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Death Permeates Lifetime Grammy Awards |
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Sunday, 11 February 2007 |
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 Music greats such as Joan Baez, the Doors and the Grateful Dead won
lifetime Grammy achievement awards yesterday (Feb. 10), although many
of those honored did not live long enough to receive them.
"The thing about a lifetime achievement award is being
here. We made it and we're alive," said the Grateful Dead's Mickey
Hart, who stood with co-drummer Bill Kreutzmann to receive the honor on
behalf of the group. "I wish the rest of my brothers in the band could
be here," said Kreutzmann.
Jerry Garcia, the band's frontman and most famous member, died in 1995.
The Grateful Dead suffered several other deaths over the years.
Doors guitarist Robby Krieger was the sole member to
appear at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles, although family
members of late singer Jim Morrison were on hand. John Densmore, the
band's drummer, thanked the academy in a videotaped message, during
which he recited Morrison's "American Prayer" poem.
Krieger said Morrison would have been proud. "People
think he was anti-establishment, but in reality he wanted to be bigger
than the Beatles. He would be very honored," Krieger said.
Opera legend Maria Callas was also honored posthumously, while jazz
innovator Ornette Coleman, who received a standing ovation, mused about
the meaning of life and death for several minutes. "How do we kill
death since it kills everything?" said Coleman. "You don't have to die
to kill and you don't have to kill to die."
Booker T. & the MG's, who epitomized the Memphis
soul sound as the house band at Stax Records, also won the lifetime
achievement award. "I thank my family for keeping me alive all these
years. It's been a difficult thing to do," Booker T. Jones said. He and
other members made reference to bandmember Al Jackson, who died from a
gunshot in 1975.
Estelle Axton, who co-founded Stax, was also honored posthumously with a Trustees Award.
The bittersweet night wrapped up on a high note with
Joan Baez, a singing and guitar-playing icon of the anti-war movement
of the 1960s, who said she has been enjoying a resurgence due to
President Bush.
"President Bush is the best publicity agent I've ever
had," Baez said. "People always ask me to compare then versus now," she
said. "It's very much like a re-run but there is much different ... The
point is if artists are figuring out how to deal, I think they are
rising to the occasion."
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