Foreword 6Introduction 8

Timeline to Woodstock 10The Counterculture 14Festivals 28The Woodstock Scene 34The Organization 36The Team 38The Site 40The Buzz 52The Build 56Getting There 62

Day One 68Richie Havens 70Swami Satchidananda 76Sweetwater 78Bert Sommer 82Tim Hardin 84Ravi Shankar 86Melanie 90Arlo Guthrie 92Joan Baez 94

Day Two 114Quill 116Country Joe McDonald 118John Sebastian 120The Keef Hartley Band 122Santana 126The Incredible String Band 130

Canned Heat 134Mountain 140Grateful Dead 142Creedence Clearwater Revival 146Janis Joplin 148Sly & the Family Stone 158

Day Three 164The Who 166Jefferson Airplane 172Joe Cocker & the Gease Band 178Ten Years After 190Country Joe & the Fish 192The Band 194Johnny Winter 198Blood, Sweat & Tears 200Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 202Paul Butterfield Blues Band 212Sha Na Na 214Jimi Hendrix 216

Aftermath 234Post-Woodstock Timeline 236Media 238Festivals Following 246The Movie 252The Legacy 260

Where Are They Now? 272Discography 276Bibliography 280Index 284

CONTENTS

“Parked cars jammed roadways inall directions for up to 20 miles,and thousands of festival-goers,

weary after long walks to get here,had to spend the night sleeping on

the rain-soaked ground. They awoketo find food and water shortages.”

Barnard L.Collier, New York Times, August 17, 1969

Foreword 6Introduction 8

Timeline to Woodstock 10The Counterculture 14Festivals 28The Woodstock Scene 34The Organization 36The Team 38The Site 40The Buzz 52The Build 56Getting There 62

Day One 68Richie Havens 70Swami Satchidananda 76Sweetwater 78Bert Sommer 82Tim Hardin 84Ravi Shankar 86Melanie 90Arlo Guthrie 92Joan Baez 94

Day Two 114Quill 116Country Joe McDonald 118John Sebastian 120The Keef Hartley Band 122Santana 126The Incredible String Band 130

Canned Heat 134Mountain 140Grateful Dead 142Creedence Clearwater Revival 146Janis Joplin 148Sly & the Family Stone 158

Day Three 164The Who 166Jefferson Airplane 172Joe Cocker & the Gease Band 178Ten Years After 190Country Joe & the Fish 192The Band 194Johnny Winter 198Blood, Sweat & Tears 200Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 202Paul Butterfield Blues Band 212Sha Na Na 214Jimi Hendrix 216

Aftermath 234Post-Woodstock Timeline 236Media 238Festivals Following 246The Movie 252The Legacy 260

Where Are They Now? 272Discography 276Bibliography 280Index 284

CONTENTS

“Parked cars jammed roadways inall directions for up to 20 miles,and thousands of festival-goers,

weary after long walks to get here,had to spend the night sleeping on

the rain-soaked ground. They awoketo find food and water shortages.”

Barnard L.Collier, New York Times, August 17, 1969

introduction

Throughout the story of popular musicthere have been a handful of key events—Elvis’s recording debut, the arrival of TheBeatles in America, Dylan going electric—that are recognized as seminal moments,both cultural markers and catalysts inrock’s tumultuous development. And thishas never been more the case than withthe Woodstock festival. It is acknowledgedas the defining moment of the rock-drivencounterculture of the late 1960s, whenhalf a million fans descended on a smallfarm in upstate New York for what waspromised to be “3 days of peace & music.”It wasn’t the first large-scale gathering of its kind. Open-air music festivals hadincreasingly become features of the “flower-power” era of the late 1960s, sincethe template was established at the Monterey Pop Festival in the summer of1967. Huge audiences, approaching a hundred thousand or more, had attendedtwo festivals in Miami in 1968 and a similar marathon in Atlanta, Georgia, inJuly 1969 just a few weeks before Woodstock. All featured the key performersin cutting-edge rock and pop, attracted a predominantly young, white, middle-class audience, and were also demonstrative of a youth-led counterculturethat challenged the lifestyle and values of mainstream American society.

It was a society increasingly fragmented over changing attitudes to civil rights,sexual liberation, drug use, and—most significantly for the younger generation—the escalating war in Vietnam. Opposition to that conflict was a great unifier forthe throngs who made Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel their destination in mid-August 1969. Yet many were no doubt drawn together just as much by themusic, the opportunity for free expression, and the allure of an instant youthcommunity. Word soon spread that this would be the greatest gathering yet of the“alternative society”—the “Woodstock Nation” as it was dubbed in retrospect.

