grass lake music festival 1969

The bands played. Harvey (The Snake) Mandel - guitar. Yes.I say little richard closed Sunday night.standing on his piano!!!!! when I heard airplane was there I knew I had to go. We chatted for an hour, what a friendly and knowledgeable guy he was, made my trip. Consequently, music enthusiasts from all over the United States, and from numerous foreign countries, poured into Lewisville to pay the admission fee of $6.50 a day. It was the 1st or 2nd year they also had rock and blues artists. Music 5K Vendors Contact TRAFFIC JAM'IN 2022 JULY 8 & 9. My girlfriend/future wife and our best friends went and they told me all about the festival. It was fabulous music! A tragedy that it wasnt filmed or recorded. It became a legendary event largely owing to the participation of Bob Dylan who had spent the previous three years in semi-retirement following a motorcycle accident. It was fortunate that the fence that had been erected to keep the crowd from the field was torn down by the crowd on Friday night. After asking around and auditioning musicians, Kantner and Balin . Photo from Duane Blalock. So, kind of like the Laura Nyro scenario at Monterey, right?? Some of the same bands CCR and Procol Harum stood out for me but there were so many great performances. Hey Jeff,I was definitely there and have lots of photos in which I was looking for Iron Butterfly, but could not find. I didnt know about a lot of these that summer. I thought it was 4 songs and as a Canadian who already loved her music, tI was heratbroken. I stood for 3 days! The festivals 1969 program was an experiment in fusing jazz, soul and rock music and audiences. [4], The admission price for the three-day event was $15.00,[4] and entry tokens in the style of poker chips were sold to avoid the counterfeiting of paper tickets. Your e-mail address will not be published. the jonie story is true! (my hearing is still excellent)Chris Hillman was there with McGuinn 2 original members. https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/texas-international-pop-festival-1969. Little Richard captured the crowd. [8] Rod Stewart enjoyed his Friday night performance so much that he stayed to watch Alvin Lee perform with Ten Years After the following night.[8]. Despite a poor sound system, a lack of food, water, and restrooms, and brutal security by the Hells Angels, it was deemed a resounding success by the attendees and musicians. Aug. 9, 2019. I specifically remember Credence Clearwater and Jefferson Airplane. Then people booed. Please contact the event . I remember being on the track when Jefferson Airplane was moving their equipment and also that Inagadadevita that just kept going. Related: Listings for 100s of upcoming classic rock festivals. I was never aware of this festival prior to this article. I dont remember who most of the bands were except for a few that I had followed because I thought they were important such as Richie Havens and Frank Zappa. With a combination of shifting wind and re-thrown canisters, tear gas suddenly swept over the crowd. Inviting attendees into an EDM wonderland of neon decor and walkabout . Still have my peace pin purchased at the festival for $5. Just the right sized crowd, and needless to say the music was over the top !!!! Unfortunately, the event does not go as planned and several scheduled acts, including The Byrds and The Youngbloods, do not perform. The Festival will officially begin Friday June 6 and Saturday June 7, 1969 with three daytime concerts and two evening concerts all in the Overton Park Shell, culminating with the W.C. According to the rumors, this Woodstock thing was going to be really something surely Dylan would be there because he and The Band lived up there and all of these other bands some people were sure that the Beatles would be getting back together for it and no one would have been surprised if Jesus returned for this event that we all knew would be some big party.. The Chambers Brothers and Janis Joplin were amazing beyond words. A Festival organized by Grass Lake Heritage Day Festival. I miss those times, I do. I also took some silent footage but I have no idea what happened to it. Miles definitely did not play Atlantic City. I was there with a few friends. I dont remember a whole lot of details about that weekend, except not getting a lot of sleep and having the climb the chainlink fence to get ineven though Id bought tickets, theyd been stolen. Attendance at the festival remains unknown, but is estimated between 120,000 and 150,000. Having Little Richard close was perfect, bringing rock back to its roots. [9] The festival took place at the time of the 25th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and peace groups publicized an anti-nuclear weapons message during the event. The Who, 10 Years After, the Airplane, CCR, Joplin, Sly & Family Stone, Chambers Bros, who got an enormous dance line, 100s of people coursing through the stands. No regrets, Just memories, fond memories. add topic- . me 15 him 16. As there was no camping allowed, festival attendees arrived and departed each day. 