Donna Jean Godchaux certainly made her mark on the music world. From recording with Elvis Presley to touring with the Grateful Dead from 1972-1979, Godchaux’s story is one of great accomplishments. With all of that in mind, it’s no surprise that she was just inducted into the Alabama Music Hall Of Fame, joining Chuck Leavell, Johnny Sandlin, Wet Willie and the Muscle Shoals Horns for the honor.

In a new interview with AL.com,Godchaux speaks at length about her prolific career. They first discuss her work singing with the King himself, Elvis Presley. “It was one of the most amazing times of my life. I had gone to see “Love Me Tender” when I was either nine or 10 and everybody in the audience was screaming. But he was so kind to us and encouraging and complimentary, it was a wonderful time. He was a gentleman to the highest degree. And he looked great.” When asked, she elaborates. “I’m telling you, he was the most gorgeous human being I’ve ever seen, male or female – he was just unreal looking. Much better looking than any picture or any movie.”

The interview then moves to her time with the Grateful Dead:

“We loved doing the European tours. They were just wonderful and of course very exotic and totally different for us as far as the kind of venues we played and whatnot – we played a lot of really, really nice theaters that were built for music and that was a real treat because once the Grateful Dead got so big we were playing 50,000-seat stadiums and all of that. And stadiums are meant for sports not music. [Laughs.] And so it was always a challenge to sound good in those arenas.

The other thing that of course stands out are the three concerts we did in Egypt in front of the Great Pyramid. Those were really exciting, fulfilling deep times and we had a blast in Egypt. We just had so much fun. Not only were there the concerts we did and the venue was filled to capacity, we took a three-day trip down the Nile on a private boat and that was just one of the most glorious experiences of my life. It was amazing.”

She continues, discussing Jerry Garcia:

“He was perhaps the most intelligent person that I’ve ever been around and he was very conscious and he really taught me how to get out of myself and reach for something that is other than just what is your normal fare, daily living. He really taught me so much more than anyone ever. Not only about music but about life and it’s hard to even talk about, but the other thing that was so unique about Jerry was he was one of the most generous musicians I’ve ever been around. I sat for years and watched him be so kind and giving to other guitar players or just other people that would come and want to speak to him. He had that kind of big-hearted generosity that he freely gave to anybody and everybody. He was amazing. He’s one of the best humans that I’ve ever known.”

The full AL.com interview can be read here. Congrats to Donna!

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