But it was due to the changing circumstances of the festival itself thatWoodstock was unique. Even before the first artist performed, the logjam of

vehicles along all routes leading to the site had made it almost impossible forany of the acts to arrive on time, precipitating a domino-effect of delays thatsaw the Friday-to-Sunday event ending on Monday morning. Those who didget there on the first day were greeted by an audience area filled with camperswho had arrived days before, with fencing and ticket booths still being erected.Chaos threatened as the promoters hastily decided to abandon commercialconsiderations in favor of the advertised “peace.” They declared it a freefestival—and the very nature of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair begantransforming before their eyes.

By the second day, heavy rainstorms had reduced the fields to a mudbath,and it was impossible for the audience (and to a lesser degree, performers) tomake their exit easily out of the area, and more were still on their way. The hugenumbers involved—more than three times the 150,000 anticipated were eitherat, or trying to get to, the festival—all provisions of food and drink, sanitaryarrangements, and medical aid were rendered completely inadequate. As theauthorities declared it a disaster area and the eyes of the nation (and the rest ofthe world) focused on a potential catastrophe, the “spirit of Woodstock”suddenly became apparent. A human drama unfolded in which a tangiblefeeling of mutual support and communion transcended all the problems.

The music—a mix of rock ’n’ roll, folk, and even classical Indian—freedomof personal expression, a relaxed attitude regarding sex and drugs, and anger atthe Vietnam conflict united the gathered tribe. Eyewitness accounts, from fansand musicians, local residents, and law officers, all speak of the fellowship betweentotal strangers, the atmosphere of sharing, the lack of violence or aggravation,the sheer communality of the occasion—enacted against a backdrop of live musicfrom some of the greatest performers of the era. In most cases the singersand musicians rose to the challenge, despite the far-from-perfect conditions.There were some landmark moments, including Richie Havens’s rousing“Freedom” in the festival opener, a then-unknown Melanie alone on thenighttime stage as thousands of lighters glowed in the darkness, CountryJoe’s antiwar “Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” the eleven-minute epic “I’m Going Home”from Ten Years After, and Jimi Hendrix’s show-stopping version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The musical testament of Woodstock was preserved for posterity when itwas decided at the outset to film and record most of the performances. Thecommercial success of the releases of both album and movie in 1970 extendedthe impact and reputation of the festival around the world. Since then, thehappenings over that August weekend in Bethel have assumed almost mythicalstatus. Innumerable accounts and sociological analyses have appeared overthe years, usually focusing on a particular aspect of the event, or anindividual’s part in it.

This celebration, timed for the fortieth anniversary, presents a completechronicle, in words and pictures, of events leading up to, during, and afterthose remarkable “3 days of peace & music” that came to define the musicand culture of the late 1960s, the influence of which still reverberates today.

MIKE EVANS, NOVEMBER 2008

introduction

Throughout the story of popular musicthere have been a handful of key events—Elvis’s recording debut, the arrival of TheBeatles in America, Dylan going electric—that are recognized as seminal moments,both cultural markers and catalysts inrock’s tumultuous development. And thishas never been more the case than withthe Woodstock festival. It is acknowledgedas the defining moment of the rock-drivencounterculture of the late 1960s, whenhalf a million fans descended on a smallfarm in upstate New York for what waspromised to be “3 days of peace & music.”It wasn’t the first large-scale gathering of its kind. Open-air music festivals hadincreasingly become features of the “flower-power” era of the late 1960s, sincethe template was established at the Monterey Pop Festival in the summer of1967. Huge audiences, approaching a hundred thousand or more, had attendedtwo festivals in Miami in 1968 and a similar marathon in Atlanta, Georgia, inJuly 1969 just a few weeks before Woodstock. All featured the key performersin cutting-edge rock and pop, attracted a predominantly young, white, middle-class audience, and were also demonstrative of a youth-led counterculturethat challenged the lifestyle and values of mainstream American society.

It was a society increasingly fragmented over changing attitudes to civil rights,sexual liberation, drug use, and—most significantly for the younger generation—the escalating war in Vietnam. Opposition to that conflict was a great unifier forthe throngs who made Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel their destination in mid-August 1969. Yet many were no doubt drawn together just as much by themusic, the opportunity for free expression, and the allure of an instant youthcommunity. Word soon spread that this would be the greatest gathering yet of the“alternative society”—the “Woodstock Nation” as it was dubbed in retrospect.

But it was due to the changing circumstances of the festival itself thatWoodstock was unique. Even before the first artist performed, the logjam of

vehicles along all routes leading to the site had made it almost impossible forany of the acts to arrive on time, precipitating a domino-effect of delays thatsaw the Friday-to-Sunday event ending on Monday morning. Those who didget there on the first day were greeted by an audience area filled with camperswho had arrived days before, with fencing and ticket booths still being erected.Chaos threatened as the promoters hastily decided to abandon commercialconsiderations in favor of the advertised “peace.” They declared it a freefestival—and the very nature of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair begantransforming before their eyes.

