Chapter 15
A Long, Strange Trip: Music in the 1960s
In This Chapter
Moving forward into a new decade
Exploring the sounds of America
Forming an Anglo-American music alliance
Singing for a cause
Becoming a roadie: The festivals
Emerging from 1950s rock ’n’ roll, folk music, jazz, and the blues, the British invasion and American rock icons (think Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison) took popular music to a new level. The ’60s also saw the emergence of soul and the Motown sound, as well as the music of revolution, songs that supported the civil rights movement and the antiwar protests. This chapter explores the various chords (and faces) that made up the ’60s music scene. (If you’d like to get a year-by-year glimpse of exactly which songs and artists were topping the charts, see Chapter 17.)
This Ain’t Your ’50s Rock ’n’ Roll
What is rock ’n’ roll? It depends on whom you talk to. Some people believe that it was an effort to “whitewash” what was essentially “black” music and clean up its sexual overtones. Other people think that rock ’n’ roll was a genre to market to teenagers, who were bored with their parents’ music, such as that of Mitch Miller. Early rock ’n’ roll was fairly tame compared to the music of the late ’60s. Its early stars were the likes of Little Richard, Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, and, of course, the King — Elvis Presley.
But rock ’n’ roll wasn’t the only music that dominated the charts as America turned the corner from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. Doo-wop, an upbeat vocal style featuring nonsense syllables (which gave the style its name), and a capella groups were popular in the late ’50s and early ’60s. Crooners such as Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett were also popular and remained so well into the ’70s and beyond (if only to those “over-30” folks).
Rhythm and Blues (R & B) and soul music were big sellers, but largely in the black community. However, unknown to many, soul music and R & B influenced not only Elvis, but even white-bread performers such as Pat Boone. The biggest influence of R & B and soul, however, was on the other side of the pond, with groups such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
The rockabilly stars of the previous decade (such as the Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley) were still popular in the ’60s, but a whole new generation was gradually taking over. However, the times definitely were changing — folk music and the surf sound were also finding their niche in the pop music scene. Before long, the British sound, Motown, and psychedelic rock would revolutionize the music scene until the late ’60s, and the rock ’n’ roll of the latter part of the decade bore almost no resemblance to the music of the ’50s.
The World before the Beatles
Contrary to popular belief, new sounds didn’t start with the Beatles. In the United States, innovative, uniquely American sounds such as surf music created a loyal following, and Motown brought distinctively black sounds to white America, while other musicians introduced a different kind of music by going back to the past and resurrecting folk songs.
Goin’ surfin’
Surf music was a little bit rockabilly yet was fast, casual, and evoked the sand, surf, sun, and tanned, long-legged, blonde California girls. The best-known surf group was the Beach Boys, who introduced vocals to the sound. Although surf music was at its peak during a short time and in a specific place, namely Southern California in the early ’60s, it had a huge influence on rock ’n’ roll by bringing the electric guitar to the forefront of popular music.
Although many other groups struggled to be heard during the years of the surf fad, only Jan and Dean achieved success with the sound, adapting it to the other California craze: hot cars (namely cruising and drag racing). By 1964, the Beach Boys got tired of surf and expanded their horizons, tackling more challenging themes than cars, the surf, and girls (see the “Watching through a purple haze: Psychedelic rock” section).
Getting down in Motown
Soul music was around way before the 1960s, but it wasn’t well known outside the black community except to jazz and blues aficionados. On January 12, 1959, Berry Gordy Jr. tore down the walls by starting his now immortal Motown label on a borrowed shoestring. Motown featured black performers with a distinctive sound made up of jazz, blues, soul, and a touch of gospel. Many of Motown’s most popular artists, such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Smokey Robinson, not only wrote their own music but wrote songs for other Motown artists as well.
During the ’60s, Motown was a huge presence on the charts with hits such as “ABC” by the Jackson 5, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by the Supremes (who sizzled onstage with their sexy gowns and fabulous hairstyles, as well as their singing style — see Figure 15-1), “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” by Marvin Gaye, “It’s the Same Old Song” by the Four Tops, and “My Girl” by the Temptations.
