Archbishop Kennedy – Just Once More
October 28, 2013Looking Back: First National Bank of Conshohocken
November 1, 2013Talkin’ Music with Jack – Woodstock
By Jack Coll
10-30-13
OK, we don’t need another article on Woodstock, we all know that three hundred thousand hippies attended the festival, no wait a minute, four hundred thousand, no that was five hundred thousand. We all know that Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Ten Years After all played the festival, bla, bla, bla, oh yea, there was rain, mud, and “the New York Thruway is closed man.” (The New York Thruway was never closed as Arlo Guthrie had announced)
Who was the first performer to take the stage, who was the first band to take the stage at the Woodstock Festival? Just how many performers took the stage during the four day event? What’s that, you say it was a three day event, no you would be wrong about that. Who was invited to perform at the festival and declined? The concert actually was held about forty five miles outside the town of Woodstock, do you know where the Woodstock Festival was held? The original name of the festival was what?
This music article isn’t about Woodstock, and what you know about the Woodstock festival, this article is all about what you don’t know about Woodstock. The “Woodstock Music & Art Fair” was held on Max Yasgur’s Dairy Farm in Bethel New York. The towns of Saugerties and Walkill declined to host the festival. Max rented one of his farm’s fields for the music festival for $50,000. Soon after the agreement Max began to receive threats and signs went up all over town to purchase no milk from Max’s farm, the town was not happy at the prospect of 150,000 hippies spending a weekend in Bethel. Yasgur later provided food, water and all his dairy products to help feed festival goers at no charge. Following the festival Max Yasgur was no longer welcomed at the town general store, and nearby towns refused to buy and sell his products. Max never regretted his decision to allow the concert on his farm, Max passed away on February 9, 1973 at age 53 from a heart attack, Rolling Stone Magazine gave him a full page obituary.
During the four day event, (Friday August 15, thru Monday August 18) thirty two acts performed in what was later called a pivotal moment in popular music history. The festival was organized by Michael Lang, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, and Artie Kornfeld. In April of 1969 one of the hottest bands in the country was Creedence Clearwater Revival and they were the first band to sign on for the concert agreeing to a $10,000 contract, once Creedence signed on, other big name groups followed. Creedence Clearwater Revival band members remain bitter to this day about the whole experience, their band was scheduled to appear at 3:00 a.m., they took the stage 12:30 a.m. on Saturday and played till 1:20, their portion of the festival was omitted from the movie Woodstock at lead singer John Forgerty’s insistence.
Forgerty noted in an interview following the festival that when his band took the stage it was early in the morning, and most of the concert goers were sound asleep. Looking out over the crowd he stated that the thousands of bodies that laid in the field were all tangled with each other with an arm over a leg and arms locked in with the sleeping person next to them, they all looked dead. And up on the hill, towards the back of the sleeping mass of bodies, more than a quarter of a mile away, was this one guy flicking a Bic lighter, and he held it high to the sky when we took the stage, I played our entire set for that one guy.
A Los-Angeles band called “Sweetwater” was on fire as an up and coming band, who toured with every major act on the scene in 1969, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, Cream, Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company, Frank Zappa, Chicago, Linda Ronstadt, Santana, Allman Brothers, Steve Miller, Chamber Brothers, Joe Cocker and dozens of other bands. Sweetwater also played every major network television show that was airing at the time including Bandstand. Sweetwater was scheduled to be the opening act at the Woodstock Festival, however the band was stopped by the police on their way to the festival and after the traffic stop like so many other people were stuck in traffic, forcing the promoters to look around as the crowd grew restless. Richie Havens was the only performer back stage and was forced to go on early.
Years later I had lunch with Richie Havens at the Philadelphia Folk Festival and I asked him about his Woodstock experience. Like most of the artists I’ve talked to over the years about the festival Richie claimed it was a great time, however when he was pushed onstage early, well, according to him that wasn’t really a great time, at that time. Richie claimed he had a twenty five minute set ready to go, so he took the stage as the very first performer because there were no other performers on the grounds at that time. Havens told me he played his set and started to walk off stage. As he approached the side of the stage a few people were telling him to get back out there, Richie said he was flattered they wanted him to do an on-core. So he proudly went back out and performed a couple of songs he hadn’t rehearsed and once again attempted to leave the stage, but once again they were yelling to me get back out there.