By the second day, heavy rainstorms had reduced the fields to a mudbath,and it was impossible for the audience (and to a lesser degree, performers) tomake their exit easily out of the area, and more were still on their way. The hugenumbers involved—more than three times the 150,000 anticipated were eitherat, or trying to get to, the festival—all provisions of food and drink, sanitaryarrangements, and medical aid were rendered completely inadequate. As theauthorities declared it a disaster area and the eyes of the nation (and the rest ofthe world) focused on a potential catastrophe, the “spirit of Woodstock”suddenly became apparent. A human drama unfolded in which a tangiblefeeling of mutual support and communion transcended all the problems.

The music—a mix of rock ’n’ roll, folk, and even classical Indian—freedomof personal expression, a relaxed attitude regarding sex and drugs, and anger atthe Vietnam conflict united the gathered tribe. Eyewitness accounts, from fansand musicians, local residents, and law officers, all speak of the fellowship betweentotal strangers, the atmosphere of sharing, the lack of violence or aggravation,the sheer communality of the occasion—enacted against a backdrop of live musicfrom some of the greatest performers of the era. In most cases the singersand musicians rose to the challenge, despite the far-from-perfect conditions.There were some landmark moments, including Richie Havens’s rousing“Freedom” in the festival opener, a then-unknown Melanie alone on thenighttime stage as thousands of lighters glowed in the darkness, CountryJoe’s antiwar “Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” the eleven-minute epic “I’m Going Home”from Ten Years After, and Jimi Hendrix’s show-stopping version of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

The musical testament of Woodstock was preserved for posterity when itwas decided at the outset to film and record most of the performances. Thecommercial success of the releases of both album and movie in 1970 extendedthe impact and reputation of the festival around the world. Since then, thehappenings over that August weekend in Bethel have assumed almost mythicalstatus. Innumerable accounts and sociological analyses have appeared overthe years, usually focusing on a particular aspect of the event, or anindividual’s part in it.

This celebration, timed for the fortieth anniversary, presents a completechronicle, in words and pictures, of events leading up to, during, and afterthose remarkable “3 days of peace & music” that came to define the musicand culture of the late 1960s, the influence of which still reverberates today.

MIKE EVANS, NOVEMBER 2008

day one“Three million people to me,or even half a million people,

constitute just a nice,big, large spirit.”

RICHIE HAVENS

day one“Three million people to me,or even half a million people,

constitute just a nice,big, large spirit.”

RICHIE HAVENS

the war

COUNTINGTHE COSTUS Troop Numbers

Total US troops in Vietnam: 2,594,0009Draftees: 648,500 (25%)12% of draftees werecollege graduates

Peak Troop StrengthApril 1969: 543,482

Draftees at end 1968: 38%

Average age of GI inVietnam:

1913% of troops were African American,

but 28% of combat unitswere African American

US Dead, Wounded,and POWs

Total US dead: 58,156Draftees killed: 17,725 (over 30%)

Wounded in action: 303,704Severely disabled: 75,000

Lost limbs: 5,283Multiple amputations: 1,081

Prisoners of war: 766Died in captivity: 114

Civilian DeathsEstimated between 500,000 and

one million for North andSouth Vietnam (1960–75)

Throughout the 1960s, America’s increasing involvement in the war inVietnam haunted the nation’s youth. President Eisenhower had first sent inmilitary advisers in the 1950s. Under President Kennedy, the number of USmilitary personnel grew dramatically, and by the mid-1960s it seemed nearlyevery American family had a relative or knew someone serving in Vietnam.

As conscription (popularly known as “the draft”) of males betweenthe ages of nineteen and twenty-five was gradually escalated to meet thedemands of the conflict, most of the country’s young men lived with the veryreal prospect of being sent to fight a war on the other side of the world. Atthe time, the American government thought that if any Asian nation fell toCommunism, others would inevitably topple as well, a line of thinking knownas the “domino theory.” That was the principal reason for the commitmentto the war in Vietnam. Nevertheless, few young people fully understood thereason for the war, which was growing more unpopular by the day. A poll in1965 indicated that sixty-one percent of the American population thoughtAmerican involvement in the war was not wrong. By 1971 the tide hadturned: the same percentage—sixty-one percent—thought the war was wrong.

Vietnam was the first war to be fully exposed on television. Horrifyingimages of the carnage were broadcast on the evening news to the homesof the majority of Americans almost as soon as they happened. With theadvances in color photography, magazines such as Time and Life andNewsweek were dominated by disturbing photo reportage, and thereputations of broadcasters and journalists such as Dan Rather andDavid Halberstam were made reporting from the battlefields.