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The poster reads: The Memphis Sesquicentennial Inc. in conjunction with The Memphis Country Blues Society proudly presents The Fourth Annual Memphis Country Blues Festival and First Annual W.C. I left Memphis and hitchhiked back to New Jersey where I picked up a few things from my parents home and headed to Greenwich Village and then to the Newport Jazz Festival. The community was outraged, and determined that this sort of debacle wouldnt happen again. Wavy Gravy was there in his WW2 pilot helmet or whatever it was, guiding a car backwards trying to help them and backed them into the pond. I was at Atlantic City and saw Janis set. He came out wearing white and played the Star Spangled Banner. Then after the concert was over there was a massive traffic jam. Listen on Spotify: Playlist inc. That was it other than many hours of amazing classic music. They also tried to breach the gates and security fences. ROCK ON!!!!!!!! The Grass Roots is an American pop and rock band that began as the studio based brainchild of songwriting duo P.F. The lead guitarists name is Wayne Ceballos. Nov 20, 2019 Steve Palace. Favorite acts include Janis Joplin, Airplane, CCR, Santana, Joe Cocker and Booker T. & The MGs (who were supposed to be at Woodstock, but drummer Al,Jackson, Jr. refused to get on the helicopter), I also was there and Lother and the Hand People did indeed play, Was there & was excited to See Lothar play,also Aum did a nice set also. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. Great Society Hot Tuna 1965 Airplane Pre-History Marty Balin, an aspiring folk singer, forms a 'folk-rock' group with his friend Paul Kantner. Held at the University of Oregons Hayward Field on July 26, 1969. Summer of Soul (.Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised): Directed by Questlove. The grassy area was called the greens, and as tailored as they were, the ACR people let us camp there two nights in a row, Bless them. Anybody with memories of the Miami Pop Festival? Id love to see those AC pictures. A band from Michigan, Grand Funk Railroad, was allowed to perform only after the members agreed to play free and pay their own expenses. He relented and we saw JA in their prime. The Mothers were powerful! Im guessing the poster is yours, too, Jeff? Gave me one of the bags which must have weighed a few pounds. And yes, musically historic! Remember he jumped off stage and landed on his back Needles to say our reserved tickets were useless; I recall reading about it later and the authorities didnt know what to make of it. I was still in high school coming from Virginia, so this was a long time ago. This the 8mm film that w. I remember AUM rocking the crowd (never heard of them before or after only 3 guys) and seeing their lead guitarist jumping into the crowd in front of the stage. Atlantic City, emceed by singer-songwriter Biff Rose, also hosted several quirky acts that never journeyed north two weekends later: a still somewhat unknown Dr. John in his guise as the Night Tripper; the avant-garde Lothar and the Hand People. And Joni Mitchell didnt write a song about it even if she did play at AC Pop (briefly; see below), unlike Woodstock. I was 17, then. Masters of ceremonies were Teegarden & Van Winkle, who also performed. No one mentioned Miles Davis. Also other data will not be shared with third person. The Festival was at a drag strip outside of West Palm Beach. We called it Tranquility Base as the festival was 12 days after Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. Remember walking in bare feet over lfields of broken glass and watching Airplane on the b&w video monitors in the racetrack clubhouse. she wasnt booed off stage; she was ignored off stage because people couldnt hear her acoustic set (solo piano/vocals)i was very close to the stage when she went on and i could hardly hear her myselfunfortunately for her, she was scheduled during a part of the day with a lot of very loud bands and her sound just got lost. I was hardly able to breathe and in awe of his earth shattering guitar version It was as if he turned music upside down by opening a new door. (after the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Marysville, WA cancelled). It is true that it took place on August 15, 16 and 17, 1969, and on August 18, because the music continued until that Monday morning, which actually turned the three-day festival into a four-day festival. Founded by. I've done a separate blog entries for each one and festival