The Grateful Dead were one of those bands whose members, both collectively and individually, had such a colossal love for music, in all its forms and styles, as well as an encyclopedic knowledge of its history. Michael Jackson and his life's work certainly are not excluded. While the Grateful Dead and Michael Jackson never toured together, and the Dead never covered Jackson's hits at their shows, the love and appreciation for him was still there.

All too familiar with the untimely death of many of his peers and fellow musicians (and especially bandmates), Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann tells Spinner, "I'm saddened that such a young, great talent left way before his time. All the love to you, Michael."

President Barack Obama had a secret and impromptu meeting with the Dead in advance of legendary jam band's performance at the nearby Verizon Center. The surviving members of the Grateful Dead -- who credit Obama for bringing them back together -- were welcomed into the Oval Office just before dinner Monday night.

"The president was so gracious," a source close to the Dead told the Washington Post. "Really, really nice and so welcoming. It hit you: you're in the Oval Office, but it was so normal." The band's entourage included counted the four surviving members of the Grateful Dead -- Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann -- plus keyboardist Jeff Chimenti (from Weir's Ratdog) and frontman Warren Haynes.

Featuring multiple stages, Bonnaroo-like interactivity and stronger greening initiatives (and on-site environmental activism) than any other North American camping festival, Rothbury returns to the Double JJ Ranch in a remote part of Michigan for a four-day Fourth of July celebration (July 2-5).

Much like Bonnaroo did during its first year, Rothbury's debut leaned heavily on jambands. This year, Rothbury is branching out to include myriad genres, including indie-rock, electronica and reggae. That said, this year's headliners are Bob Dylan and the Dead. Separately (Dylan toured with the Grateful Dead as his backing band in the late '80s, resulting in 1989's 'Dylan and the Dead' album). And if that interests you at all, then you'll be happy to note that the String Cheese Incident are reuniting at Rothbury for their only 2009 appearance.

The Grateful Dead will embark on their first concert tour in five years when they kicks off an arena tour on April 12. After months of fan speculation prompted by the band's performance last October at the 'Change Rocks' concert/rally for Barack Obama in State College, PA, the group -- consisting of original Dead members members Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart -- will start its nineteen date, month-long trek in Greensboro, North Carolina.

"We've got some unfinished business," guitarist/singer Weir said in a statement. "Everybody has a whole new bag of tricks; we have the body of material we worked up over the years and we have a mind meld going on here and it would be a sin to let that just wither and die."

Item: Jerry Garcia Limited-Edition Briefcase

Buy it Now: $400

Seller's Description: Make your favorite Dead Head / Jerry fan happy for the holidays with this super rare Jerry Garcia Briefcase! These are almost impossible to find! There were only 300 of these ever made and were given to the sales reps when the J. Garcia line of ties first came out! It's all leather except for the silk fabric designed by Jerry. There were only a few of the tie designs chosen to make the brief cases. This one is one of the coolest colors. It has combination locks which have never been set. The instructions and J. Garcia original tag are included inside the brief case. The last picture didn't turn out so well, but shows the gold plate which says that it's a J. Garcia limited edition # 26 / 300. Feel free to email me with any questions, and I will try to respond asap. Thanks for looking, and Good Luck!

Well, it's about time. A new biopic about Grateful Dead frontman Jerry Garcia is slated for the big screen. Focusing on the future counterculture hero's early years in the Bay Area before he joined the Grateful Dead, the untitled project will be based on Robert Greenfield's book, 'Dark Star.'

Producers have reportedly acquired the rights to Greenfield 's oral history of Garcia, which counts the perspectives of the musicians, relatives and artist friends like Ken Kesey. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the project will focus on Garcia's stint in the military, his life-changing car accident and his first interactions with members of the San Francisco music scene, including future Dead bassist Phil Lesh.

Although the Grateful Dead have been the subject of number of documentaries, including the Garcia-directed concert film 'The Grateful Dead Movie' (1977), the story of Garcia's life has yet to be explored on film.

Hippie-jazz icon and legendary keyboardist Merl Saunders passed away at San Francisco's Kaiser Hospital Friday morning from complications relating to his 2002 stroke.

Saunders rose to national prominence in the 1970s after recording and performing with Jerry Garcia in a number of that guitarist's Grateful Dead side-projects, including Legion of Mary and the Garcia/Saunders Band. Gaining a name for himself in the Deadhead scene, as well as maintaining his reputation as a jazz player, Saunders' long list of credits include collaborations and/or stints with Miles Davis, BB King, Bonnie Raitt, Frank Sinatra, Phish and of course, the Grateful Dead. In addition to his contribution to the Dead's 1971 self-titled album, Saunders worked with them in his role as musical director for the television series 'The Twilight Zone' in the 1980s.