Saying it loud — with respect
Not all black music in the ’60s came through Motown. James Brown, otherwise known as the godfather of soul, was one of the moving forces in merging gospel and R & B into a new form: soul and funk. His music has, in turn, gone on to influence recent genres, including rap and hip-hop. He also used a unique performing style, with energetic movements and screams that punctuated his music. Perhaps his greatest contribution, however, was to promote black pride, with songs such as “Say It Loud (I’m Black and I’m Proud)” and “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I’ll Get It Myself).”
Not only did soul have a godfather, but it also had a first lady — Aretha Franklin. Her style isn’t like Brown’s, because her music is more influenced by gospel, the music she sang as a child. The black community widely celebrated “Lady Soul” not only for her powerful voice but also as a symbol of the increasing confidence and pride of African Americans — perhaps it was all about R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
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Figure 15-1: The Supremes in 1965 (from left to right, Florence Ballard, Diana Ross, and Mary Wilson). |
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©Bettmann/CORBIS
Although the Motown sound was popular among white audiences (at least partially, due to the active civil rights movement), it never left its roots. Motown was black, urban, poor, and troubled, but it was also sensuous, humorous, and elegant. Gordy was cautious about backing political or social causes that could affect Motown’s success, but at the same time, he allowed Motown music to express black views and concerns. However, political meaning was imposed on some songs, regardless of the lyrics’ intent. For example, although “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas was meant to be a party song, it was seen in some quarters as a call to take to the streets in political protest and was often associated with the Watts Riots of 1965 (see Chapter 7 for information about the Watts Riots).
Though Motown as an organization tried to stay away from some of the controversial issues of the ’60s, some of the individual artists associated with it rebelled. In 1970, Marvin Gaye wrote and performed songs that addressed issues such as the Vietnam War and racial tensions.
Reliving history with folk music
By the late 1950s, interest in folk music, usually older music that was mostly unwritten and played by ear, had increased. The music was appealing not only for its tunes but also because it was nostalgic, with lyrics describing what people felt was a simpler time. As does almost every other musical genre, folk music dealt with love (and lust) and loss, but it also sang of the pain of poverty and the toil of working in the mines, on the railroad, and on the chain gang. Most folk songs were played on acoustic guitar, with one or more singers.
The Kingston Trio was perhaps the leader of the folk revival, bringing to the table songs such as “Tom Dooley” and “MTA.” During those years, the group played in clubs and college campuses all over the country.
The trend took hold on the campuses and in large cities, places that were definitely ahead of the curve as far as adopting new trends was concerned. As interest grew, performers and music historians began researching folk tunes by going into rural areas and recording songs from both the United States and other nations. Musicians began performing these authentic folk tunes at clubs, coffeehouses, festivals, and concerts.
Popular folk groups during this era were the Chad Mitchell Trio and Peter, Paul, and Mary. Solo performers such as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez (check out Dylan and Baez in Figure 15-2), Odetta, Harry Belafonte, Phil Ochs, Pete Seeger, and Arlo Guthrie were also popular during this period. As the music became more popular, amateur musicians began to play folk tunes, and well-known performers began to write and perform their own music. The popularity of folk music extended beyond the United States; Mariam Makeba, the famed South African singer, appeared in the United States with many American artists. We talk about some of these artists later in this chapter, in the section “Singing with the Revolution.”
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Figure 15-2: Bob Dylan and Joan Baez in 1965. |
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©Topham/The Image Works
Hootin’ and hollerin’ at a Hootenanny
When folk singers performed, their concerts were often hootenannies, where the repertoire was at least partially impromptu, and the audience usually joined in. Here’s the story behind that strange term: A young cowboy star, Hoot Gibson, and his wife, Annie, used to throw some great parties. These parties often turned into jam sessions that went on forever, and everyone wanted to be there. When anyone asked, “Where’s the party?” the answer was, “At Hoot ’n’ Annie’s.”
In 1963, TV decided to cash in on the folk music craze and bring Hootenannies to the small screen with a show called (would you believe) Hootenanny. The show was taped on college campuses and featured popular folk acts, such as Theodore Bikel and the Irish group the Clancy Brothers. However, considering that many of the folk singers were also political activists, it was only a matter of time before Hootenanny had some issues of its own. Reacting to the pressures of McCarthyism (see Chapter 11), the show, in a display of anti-Communism, blacklisted Pete Seeger, which caused the most popular folk singers, including Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul, and Mary; and the Kingston Trio to boycott the show.