These images resonated around the globe, of course, but for youngpeople in Europe and other parts of the world outside America, the vibrantyouth culture of the Swinging Sixties and the horrors of the Vietnam Warseemed poles apart. In the USA, on the other hand, they were inextricablylinked. The average age of a GI in Vietnam was just nineteen, and the specterof war was as much a reality for the nation’s youth as the music, fashion,and liberated attitudes that characterized their generation.

Despite the dissent, this was a generation that genuinely loved itscountry. It was no aberration that patriotism as demonstrated by the displayof the Stars and Stripes—albeit often with a peace symbol superimposed—was often seen at countercultural gatherings.

The antiwar movement, spurred by media coverage and supported bymillions of young Americans, was associated from the start with the musicof folk-protest singers led by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. And with songs likeCountry Joe McDonald’s “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” and “protest”albums from performers such as Tom Paxton and Phil Ochs, the movementbecame a fundamental part of the counterculture, its music, and its message.

“Now we have a problemin making

our power credible,and Vietnam is the place.”

JOHN F. KENNEDY

THE SPECTER OF

VIETNAM“And it’s one, two, three,what are we waiting for?Don’t ask me, I don’t give adamn, next stop is Vietnam…”COUNTRY JOE MCDONALD

Above: Draft-card burning at an antiwar demonstration at the Pentagon, October 1967.

the war

COUNTINGTHE COSTUS Troop Numbers

Total US troops in Vietnam: 2,594,0009Draftees: 648,500 (25%)12% of draftees werecollege graduates

Peak Troop StrengthApril 1969: 543,482

Draftees at end 1968: 38%

Average age of GI inVietnam:

1913% of troops were African American,

but 28% of combat unitswere African American

US Dead, Wounded,and POWs

Total US dead: 58,156Draftees killed: 17,725 (over 30%)

Wounded in action: 303,704Severely disabled: 75,000

Lost limbs: 5,283Multiple amputations: 1,081

Prisoners of war: 766Died in captivity: 114

Civilian DeathsEstimated between 500,000 and

one million for North andSouth Vietnam (1960–75)

Throughout the 1960s, America’s increasing involvement in the war inVietnam haunted the nation’s youth. President Eisenhower had first sent inmilitary advisers in the 1950s. Under President Kennedy, the number of USmilitary personnel grew dramatically, and by the mid-1960s it seemed nearlyevery American family had a relative or knew someone serving in Vietnam.

As conscription (popularly known as “the draft”) of males betweenthe ages of nineteen and twenty-five was gradually escalated to meet thedemands of the conflict, most of the country’s young men lived with the veryreal prospect of being sent to fight a war on the other side of the world. Atthe time, the American government thought that if any Asian nation fell toCommunism, others would inevitably topple as well, a line of thinking knownas the “domino theory.” That was the principal reason for the commitmentto the war in Vietnam. Nevertheless, few young people fully understood thereason for the war, which was growing more unpopular by the day. A poll in1965 indicated that sixty-one percent of the American population thoughtAmerican involvement in the war was not wrong. By 1971 the tide hadturned: the same percentage—sixty-one percent—thought the war was wrong.

Vietnam was the first war to be fully exposed on television. Horrifyingimages of the carnage were broadcast on the evening news to the homesof the majority of Americans almost as soon as they happened. With theadvances in color photography, magazines such as Time and Life andNewsweek were dominated by disturbing photo reportage, and thereputations of broadcasters and journalists such as Dan Rather andDavid Halberstam were made reporting from the battlefields.

These images resonated around the globe, of course, but for youngpeople in Europe and other parts of the world outside America, the vibrantyouth culture of the Swinging Sixties and the horrors of the Vietnam Warseemed poles apart. In the USA, on the other hand, they were inextricablylinked. The average age of a GI in Vietnam was just nineteen, and the specterof war was as much a reality for the nation’s youth as the music, fashion,and liberated attitudes that characterized their generation.

Despite the dissent, this was a generation that genuinely loved itscountry. It was no aberration that patriotism as demonstrated by the displayof the Stars and Stripes—albeit often with a peace symbol superimposed—was often seen at countercultural gatherings.

The antiwar movement, spurred by media coverage and supported bymillions of young Americans, was associated from the start with the musicof folk-protest singers led by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. And with songs likeCountry Joe McDonald’s “I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag,” and “protest”albums from performers such as Tom Paxton and Phil Ochs, the movementbecame a fundamental part of the counterculture, its music, and its message.

“Now we have a problemin making

our power credible,and Vietnam is the place.”

JOHN F. KENNEDY

THE SPECTER OF

VIETNAM“And it’s one, two, three,what are we waiting for?Don’t ask me, I don’t give adamn, next stop is Vietnam…”COUNTRY JOE MCDONALD

Above: Draft-card burning at an antiwar demonstration at the Pentagon, October 1967.