“They didn’t want me to do an on-core, they had nobody else to take the stage, it was a performer’s nightmare, every time I looked over to the side of the stage they were waving for me to keep playing, and eventually I ran out of songs,” noted Havens. Richie eventually started to play this old spiritual “Motherless Child,” and if you watch the movie the only time I lift my head was to see if I could end the song and get the hell off the stage, but I went on for three hours. (It was actually a little more than two hours)
Finally Sweetwater arrived at the festival ground and was the first band to take the stage; they did a forty minute set. The cool thing was when I was talking to Richie I wasn’t really interviewing him, we were just having lunch. I was sitting back stage having lunch in the performers/press tent at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, sitting at one of those eight foot long tables by myself enjoying some lunch. I heard this voice say would you mind some company, I looked up and it was Richie Havens, I said sure, and it was just me and him for more than 45 minutes. I always thought that was pretty cool. Other Woodstock performers I’ve met/photographed or attended a concert of theirs includes Melanie, her smash hit “Candles in the Rain,” was written about Woodstock, Arlo Guthrie, whom I talked to several times about Woodstock, he still maintains he doesn’t remember much about it, (he hints about being in an altered state of mind. John Sebastian, (Lovin’ Spoonful) who was not on the bill, but happened to be attending the festival, he was recruited to perform by the promoters because on Saturday afternoon they were waiting for many of the performers to arrive at the site. While I met Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane I never had a chance to discuss the festival, I met her at an art gallery opening in King of Prussia. I’ve seen Crosby Stills and Nash perform but never met any of the guys, Joe Cocker, Sha Na Na, David Clayton Thomas of Blood, Sweat and Tears, and I asked several members of the Band about Woodstock, Levon Helms claimed it was OK, Rick Danko however barley remembered it. I’ve seen Creedence Clearwater Rival, (without John Forgerty), and I’ve also seen John in concert, all I can say about that is WOW, what a voice, what a show.
So if the Sweetwater band was so hot in 1969, having played Woodstock, opened and played with every major band of the late 1960’s, gained more television time than most, why is it most of us never heard of them? The band Sweetwater were early promoters of the psychedelic rock/fusion style that later caught on with the Jefferson Airplane. Sweetwater spent a lot of time touring with The Doors and Eric Burdon and The Animals in 1968, helping them refine their sound. Like a lot of the bands of the late sixties a female was the lead singer and Nancy “Nansi” Nevins was that lead singer for Sweetwater, following in the footsteps of Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, and many others. In December 1969, less than four months after playing Woodstock, and having just finished an appearance on the Red Skelton Show, Nansi Nevins was in an automobile accident hit by a drunk driver. Nansi’s vocal cords were permanently damaged, and she experienced brain damage for a number of years following the accident.
Sweetwater reunited for Woodstock ’94, in 1994 with three original members of the band including Nansi, for anyone aware of the history of Nansi and the band it was a glorious moment, unfortunately, in in the rock and roll world of music, bands and performers have a very small window of time to capture their audience, and for Sweetwater that time had passed. In 1999 the bands story was depicted in a VH1 TV movie called Sweetwater: A True Rock Story. Amy Jo Johnson portrayed the young Nansi Nevins and Michelle Phillips, (of the Mama’s and Papa’s,) played an older Nansi.
Bob Dylan was asked to play Woodstock but he had signed on for the Isle of Wright Music Festival and was sailing on the Queen Elizabeth 2 on August 15, the day the Woodstock Festival began. The Beatles were invited to play but declined due to John Lennon being banned entry into the United States by then President Richard Nixon. The Doors were invited to play but declined at the last minute fearing Woodstock would be a disappointing venue, according to Doors guitarist Robby Kriegar, “we thought it might be a second class repeat like the Monterey Pop Festival,” claimed Kriegar, he also noted the band later regretted the decision.
In 1969, two of the hottest groups in the country declined an invitation to the festival, Tommy James and the Shondells were coming off a string of hits that included “Crimson and Clover,” “Sweet Cherry Wine,” and “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” As James tells it, “we were just coming off a two year long tour, we had just settled in Hawaii, I was literally sitting on the beach when my secretary called and said, ”Yea, listen, there’s this pig farmer in upstate New York that wants you to play in his field,” That’s how it was put to me. So we passed, and realized what we missed a couple of days later, we could have just kicked ourselves.”
The other hottest band in the country in 1969 was Chicago Transit Authority, I found this pretty interesting! Chicago initially signed on for an appearance. At the time Bill Graham had a contract with Chicago that allowed him to move concert dates around and Bill scheduled the group to appear at the Fillmore West, on August 17, leaving the band no way to get to the east coast for the Woodstock Festival. Graham managed the group Santana and moved Chicago to assure Santana a playing slot at Woodstock. Had Chicago Transit Authority played Woodstock, Graham’s group Santana would have been odd band out.
The Byrds were invited but chose not to attend, according to bassist John York when we were invited not all the bands were getting paid at that time. The Moody Blues were advertised on the original Woodstock poster as performers but backed out after being booked at a gig in Paris. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Arthur Lee and Love, Free, Spirit, and Lighthouse all declined to attend for one reason or another. Joni Mitchell was scheduled to attend but canceled due to a scheduled appearance on the Dick Cavett Show. Iron Butterfly was also scheduled to perform and was featured on an early poster, but the band was stuck at an airport.
