to play a song when the Grateful Dead was being honored at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The Kennedy Center honors is meant to celebrate lifetime artistic achievement, and though the Dead only ever scored one Top-40 hit in their lifetime (“Touch of Grey”), the jam-band is more than deserving to be honored with such an award based upon their cultural impact alone.
One of the most heartfelt songs from their catalogue is “Ripple,” and that’s the tune that Simpson – along with Grahame Lesh – decided to play on the band’s big night. The performance was recorded back on December 8th, and the special aired on December 22 on CBS. With that first verse sung by the late, great Jerry Garcia, Sturgill certainly had some big shoes to fill. But as you’ll see, he looked more than comfortable with the Grateful Dead classic.
Check it out:
