Help the Thompson Family

On Saturday May 10, Michigan’s premier Grateful Dead band reunited for a one-time only tribute to founding keyboardist Davey Thompson who passed away in January. Assembly Required (originally known as Assembly) officially got its start in December 1989 with assistance from the late Scott Pridgeon and other East Lansing friends who conjured the spirits at a special Rainforest Action Benefit at Rick’s American Cafe’. The experiment worked and the band performed for more than a year with Mr. Thompson on keyboards and inimitable vocals, playing gigs throughout all of Lower Michigan and Ohio in enough incarnations to warrant the new name. Assembly Required lit up clubs, fraternity houses, co-ops and campuses of Michigan State, University of Michigan, Western Michigan and Wayne State Universities for more than half a decade until 1995.

The May 10 reunion featured all surviving members of the band able to make it to Detroit (including drummer Kevin Shapiro who went on to become Phish‘s archivist), with all proceeds benefiting the children of David “Red” Thompson.

If you weren’t able to make it to the concert, donations can also be made directly to their children’s educational fund: Make checks payable to: “529 Advisor” (please add Thompson/Benson in the memo area of the checks).

Checks can be mailed to:
Thomas Lampert
Metlife c/o Thompson/Benson
2350 Green Road
Suite One
Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Or contributions and donations to be sent Darlene Thompson by May 24, 2008:

PO Box 335
New Hudson, MI 48165