Hootenanny couldn’t avoid all controversy, however. The Chad Mitchell Trio sang several protest songs, including “John Birch Society” (see Chapter 13 to find out more about the John Birch Society), which had been banned from many radio stations. The show also presented prime time’s first interracial group, the Tarriers.
In the early 1960s, Harry Belafonte popularized calypso, Afro-Caribbean music that originated in the West Indies, into his own folk music niche, which caught on with the public. His songs “Jamaica Farewell” and the “Banana Boat Song (Day-O!)” were chart-toppers. However, social causes were as important to him as his music. Belafonte was (and still remains) active on behalf of civil rights and economic equality. Over the years he has fought against social injustices, from nuclear proliferation and the Vietnam War to opposition to the war in Iraq.
Although the folk revival had followers all over the country, some of the most popular venues were the Berkeley Folk Festival in California and the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island. Folk musicians often performed in clubs, such as Gerde’s Folk City, the Gaslight, and the Bitter End in New York’s Greenwich Village (an area with many little clubs where aspiring entertainers worked for little or no money, hoping to be discovered).
The British Invasion
The Ed Sullivan Show was a popular, long-running variety show (called “a really big shew” for Sullivan’s accent) that featured singers, musicians, actors, dancers, comedians, circus acts, plate spinners, and acrobats. Mostly, the show was pretty tame stuff, but beginning with Elvis, Sullivan started booking rock ’n’ roll acts as well.
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Figure 15-3: The Beatles and Ed Sullivan the day before the Beatles made their U.S. debut. |
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©Bettmann/CORBIS
Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles
In the beginning, the Beatles were famous for their boyish antics and lighthearted, playful tunes, such as, “Help!”, “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (teenage girls not only wanted to hold their hands, but bought tons of their records), and “A Hard Day’s Night.” The Beatles took their zany, humorous style into the movies, too, and, if possible, became even more popular with their foray onto the silver screen with A Hard Day’s Night. The four lads from Liverpool also won the female adulation that in earlier years had gone to Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.
The Beatles were so popular that they almost single-handedly overshadowed almost all the existing rock ’n’ roll groups — only the Beach Boys, the Four Seasons, and the Motown sound held their own against them. At one point, they had the top five records on Billboard’s Hot 100 list.
The American Invasion
The fertilization of American rock by the British was part of a movement across the pond that actually went both ways. The Beatles and other British rock groups were influenced by American rock ’n’ roll, R & B, jazz, and the blues. In fact, the Brits were probably more influenced by black American music than American musicians were.
The Beatles’ new sound influenced almost every pop and rock group after them. American musicians imitated English accents and adopted foppish costumes and longer hair. Beatles imitators arose almost overnight, with groups such as the Knickerbockers, Beau Brummels, the Buckinghams, Sir Douglas Quintet, and the Turtles. Even those musicians who didn’t directly imitate the Beatles adapted their musical styles. Bob Dylan started performing with an electric guitar, and when the Byrds recorded “Mr. Tambourine Man,” they incorporated a touch of the British sound in their folk music.
But the Beatles didn’t meet with widespread adulation everywhere. In those early years, they were criticized by the older generation for their long hair and the different nature of their music. Toward the end of the decade, however, with their musical innovations, nontraditional clothing, long hair, and experimentation with drugs, which was reflected in their songs (see Chapter 14 for more information about the ’60s counterculture), adults ironically longed for the mop-topped Fab Four of 1964.
By 1967, the Beatles began experimenting with drugs, and their music became more psychedelic and revolutionary. Getting by “With a Little Help from My Friends” was very obviously “getting high with a little help from my friends,” and it didn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out the acronym for the famous “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.” Both of these suggestive songs found their place on the landmark Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, along with other hits such as “When I’m Sixty-Four” and, of course, the album’s title track. That same year, Sergeant Pepper became the anthem for the Summer of Love (see the “Flower power in Monterey” section, later in this chapter, and Chapter 14 for more information about that summer of celebration).
The Beatles also became interested in Indian mysticism, and in 1968 they spent time in Rishikesh, India, at the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s retreat to study transcendental meditation. Gradually, they became disillusioned, concerned that the Maharishi was using them to promote himself, so they returned home.