10

“I was supposed to do maybe forty minutes, thirty-five, forty minutes …and when I walked off the first time they said, ‘Richie, you gotta do fourmore songs.’ So I said ‘OK.’ I went back, and I did four more songs.I walked off again, and they said, ‘Richie, three more.…’”

day one

It was the first time I saw myselfon the screen, anywhere.”RICHIE HAVENS

So I went out on the stage and [in the movie] you seeme kind of stalling because that’s exactly what I wasdoing. That long intro to what is ‘Freedom’ the song,was me trying to figure out what to sing. I sang everysong I knew.… And I think the word ‘Freedom’ cameout of my mouth, because I saw it in front of me.I saw the freedom we were looking for. And everyperson was sharing it, and so, that word came out.And ‘Motherless Child’ I hadn’t sung in nineteenyears. And it’s amazing. I was singing with a family,a choir, and that’s when I learned that song andsang it. And that same family had sang anothersong, which was part of a different song, whichpart of came out in the ‘Freedom’ song as well.It’s the one about mother, father, sister, brother—that section. That came from another hymn. AndI’m going, ‘Where is this coming from?’ And I got upand walked in the back, and they said, ‘Thank you.’And I was, ‘Wow, that’s pretty far out.’ For me, theoddest thing was, I had to go see the movie to seewhat I did. I actually did. I remember ‘Freedom,’ andI remember ‘Motherless Child,’ but I didn’t rememberhow it was structured. Just the song existed. And Iwent to the movies and I saw it.

10

“I was supposed to do maybe forty minutes, thirty-five, forty minutes …and when I walked off the first time they said, ‘Richie, you gotta do fourmore songs.’ So I said ‘OK.’ I went back, and I did four more songs.I walked off again, and they said, ‘Richie, three more.…’”

day one

It was the first time I saw myselfon the screen, anywhere.”RICHIE HAVENS

So I went out on the stage and [in the movie] you seeme kind of stalling because that’s exactly what I wasdoing. That long intro to what is ‘Freedom’ the song,was me trying to figure out what to sing. I sang everysong I knew.… And I think the word ‘Freedom’ cameout of my mouth, because I saw it in front of me.I saw the freedom we were looking for. And everyperson was sharing it, and so, that word came out.And ‘Motherless Child’ I hadn’t sung in nineteenyears. And it’s amazing. I was singing with a family,a choir, and that’s when I learned that song andsang it. And that same family had sang anothersong, which was part of a different song, whichpart of came out in the ‘Freedom’ song as well.It’s the one about mother, father, sister, brother—that section. That came from another hymn. AndI’m going, ‘Where is this coming from?’ And I got upand walked in the back, and they said, ‘Thank you.’And I was, ‘Wow, that’s pretty far out.’ For me, theoddest thing was, I had to go see the movie to seewhat I did. I actually did. I remember ‘Freedom,’ andI remember ‘Motherless Child,’ but I didn’t rememberhow it was structured. Just the song existed. And Iwent to the movies and I saw it.

12

day two–three

Saturday, August 16, 1:20 a.m.(set begins Sunday, August 17)Janis Joplin: vocalsTerry Clements: tenor saxophoneCornelius “Snooky” Flowers: baritone saxLuis Gasca: trumpetJohn Till: guitarRichard Kermode: keyboardsBrad Campbell: bassMaury Baker: drumsJanis Joplin’s Woodstock appearance, supported by her new backing group,the Kozmic Blues Band, was distinctively stamped with her brash, searing style.The diminutive blues-shouting Texan had become a major figure on the SanFrancisco music scene between 1966 and 1968, with her original outfit BigBrother & the Holding Company. Her performance at the Monterey Pop Festival,and the film record of the same, showed her at her sensational peak in 1967.As she lived up to her dual image of psychedelic queen and hard-drinking diva,alcohol and drugs were taking their toll. At Woodstock, following the long waitfor her performance, the twenty-six-year-old appeared somewhat the worsefor wear. In addition, she and the Kozmic Blues Band were still finding outhow to perform compatibly together, having joined forces only in December1968. At Woodstock, as a result, she delivered a ten-song set that was well-received by the crowd, but which many Janis observers felt could have beeneven stronger.

Most of her set was taken from her first solo album, which was about tobe released, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, and included a coverof soul singer Eddie Floyd’s “Raise Your Hand,” a highly original interpretationof George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” and the Otis Redding classic “Can’t TurnYou Loose,” which featured saxophone man “Snooky” Flowers on vocals withjust a little help from Janis. The two encores, “Piece of My Heart” and “Balland Chain,” were both familiar to the audience from the repertoire of BigBrother & the Holding Company.

Just over a year after Woodstock, on October 4, 1970, Janis Joplin wasfound on the floor of a Los Angeles motel room, dead from a heroin overdose.