title is a link you can find out more them. Yes, I remember Aum being pretty great too. Bob the bear Hite and Canned Heat always a great band live! All three bands came out on stage and jammed. It was an awesome weekend. Before I left somebody gave me a pill, said it was synthetic mescaline, the only street pill Ive ever taken. The festival proved very popular, selling out all 30,000 tickets in the first week, surprising both the townsfolk and the promoters. The promoters created a "carnival-like" atmosphere that featured booths catering to "flower-children." . I dropped out of college that year. Between 1966 and 1975 they had a series of major hits, most notably "Let's Live for Today", "Midnight . Okay! in Grass Lake, MI. Can anyone else remember any other bands that played on Sunday. Marie Krolikowski. We hitched a ride with a chicken farmer to the race track. It was the embodiment of the free spirit of the 1960s. King, and Led Zeppelin. The festival attracted approximately 150,000. Second was Woodstock,which ended 53 years ago today. I hitchhiked up from the Baltimore area and it must have been on Saturday as I remember Credence performing as well as the Jefferson Airplane sound and light show. A friend who was going to make the 500-mile drive from Ontario cancelled so went alone in my 63 Corvair Monza, arrived sometime Saturday morning. We were sitting in gridlock not movin. Hazel Nerysoo is one of the . Unfortunately, Iron Butterfly were not the greatest musicians (the only song they could play was Inna-Gada-Da-Vida). It could be almost as rare as the Altamont poster. When the festival was first being put together,Led Zeppelin was still gaining momentum. King got like 5 encores. The 3 days were awsome beyond words. Jeff has also served on the Nominating Committee of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and as a consultant to the Grammys. As a matter of fact, the festival is so obscured in history that there remains some doubt as to who actually did and didnt perform. [2] Many Canadian rock fans were turned back at border crossings and were unable to attend. Lighthouse playing Chest Fever sent me to the moon. I told my Mum I wanted to go to Woodstock 2 weeks later, and she saidNo more LSD festivals for you!! And all I can find is an AP article in The Daily Chronicle from Monday 2 June 1969 whose headline reads: Hippies Take To the Hills. When they broke into Time Has Come Today, I nearly lost mind. Big mistake asking her to follow them. Chris Gray, The Forgotten Festival: The 1969 Texas International Pop Festival, Houston Press (http://www.houstonpress.com/2009-09-03/music/the-forgotten-festival/), accessed November 27, 2011. Before they pulled away, one said over the loud speaker, You look groovy and gave us the peace sign. Zappa, Creedence and Buckley did though. This epic festival is looked on fondly by an entire generation and became a legend of US counter-culture. Billy Mack & The Juke Joint Johnnies. Is it a 5K run & 5K walk? Slept at the race track. Well I remember this wild weekend very well. Attended by some 100,000+ people. Green Lake Township, MI. I went on Saturday and saw Butterfield, BB, the Byrds and get thisBooker T. & the MGs. Exactly what happened I remember it well, True, age was heckled and booed to tears everyone wanted to hear rock&roll, Not sure what you mean by age was heckled.. I dont remember Winter but Ill take your word for it. Anyone remember that? Maybe somebody else reminded me of him. Had no idea what was going on until the back door opened and there stood two NJ State Troopers. The festival lost money, but was generally considered a success by those who attended. I loved Dr. John (the Night Tripper) singing Mannish Boy and being in awe of Janis Joplin in her hot pink outfit! As others have noted, there was camping there and it was a colorful scene. I met Todd Rundgren in the crowd ! After The Doors played, Led Zeppelincame on. Got No Shoes, Got No Blues, a video of some of the musical acts at the festival, was also available, as well as reproductions of festival posters and programs. [4] The festival was known for widespread, openly visible drug sales[4] and public nudity. About Janis performance, Rolling Stone in her obit not much more than a year later called it one of her finest performances. I remember Carlos saying that as well, but I think they were actually billed as the Santa Ana Blues Band! Long live the 60s! The New York City Parks Department and Maxwell House co-sponsored the series. . One thing for sure is that it all ended on the evening of Sunday, August 3, 1969, with Janis Joplin joining Little Richard onstage for a memorably rockin finale. Always a great band live, the event does not go as planned and several scheduled acts, the... 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