Even before the trip to India, George Harrison was interested in Indian sounds and instruments. In 1965, he used an Indian sitar on “Norwegian Wood,” and he continued collaborating with Ravi Shankar on songs such as “Within You, Without You” (1967) and “The Inner Light” (1968). The other Beatles also had their unique styles, and devoted fans could often figure out who wrote what. John Lennon’s songs owed a lot to rockabilly and folk tunes until he became fascinated with psychedelic music. Paul McCartney was known for the group’s romantic ballads, such as “Yesterday.” Ringo, the endearing clown prince of the Beatles, didn’t write.
Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last. By the time they recorded The Beatles (more commonly known as the White Album) in 1968, the band members had already started going their separate ways, and some of the songs on that album were recorded individually. By 1970, the band had split. Some said that Lennon’s marriage to Yoko Ono was the straw that broke the camel’s back and finished the breakup that had already begun.
Even after they split up, the Beatles countinued influencing popular music and appealing to audiences, and their music remains forever current. Today their music is classic in more ways than one — some symphony orchestras even tune up their guitars during their summer pops seasons.
Like the Rolling Stones
In the wake of Beatlemania, other British bands headed to the United States. The Animals, the Yardbirds, the Who, and the Kinks were some of the edgier groups who took advantage of America’s passion for British rock, but the most popular band was the Rolling Stones (called “the Stones” for short). They didn’t adopt the Beatles’ initial cute, clean-cut image and were the first band to wear whatever they wanted onstage, from T-shirts and jeans to flashy mod costumes (see Chapter 16 to find out all about the mods). Hairstyles were wilder, too, and these changes were definitely shocking to audiences that were used to impeccable, classically turned out musical groups. Figure 15-4 shows the Stones in action.
Although the Stones’ first albums (three appeared in January 1964 — The Rolling Stones, 12 x 5, and England’s Newest Hit Makers ) featured remakes of classic R & B tunes, lead guitar player Keith Richards and lead singer Mick Jagger soon began writing their own songs, but even these tracks were heavily influenced by the American blues.
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Figure 15-4: The Rolling Stones in a London park, 1967. |
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©Topham/The Image Works
The Rolling Stones remained hugely popular through the 1970s and into the new millenium. They’re still on the concert circuit, and many music critics, as well as the public, take great pleasure in looking at pictures of the Stones of the 1960s who are now in their 60s, wrinkles and all. In an ironic twist, the Stones, like many performers of their generation, have become a marketing and money-making machine. They cemented their ties to “the establishment” when their song “Start Me Up” was, for a while, a theme song for Microsoft.
The other ’60s music
Even rock music went mainstream and appealed to the under-13 and over-30 sets. Well-known but more mainstream artists from the 1960s were singers Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand, groups such as Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, and the music of Bert Bacharach. Also, the Rat Pack crowd, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin, remained popular, as did Elvis Presley, through all his ups and downs.
However, even the more traditional singers became caught up in the changes of the ’60s. Bobby Darin was a nightclub performer, whose lifelong ambition was to be bigger than Frank Sinatra. Although he never quite achieved that acclaim, he was extremely successful, but in the late ’60s, personal crises, as well as the assassination of Bobby Kennedy, made him reevaluate his life. He took a year off and came back to produce two folk-rock protest albums.
Singing with the Revolution
Most people think of 1960s revolutionary music being about the Vietnam War, and to a large extent, they’re right. But the music also reflected some of the huge social changes that were taking place. In the beginning of the decade, songs such as “We Shall Overcome” became symbolic of the civil rights struggle. A lot of music took on the themes of social justice, and yet other groups, such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones (see the preceding section) celebrated the wild, exuberant youth culture, characterized by unconventional clothing, lots of sex, and drug experimentation.
Watching through a purple haze: Psychedelic rock
Making music (or even listening to it, for that matter) while stoned or on an LSD trip (see Chapter 14 to find out about how the ’60s went psychedelic) resulted in a whole different kind of music — psychedelic (or acid ) rock, which featured melodies that interpreted the musicians’ drug-induced visions. American psychedelic music was created and popularized on the West Coast in the mid-’60s with bands such as the Grateful Dead (see the “And the music never stopped” sidebar), Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and the Doors (see the “Living large and dying young” sidebar). In England, beginning with the Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album, the Beatles were at the forefront of psychedelic music, but the Who, Pink Floyd, and Cream (featuring Eric Clapton) also recorded psychedelic hits.