Set List: Raise Your Hand, As Good As You’ve Been to This World,

To Love Somebody, Summertime, Try (Just a Little Bit Harder),

Kosmic Blues, Can’t Turn You Loose, Work Me Lord, Piece of My

Heart, Ball and Chain

12

day two–three

Saturday, August 16, 1:20 a.m.(set begins Sunday, August 17)Janis Joplin: vocalsTerry Clements: tenor saxophoneCornelius “Snooky” Flowers: baritone saxLuis Gasca: trumpetJohn Till: guitarRichard Kermode: keyboardsBrad Campbell: bassMaury Baker: drumsJanis Joplin’s Woodstock appearance, supported by her new backing group,the Kozmic Blues Band, was distinctively stamped with her brash, searing style.The diminutive blues-shouting Texan had become a major figure on the SanFrancisco music scene between 1966 and 1968, with her original outfit BigBrother & the Holding Company. Her performance at the Monterey Pop Festival,and the film record of the same, showed her at her sensational peak in 1967.As she lived up to her dual image of psychedelic queen and hard-drinking diva,alcohol and drugs were taking their toll. At Woodstock, following the long waitfor her performance, the twenty-six-year-old appeared somewhat the worsefor wear. In addition, she and the Kozmic Blues Band were still finding outhow to perform compatibly together, having joined forces only in December1968. At Woodstock, as a result, she delivered a ten-song set that was well-received by the crowd, but which many Janis observers felt could have beeneven stronger.

Most of her set was taken from her first solo album, which was about tobe released, I Got Dem Ol’ Kozmic Blues Again Mama!, and included a coverof soul singer Eddie Floyd’s “Raise Your Hand,” a highly original interpretationof George Gershwin’s “Summertime,” and the Otis Redding classic “Can’t TurnYou Loose,” which featured saxophone man “Snooky” Flowers on vocals withjust a little help from Janis. The two encores, “Piece of My Heart” and “Balland Chain,” were both familiar to the audience from the repertoire of BigBrother & the Holding Company.

Just over a year after Woodstock, on October 4, 1970, Janis Joplin wasfound on the floor of a Los Angeles motel room, dead from a heroin overdose.

Set List: Raise Your Hand, As Good As You’ve Been to This World,

To Love Somebody, Summertime, Try (Just a Little Bit Harder),

Kosmic Blues, Can’t Turn You Loose, Work Me Lord, Piece of My

Heart, Ball and Chain

15

day three–four

Monday, August 18, 8:30 a.m.(Gypsy Sons & the Rainbow)Jimi Hendrix: guitar, vocalsLarry Lee: rhythm guitarBilly Cox: bassJuma Sultan: percussionGerardo “Jerry” Velez: congasMitch Mitchell: drumsAfter his spectacular US debut at Monterey in 1967, Jimi Hendrix—already abig name in Britain—soon became a superstar in his own country, with threealbums making the Billboard Top 10 (including the chart-topping ElectricLadyland) before his appearance at the Woodstock festival. He’d also becomea regular visitor to Woodstock itself, and in July 1969 had moved to Shokan,a quiet village near the town, to spend the rest of the summer.

Officially billed as Gypsy Sons & the Rainbow, a short-lived lineup thatfollowed the disbandment of the Jimi Hendrix Experience a few weeks earlier,Hendrix’s Woodstock performance could be seen as either a climax or anticlimaxto the festival. It was an anticlimax only insofar as the Monday morning spot,almost half a day after the event was supposed to have finished, meant thatonly a tiny portion of the crowd—an estimated thirty thousand to sixty

thousand—was still there to hear him play. Most had begun the trek home,a mud-soaked exodus in the face of deteriorating conditions and potentiallyday-long traffic holdups. Somewhat ironically, Hendrix’s manager had insistedJimi closed the festival, seeing this as the “headline” spot.

But musically it marked a fitting climax to the three and a half days, withHendrix in searing form as he blitzed his way through a two-hour set thatfeatured such classics as “Foxy Lady,” “Gypsy Woman,” and “Hey Joe.” Thehigh point of his set, however, was the sensational, psychedelic rendition ofthe US national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” which encapsulatedboth the musical and political spirit of Woodstock with blues-edged poignancyand other-worldly improvisation as the festival drew to an end. The WoodstockMusic and Art Fair finally came to a close at 10:30 a.m., after Hendrix finishedhis set with “Hey Joe.”

