Ho w cool is this: Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will next feature a major Grateful Dead exhibit.
“Grateful Dead: The Long Strange Trip” will open April 12 and continue through the end of 2012. (I expect 4-20 to be especially crowded).
Individual sections within the two-floor exhibit will be devoted to the Dead as a touring band, Deadheads, tapers ,and the band’s recordings.. Handwritten lyrics, artifacts and musical instruments will also be featured, including five Jerry Garcia guitars (including Travis Bean TB5), two Bob Weir guitars, and Mickey Hart’s custom-painted drum kit.
Original lyrics for “Sugaree,” “Truckin’” and “Box of Rain,” among others, are also included, as well as Dead poster art.
The Associated Press reports the Mickey Hart Band will also play an April 11 concert in conjunction with the event.
“The Grateful Dead is a band that is identified with a remarkable era in American history, and inasmuch as they embody that era, their work is timeless,” said Jim Henke, the rock hall’s vice president of exhibits and curatorial affairs, in a press release.

So sad to read about the death of blues giant Etta James, who was in failing health in recent months. Which means she’s in heaven at last, right?

In case you missed it, “Wrecking Ball” is the title of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s next album. It’s due out March 6 and U.S. dates will be announced soon. The first single, “We Take Care of Our Own,” which has a “Born to Run” era feel, is streaming now; you can find it on YouTube and through a link at www.billboard.com.