WSP Bassist Dave Schools Shares Heartfelt Message To George Porter Jr. On Lifetime Achievement Award

Today, Widespread Panic bassist Dave Schools shared a heartfelt video message to legendary Meters bassist George Porter Jr. via his Instagram congratulating Porter on receiving his Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Last night, The Meters, along with Queen, Neil Diamond, Tina Turner, Emmylou Harris, Louis Jordan, and famed “Wrecking Crew” studio drummer Hal Blaine, received their awards at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre during the Grammy Salute To Music Legends, a live award ceremony and show honoring the recipients of this year’s Grammy Special Merit Awards.

George Porter Jr. has seen an outpouring of love over the last week, with younger musicians honoring the bassist who has taught and influenced their careers in so many ways. Drummer extraordinaire, Adam Deitch (Lettuce, Break Science), penned an impassioned editorial on Porter and fellow Meters co-founder Zigaboo Modeliste‘s current project, Foundation of Funk. Watch Dave Schools’ thoughts below:

Here’s a little video I was asked to make to help celebrate the GOAT @georgeporterjr for his lifetime achievement Grammy® ❤❤#wordsfromtheheart #georgematters #funkymeters #themeterswillfunkyoutodeath #istoleitallfromhim

A post shared by Dave Schools (@david_a_schools) on Jul 15, 2018 at 7:00am PDT

[Video: via @david_a_schools]

As Dave Schools says in the video clip,

“Hey George, congratulations. It’s a monumental achievement for you and your cohorts, and I just want to say from the bottom of my heart that I have stolen almost everything I do from you. But, I think it goes beyond influences and styles. You are a foundation of American music and I couldn’t be more proud for you on this day. More importantly, you’ve been a great friend to me for a long time. I can’t tell you how important that is for a young musician. You are a sweet man, I’m proud of you – George Matters, much love.”

You can catch George Porter Jr. in a variety of different supergroup lineups and collaborative outfits at Brooklyn Comes Alive in Brooklyn, NY, set to take place on September 29th at Brooklyn Bowl, Music Hall of Williamsburg, and Rough Trade. For more information, or to purchase your tickets now, head here.