Set List: Message to Love, Hear My Train a-Comin’ / Getting My

Heart Back Together Again, Spanish Castle Magic, Red House,

Master Mind (Larry Lee: vocals), Here He Comes (Lover Man),

Foxy Lady, Beginnings / Jam Back at the House, Izabella,

Gypsy Woman (Larry Lee: vocals), Fire, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)

/ Stepping Stone, The Star-Spangled Banner / Purple Haze,

Improvisation / Villanova Junction, Hey Joe

15

day three–four

Monday, August 18, 8:30 a.m.(Gypsy Sons & the Rainbow)Jimi Hendrix: guitar, vocalsLarry Lee: rhythm guitarBilly Cox: bassJuma Sultan: percussionGerardo “Jerry” Velez: congasMitch Mitchell: drumsAfter his spectacular US debut at Monterey in 1967, Jimi Hendrix—already abig name in Britain—soon became a superstar in his own country, with threealbums making the Billboard Top 10 (including the chart-topping ElectricLadyland) before his appearance at the Woodstock festival. He’d also becomea regular visitor to Woodstock itself, and in July 1969 had moved to Shokan,a quiet village near the town, to spend the rest of the summer.

Officially billed as Gypsy Sons & the Rainbow, a short-lived lineup thatfollowed the disbandment of the Jimi Hendrix Experience a few weeks earlier,Hendrix’s Woodstock performance could be seen as either a climax or anticlimaxto the festival. It was an anticlimax only insofar as the Monday morning spot,almost half a day after the event was supposed to have finished, meant thatonly a tiny portion of the crowd—an estimated thirty thousand to sixty

thousand—was still there to hear him play. Most had begun the trek home,a mud-soaked exodus in the face of deteriorating conditions and potentiallyday-long traffic holdups. Somewhat ironically, Hendrix’s manager had insistedJimi closed the festival, seeing this as the “headline” spot.

But musically it marked a fitting climax to the three and a half days, withHendrix in searing form as he blitzed his way through a two-hour set thatfeatured such classics as “Foxy Lady,” “Gypsy Woman,” and “Hey Joe.” Thehigh point of his set, however, was the sensational, psychedelic rendition ofthe US national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” which encapsulatedboth the musical and political spirit of Woodstock with blues-edged poignancyand other-worldly improvisation as the festival drew to an end. The WoodstockMusic and Art Fair finally came to a close at 10:30 a.m., after Hendrix finishedhis set with “Hey Joe.”

Set List: Message to Love, Hear My Train a-Comin’ / Getting My

Heart Back Together Again, Spanish Castle Magic, Red House,

Master Mind (Larry Lee: vocals), Here He Comes (Lover Man),

Foxy Lady, Beginnings / Jam Back at the House, Izabella,

Gypsy Woman (Larry Lee: vocals), Fire, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return)

/ Stepping Stone, The Star-Spangled Banner / Purple Haze,

Improvisation / Villanova Junction, Hey Joe

day two

17

“Rainless Saturday concerts bring euphoric peaks.Participants groove to the tunes of Quill, Keef Hartley, Santana, Mountain, Canned Heat,

Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Sly & the Family Stone, The Whoand the Jefferson Airplane. Gladiator gods at the frontlines of consciousness, these bands lead

the masses past breakthrough peaks.

Rock’s Freedom Beat by moonlight unites the tribes at the apex of a decade. Woodstock’s field ofdreams awakens ancient rites and Sabbat dance. The music is a fruit rooted in Blues, ripening sweetin a half-million heads. It is the Saturnalia of the Century, casting possession frenzy ’til dawn....”

MICHAEL J. FAIRCHILD

day two

17

“Rainless Saturday concerts bring euphoric peaks.Participants groove to the tunes of Quill, Keef Hartley, Santana, Mountain, Canned Heat,

Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Sly & the Family Stone, The Whoand the Jefferson Airplane. Gladiator gods at the frontlines of consciousness, these bands lead

the masses past breakthrough peaks.

Rock’s Freedom Beat by moonlight unites the tribes at the apex of a decade. Woodstock’s field ofdreams awakens ancient rites and Sabbat dance. The music is a fruit rooted in Blues, ripening sweetin a half-million heads. It is the Saturnalia of the Century, casting possession frenzy ’til dawn....”

MICHAEL J. FAIRCHILD

I came upon a child of GodHe was walking along the road

And I asked him where are you goingAnd this he told me

I’m going on down to Yasgur’s farmI’m going to join in a rock ’n’ roll band

I’m going to camp out on the landI’m going to try an’ get my soul free

We are stardust, we are goldenAnd we’ve got to get ourselves

Back to the garden

Then can I walk beside youI have come here to lose the smog

And I feel to be a cog in something turningWell maybe it is just the time of year

Or maybe it’s the time of manI don’t know who I am

But you know life is for learning

We are stardust, we are goldenAnd we’ve got to get ourselves

Back to the garden

By the time we got to WoodstockWe were half a million strong

And everywhere there was song and celebrationAnd I dreamed I saw the bombers

Riding shotgun in the skyAnd they were turning into butterflies

Above our nation

We are stardustBillion year old carbon

We are goldenCaught in the devil’s bargain

And we’ve got to get ourselvesBack to the garden

JONI MITCHELL

I came upon a child of GodHe was walking along the road

And I asked him where are you goingAnd this he told me

I’m going on down to Yasgur’s farmI’m going to join in a rock ’n’ roll band

I’m going to camp out on the landI’m going to try an’ get my soul free

We are stardust, we are goldenAnd we’ve got to get ourselves

Back to the garden

Then can I walk beside youI have come here to lose the smog

And I feel to be a cog in something turningWell maybe it is just the time of year