The influence of psychedelic rock, though, extended far beyond those most closely associated with the sound. By the mid-’60s, the Beach Boys got tired of the surf sound (see the section “Goin’ surfin’”), and their music became more psychedelic and experimental. After Brian Wilson stopped touring with the group, he wrote and recorded the music for the 1966 album Pet Sounds. The songs feature vocal harmonies as well as unusual instruments (such as harpsichords) and sound effects (from barking dogs to rattling soda cans). Although not a top seller, Pet Sounds influenced other musicians, such as the Beatles on their Sergeant Pepper album. The psychedelic movement even inspired Motown — the Temptations and the Supremes tried psychedelic music before deciding that they were more successful with their own sound.
Marching to the music: Rock protests
Political protest music actually began with the musicians and singers of the folk revival and the early days of folk rock, including Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. Other politically active folk musicians were Joan Baez, Buffy St. Marie, Tom Paxton, Paul Simon, and Tom Lehrer. Protest music had many different faces — from anger to sorrow to outright ridicule. However, protest music didn’t start with the Vietnam War — many of the early protest songs were folk songs dealing with the plight of workers, and though Pete Seeger’s “Where Have all the Flowers Gone?” was written during the ’50s, it remained relevant through the Vietnam War era.
People all over the world have called Bob Dylan a poet and a sermonizer, and many of his early songs, such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” talk about the changes that many young people wanted in their society — peace and justice. One of the most popular singers of the era was Joan Baez, who was a staunch supporter of the free speech movement and antiwar protests at Berkeley (see Chapter 11). To this day, Baez uses her talent to support issues such as migrant workers’ rights. Another woman who wrote and performed politically active material was Buffy St. Marie, who brought American Indian issues (see Chapter 13) into her repertoire.
And the music never stopped
The Grateful Dead, who formed in 1965, wrote and performed unique music that was a potpourri of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, country, jazz, and a liberal dose of psychedelia. Their lead guitarist (and de facto leader) was Jerry Garcia. Although they recorded albums, they were best known as a touring band — during the 1960s, the Dead played just about every rock concert and festival.
Even into the 1990s, the band had a devoted group of fans, called Dead Heads, who were the band’s camp followers. They had reason for such devotion — the Dead not only allowed but also encouraged fans to tape (and share) their shows — as long as it wasn’t for profit. After Garcia’s death in 1995, the remaining members formally decided to retire the name “Grateful Dead,” although they continued touring under various names. In 2003, they renamed themselves “the Dead.”
Living large and dying young
One of the more tragic aspects of the music scene in the 1960s was the drug culture. Instead of occasionally smoking pot, like many of their fans, three of the most influential and innovative musicians of the decade burned the candle at both ends, ruined their careers, and ultimately paid with their lives.
Jimi Hendrix was a wildly creative (and just plain wild) musician and performer, who managed to coax highly original sounds from his electric guitar. Hendrix definitely cultivated his rebellious image, which made him hugely popular but also brought a lot of criticism. Critics considered him lewd and indecent — however, one of his most famous antics was neither — he often broke or burned his guitar on stage, and one of these relics was recently sold at an auction. However, his conduct offstage is what led to his ultimate downfall — drinking and drugs led to erratic performances, arrests, and, ultimately, his death in 1970 of an overdose of sleeping pills.
Jim Morrison of the Doors (named for the Aldous Huxley book The Doors of Perception) wrote socially and politically conscious lyrics to go with the group’s distinctive sound. Their music, as well as their performances, was provocative and rebellious. Morrison wanted people to start thinking when they heard the Doors’ music. He said, “I like any reaction I can get with my music. Just anything to get people to think. I mean if you can get a whole room full of drunk, stoned people to actually wake up and think, you’re doing something.” Before appearing on live TV, ABC insisted that they change the line “Girl, we couldn’t get much higher” to “Girl, we couldn’t get much better” in their hit song “Light My Fire,” but onstage, Morrison sang the original line instead. In concert, Morrison often was outrageous and unrestrained — once, he allegedly exposed himself and was charged with both a felony (which he beat) and a misdemeanour (which he didn’t). Although he used drugs regularly, Morrison didn’t die of an overdose (as far as anyone knows). He died mysteriously in Paris in 1971, and some fans actually believe that he faked his death to get out of the spotlight.
