Kennedy Center | Francis Ford Coppola and The Grateful Dead Honored

(Washington) An iconoclastic movie legend and one of the world’s most enduring musical groups are among this year’s Kennedy Center honorees.

Director Francis Ford Coppola and the Grateful Dead will be honored for their lifetime achievements, along with jazz trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, blues legend Bonnie Raitt and the iconic Harlem theater The Apollo, which launched generations of black artists.

This 47^e Kennedy Center honorees will be honored with an evening of tributes, testimonials and performances on December 8 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. The ceremony will be broadcast on CBS on December 23.

Beginning as a folk quintet in psychedelic-era San Francisco in the 1960s, the Grateful Dead gradually transformed into a cultural phenomenon and one of the most successful touring bands of all time.

Lead guitarist and founding member Jerry Garcia died in 1995, but the band continues to tour almost non-stop under several incarnations.

For his part, the 85-year-old Coppola has established himself as a pioneering filmmaker, winning five Oscars and building a reputation as a driven artist willing to risk his reputation and finances for his vision. Even after the film’s enormous success The Godfather and a sequel, Coppola found himself on the verge of bankruptcy during the filming of Apocalypse Nowwhich turned out to be another classic.

Sometimes he wondered if he had offended too many powerful minds along the way to one day receiving induction into the Kennedy Center.

“I’ve been eligible for 20 years, so never having received it made me feel like maybe I’ll never receive it,” he said, who helped induct fellow director Martin Scorsese in 2007.

“I just assumed I wasn’t going to win it, so finding out I was chosen was a surprise and a pleasure.”

Coppola, who has been making wine at his Northern California vineyard for more than 40 years, also made sure to recognize another Northern California recipient this year.

“And it’s a great pleasure to be here this year with the Grateful Dead, my colleagues from San Francisco,” he said.

Arturo Sandoval, 74, made a name for himself as a musician in his native Cuba, playing piano and percussion but specializing in trumpet. His work brought him into contact with jazz legend Dizzy Gillespie, who championed his music and personally helped him leave Cuba on a tour of Europe in 1990. Shortly after his defection, Sandoval performed at his mentor Gillespie’s induction into the Kennedy Center.

“I modestly think I deserve it. I’ve worked so hard for so many years,” Sandoval told The Associated Press.

“It’s a huge honor and I feel completely overwhelmed. I have to pinch myself sometimes. I’m just a small farmer from Cuba. God has been so good to me.”

Bonnie Raitt’s memories of the Kennedy Center date back to the 1970s, when she accompanied her father, Broadway performer John Raitt, as he performed in a tribute to composer Richard Rogers.

“I got to tour the White House and spend time with the Carters,” the 74-year-old said. “I got my first taste of what this weekend really means.”

As an adult performer, Raitt has experienced the other side of the stage for the Kennedy Center: performing in tributes to Mavis Staples in 2016 and Buddy Guy in 2012. These performances are often kept secret from the honorees themselves, and Raitt says she’s looking forward to seeing who will be there for her tribute.

It’s extremely rare for the Kennedy Center to select a venue over an artist. But the Apollo’s nine decades as an incubator for generations of black talent have made it an exception.

“It’s definitely not a traditional honoree,” said Michelle Ebanks, the theater’s president and CEO, citing the show’s recent induction Sesame Street as a similar and original selection.

“We are absolutely delighted with this honor.”

Harlem theater has served as a proving ground for black artists from Billie Holiday, James Brown and Stevie Wonder to modern artists like Lauryn Hill.