For 50 years the Grateful Dead sold out music festivals, concert halls, stadiums and great lawns with an iconic signature of music that has reached arguably more people, in a more impactful way than any other band in history. While many may not have listened to the band or even know the songs, they have invariably seen the Grateful Dead iconography and have heard the name. Formed by Jerry Garcia and friends in 1965 the group embodied the spiritual counterculture of the 1960’s, as part of the Merry Pranksters and ultimately becoming a cultural movement in their own right. In 2015 local entrepreneur and producer Dennie Humphrey and partner, fellow “deadhead” Ashley Angel produced the very first GrateVille Dead Tribute in honor of Jerry Garcia and the Grateful Dead on Garcia’s birthday. Including talents like Tyrone Cotton, Screamin’ John, Hot Iron Skillet, Phiasco and the Louisville Merry Pranksters, the event was an unexpected success, drawing a huge crowd of over 2,000 people to the Brown Forman Amphitheater in Louisville’s scenic Waterfront Park despite a very small advertising campaign and only 30 days of planning In 2016, 2017 and 2018 the gang returned for more smash success at the Brown Foreman Amphitheater drawing even larger crowds for fun, sun and classic tunes, with expanded lineups and bigger bands.