Janis Joplin was one of a kind — she didn’t quite fit into any particular genre. As a member of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later a solo artist, she was definitely a free spirit, singing with complete abandon. Rarely seen on stage without her bottle of Southern Comfort, Janis sang tunes that were based on folk songs as well as beatnik poems, but she was most memorable for singing about the pain of life and love in her powerful, gravelly voice. Unfortunately, like many other musicians of the ’60s, she got caught up in drugs, and in 1970, died from a heroin overdose at age 27.
These innovative performers have definitely influenced the way music is heard and staged today. The concerts that feature wild antics, creative costuming (which sometimes features little or no clothing), outspoken lyrics, and elaborate staging have emerged from the likes of these three icons, who broke guitars on stage, performed nude, and cried, wailed, and cursed at their audiences.
The Vietnam War brought about many songs protesting the war. The “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die-Rag” by Country Joe and the Fish expressed the way many people felt about going to Vietnam, as did “Fortunate Son,” made famous by Creedence Clearwater Revival. At Woodstock, Richie Havens made his feelings known by singing “Handsome Johnny,” a song about generations of Americans going off to war.
One song that brought many of the themes of the ’60s together was “Alice’s Restaurant” by Arlo Guthrie. The long song is really a story about a man who gets arrested for littering. When he shows up at his draft board with ratty clothes and long hair after smoking a joint or two, he’s rejected; because of his littering conviction, he’s not considered morally fit to go and kill people. The song manages to talk about all the things that were important to young people of the ’60s and poke fun at the bureaucratic establishment.
The Weird Al of the ’60s
Tom Lehrer was a musician whose music tackled some of the issues of the day with a satirical bite and a sense of the ridiculous. Even his titles convey his zany approach to war, racism, education, and life in general, with songs such as “World War III Rag,” “Pollution,” “Vatican Rag,” “National Brotherhood Week,” “Poisoning the Pigeons in the Park,” “New Math,” and “Masochism Tango.” After Lehrer retired from music, his songs remained popular for a long time on shows such as radio’s Dr. Demento.
Coming Together and Falling Apart: The Music Festivals
In the early years of the decade, the largest music festivals were the Newport Jazz and Folk festivals in Rhode Island. Began in 1959, the Newport Festival served as one of the largest venues for both new and established folk artists (see the section on folk music for some information about Bob Dylan at Newport). In the late 1960s, the Newport Folk Festival had a hard time getting an audience as many people had drifted toward rock musicians, who had taken over the protest music. (However, the festival weathered the changing times and continues today as one of the major folk festivals in the United States.) In the late 1960s rock was king, and several huge festivals celebrated not only the new music but also the socially liberated lifestyles of the times.
Flower power at Monterey
In June 1967, the First Annual Monterey International Pop Music Festival (subtitled “An Aquarian Exposition”) inaugurated the famous Summer of Love. Flower power was at its peak, and more than 200,000 young people met at the county fairgrounds in Monterey, California, for a three-day celebration of music, peace, and love. (Check out Chapter 14 for more on flower power.)
The music was phenomenal. Most performers appeared for free. Some of the most popular groups took the stage, including the Mamas and the Papas, Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Who, Country Joe and the Fish, Otis Redding, Lou Rawls, the Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, Ravi Shankar, and the Grateful Dead.
Money from the festival funded the Monterey Pop Foundation, which helps community-based causes such as the Haight Ashbury Free Clinic (see Chapter 14).
The big one: Woodstock
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Figure 15-5: Lounging at Woodstock with a half million of your closest friends. |
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©Henry Diltz/CORBIS
Just putting on the concert was a feat. It took about nine months to organize it, including getting the musicians, finding and preparing the site, and working with city politicians. Most residents of Bethel, who were either farmers or played host to families escaping New York City for the summer, weren’t terribly enthusiastic about the coming event. Not only were they concerned about the crowds and the traffic, but they also had concerns about the type of people who would be coming in for three days of rock ’n’ roll. They’d seen more than enough of the longhaired, strangely dressed hippies on TV and preferred that the shady characters stayed away.
But the hippies came — and came. They walked and they rode, arriving on everything from horses to motorcycles, cars, vans, and school busses. Traffic was far worse than people had anticipated — cars were lined up for miles to get into the concert venue, and eventually, the New York State thruway leading to Bethel was closed. Some residents felt that an army of freaks was invading their town. However, they were resigned to the fact that they’d have to deal with the situation and felt that it would be okay as long as the visitors behaved themselves. By the time the festival was in full swing, its population made Bethel the second largest city in New York. Amazingly, there were no police and no trouble.