Roy Rogers was asked by the promoters to attend to close the festival with “Happy Trails”, but Rogers declined.
A few other festival notes:
On Sunday morning August 17, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller called festival organizer John Roberts and told him he was thinking of sending in 10,000 New York State National Guard Troops to help keep the peace. Roberts successfully persuaded Rockefeller that Guardsman were not needed. This action took place due to Sullivan County declaring a state of emergency.
Personnel from nearby Stewart Air Force Base assisted in helping to ensure order and airlifting performers in and out of the concert venue with helicopters. During the four day festival two deaths were recorded, one from what seemed to be a heroin overdose, and the other death was caused by a farm tractor that ran over an attendee who was sleeping in a nearby hay field.
Two births were recorded during the festival, unfortunately one of the births occurred in a car that was stuck in traffic. (What a story that mother has to tell) The other birth took place in a nearby hospital after being airlifted by helicopter from the festival grounds. Sadly four miscarriages were recorded over the four day period.
Due to rain delays on Sunday August 17, Blood, Sweat & Tears took the stage just after 1:30 a.m. on Monday morning. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young went onstage at 3:00 a.m. and played for about an hour, both acoustic and electric sets. The Paul Butterfield Blues band followed and Sha Na Na took the stage at 7:30 a.m. Finally, the closing act Jimi Hendrix with Gypsy Sun & Rainbows hit the stage at 9:00 a.m., and played for a little more than two hours. Memorable moments came during the final hours of the festival.
Many of the attendees waited around to witness Jimi, but the estimated 400,000 attendees had dwindled down to about 30,000 people, if you took a worldwide poll as to who witnessed Jimi at Woodstock, oh about 65 million sixty something would all agree they were there. About an hour into the set for the skimpy crowd Hendrix went into that psychedelic rendition of the National Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.” Hendrix followed that with “Purple Haze” (remember Talkin Music a few weeks ago, “Scuse me, while I kiss this guy.”) One Woodstock web-site reminds us that image of Jimi wearing a blue-beaded white leather jacket with fringe and a red head scarf, has since been regarded as a defining moment of the 1960’s.
For those of us that have sat and watched the Woodstock movie, or listened to the album, it really was kind of exciting when Max Yasgur took the stage:
“I’m a farmer; I don’t know how to speak to twenty people at one time, let alone a crowd like this. But I think you people have proven something to the world—not only to the town of Bethel, or Sullivan County, or New York State; you’ve proven something to the world.”
After the concert, Max saw the event as a victory for peace and love. He spoke of how nearly half a million people filled with possibilities of disaster, riot, looting, and catastrophe spent the three days with music and peace on their minds. He stated that, “If we join them, we can turn those adversities that are the problems of America today into a hope for a brighter and more peaceful future.” Max was 49 years old at that time.
Pretty Interesting
In 1984 a plaque was placed at the original site commemorating the festival.
The Museum at Bethel Woods opened in June 2008. The museum contains film, interactive displays, text panels and artifacts that explore the unique experience of the Woodstock Festival.
Richie Havens passed away in 2013, shortly after he passed his ashes were scattered across the festival site.
Joni Mitchell penned the song “Woodstock,” after hearing about it.
Melanie penned the song “Candles In the Rain” referring to all the rain that fell at the festival, theorizing that if everyone held their lighters and matches and candles towards the sky, it would be enough to hold off the rain.
Answers to Last Week’s Trivia Questions
# 1 The song “Eve of Destruction” was performed by Barry McGuire.
# 2 In the Dion Song “Abraham, Martin, and John,” referring Lincoln, King, and Kennedy, the question was in his final verse he sings about Bobby Kennedy, Where did he think he saw him?
“Anybody here,
See my old friend Bobby,
Can you tell me where he’s gone,
I though I saw him walking up over a hill,
With Abraham, Martin, and John.
This Week’s Trivia Questions
# 1 At Woodstock 32 musical performances took the stage., How many songs did the 32 acts play?
A—between 200-225 songs
B—between 226-250 songs
C—between 251-275 songs
D—between 276-300 songs
# 2 Both Jimi Hendrix and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young played the second highest amount of songs with 16, who played the most songs with 24, the act took the stage at 5:00 A.M. on Saturday, and was briefly interrupted by Abbie Hoffman?
#3 Country Joe McDonald took the stage for five songs, in one of his songs Joe sings:
And it’s one, two, three,
What are we fighting for,
Don’t ask me I don’t give a damn,
Next stop is Where?
See ya next week