Even the promoters were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers. Because of the massive crowd and the fact that the promoters had problems with their ticket booths, sometime during the first day, they announced that admission was free. At the end of the festival, the facilitators said that they took a financial bath but that the event wasn’t about the money. It was beautiful — you couldn’t buy the experience for anything. They realized what was really important: People can live together peacefully without fear.
Much of Woodstock was about the music. Looking back, many people think it was all about protest music and psychedelic rock (and to a large extent, it was). But with a diversity of musicians including Richie Havens; Joan Baez; the Who; the Grateful Dead; Sha-Na-Na; Joe Cocker; Country Joe and the Fish; Arlo Guthrie; Crosby, Stills, and Nash; Santana; Sly and the Family Stone; Jefferson Airplane; Janis Joplin; and Jimi Hendrix (to name just a few), the air was filled with everything from folk to traditional rock ’n’ roll to country to Latin rhythms and, of course, protest songs and psychedelic rock.
Why did this music communicate so well with young people? Because it was about what was going on at the time and it affected their lives — many of them were of draft age and actively protested the Vietnam War, and most were experimenting with new lifestyles, such as communal living, free love, and recreational drugs. One of the more memorable musical moments at Woodstock was Jimi Hendrix’s long, acid, atonal version of the “Star Spangled Banner.” He created effects on his guitar that simulated the horrors of war — machine guns, bombs, and screams. The rendition was highly debated — some people hailed it as symbolic of the unrest in the United States, and others reviled it as anti-American mockery. Figure 15-6 shows Hendrix at Woodstock, perhaps at the moment when he was singing the U.S. national anthem.
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Figure 15-6: Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock. |
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©Henry Diltz/CORBIS
Amazingly, the ambiance of those three days almost eclipsed the music. The festival was plagued with problems, but somehow they were all overcome. Because the roads were blocked, many of the artists had to be flown in (and the helicopter noise made it difficult to hear some of the music). Toilets, food, shelter, and medical supplies were scarce, but pot was never in short supply, so everyone stayed mellow. A spirit of sharing and caring was in their midst. Even the U.S. Army pitched in, airlifting food and medical supplies. Despite the antiwar feelings of most of the partipants, they recognized and appreciated the help. “They’re with us, not against us” was the common sentiment.
And then it rained. As the organizers scurried to cover up the equipment and urged people away from the towers, the fields turned to mud. Fortunately, the weather was warm — many people took the occasion to get naked. They took shelter together in tents, under plastic, and in sleeping bags. Until the music came back on, people made their own music and danced and played in the mud. Woodstock was about people getting together peacefully to create a great experience. Participants felt it was a beginning and looked at it as an example of how the new generation could pull together and live in a new way. Even some of the residents agreed.
Years later , promoters tried to capitalize on the festival’s fame by staging a Woodstock 1999, but it was nothing like the original, put on solely for commercial gain and lacking the spirit of the ’60s. If you want to experience the real Woodstock for yourself, check out the film Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music.
A day of violence and music: Altamont
After Woodstock, people wanted the feeling to continue, and the Altamont concert was born. The concert was going to be free and was originally supposed to take place in San Francisco. However, organizers quickly realized that the crowd would be too large for the city, so they moved the concert to an auto racetrack in Altamont, California. It was a good thing they did — they expected about 100,000 people, but almost 300,000 showed up.
The Rolling Stones were the headliners and sponsors of the one-day event on December 6, 1969, which also featured Santana; the Grateful Dead; Jefferson Airplane; and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Everyone hoped for the peace and love of Woodstock, yet the Stones, upon the advice of the Grateful Dead, hired the Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang for security. The Stones certainly didn’t intend to promote violence — the English branch of the Angels was quite tame compared to their American counterparts.
Throughout the day, several incidences of violence occurred, which were fueled by the Angels’ overreaction to even the most minor incidents. However, the worst tragedy occurred during the Rolling Stones’ set when Meredith Hunter, an 18-year-old black man, was attacked and killed when Hell’s Angels found that he was carrying a gun. Several times, Mick Jagger begged the crowd to quiet down, stay calm, and stop fighting, but each time he started a song, violence began again. Three others died (of other causes) at the Altamont concert, and four babies were born.