Or maybe it’s the time of manI don’t know who I am

But you know life is for learning

We are stardust, we are goldenAnd we’ve got to get ourselves

Back to the garden

By the time we got to WoodstockWe were half a million strong

And everywhere there was song and celebrationAnd I dreamed I saw the bombers

Riding shotgun in the skyAnd they were turning into butterflies

Above our nation

We are stardustBillion year old carbon

We are goldenCaught in the devil’s bargain

And we’ve got to get ourselvesBack to the garden

JONI MITCHELL

MUSICJuly 2009

$35.00 ($38.00 Canada)Hardcover

9 7/8 x 11 3/8; 288 pages; full colorSterling ISBN 978-1-4027-6623-7

Reviewers are reminded that changes may be made in this uncorrected proof before books are printed. If any material fromthe book is to be quoted in a review, the quotation should be checked against the finalbound book. Photographs are subject to

individual copyright. Dates, prices, and manufacturing details are subject to change or cancellation without notice.For more information, contact Anwesha Basu at (646) 688-2511, abasu@sterlingpublishing.com.

• National publicity• 20-city radio satellite tour

• Features and reviews in music and general interest magazines• Coverage in newspapers nationwide• Online publicity and blog outreach

• Author events and interviews out of Nashville, TN, and Woodstock, NY• Promotions to tie in with Woodstock 40th Anniversary

• Association with the Woostock Museum at Bethel Woods

It defined a generation, exemplified an era: Woodstock was unlike anything that has ever happened beforeor since—and August 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of this seminal event. Relive the moment and “getback to the garden” with this day-by-day, act-by-act account of everything that went down on Yasgur’sFarm. With interviews and quotes from those who were there—the musicians, the fans, the organizers—

and a wealth of photographs and graphic memorabilia,Woodstock is the ultimate celebration of a landmarkin modern cultural history.

Woodstock is organized in three parts:• Origins sets the stage by describing the counterculture of the time, along with the festival’sorganization, fundraising, buzz-building tactics, ticket selling and publicity, and site building.

• The Event—the heart of the project—includes a log with a run-down of each of the thirty-two acts,in the order they appeared, one spread to each name. Fans and politics are also featured prominently here.

• The Aftermath focuses on media coverage, follow-up festivals, Michael Wadleigh and ThelmaSchoonmaker’s documentary, and Woodstock’s enduring legacy.

A musician on the ’60s rock scene,Mike Evans began writing about popular music in the ’70s as abroadcaster on local radio, freelance author, and regular contributor to Melody Maker. Since the late ’80she has worked in book publishing, commissioning and editing titles on rock ’n’ roll, jazz, and popularculture. His previous books include: The Rock ’N’ Roll Age (Readers Digest, 2007); From Kerouac toKesey: An Illustrated Journey through the Beat Generation (Running Press, 2007), The Beatles Literary

Anthology (Plexus Publishing, 2004), and Elvis: A Celebration (DK Publishing, 2002).

Paul Kingsbury is a freelance writer and editor specializing in music journalism, and the former DeputyDirector of Special Projects for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He is the author or coauthorof several books, including The Grand Ole Opry History of Country Music (Villard/Random House, 1995)

and Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers, 1947–1989 (Chronicle, 2003). He served as a consultingeditor to the Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (Billboard Books, 2003). Kingsbury’s articles

have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, US Weekly, American Songwriter, Country Music, Guitar WorldAcoustic, Nashville Life, Nashville Scene, The Journal of Country Music, and numerous other publications.

“Woodstock” Words and Music by JONI MITCHELL © 1968 (Renewed) CRAZY CROW MUSIC

MUSICJuly 2009

$35.00 ($38.00 Canada)Hardcover

9 7/8 x 11 3/8; 288 pages; full colorSterling ISBN 978-1-4027-6623-7

Reviewers are reminded that changes may be made in this uncorrected proof before books are printed. If any material fromthe book is to be quoted in a review, the quotation should be checked against the finalbound book. Photographs are subject to

individual copyright. Dates, prices, and manufacturing details are subject to change or cancellation without notice.For more information, contact Anwesha Basu at (646) 688-2511, abasu@sterlingpublishing.com.

• National publicity• 20-city radio satellite tour

• Features and reviews in music and general interest magazines• Coverage in newspapers nationwide• Online publicity and blog outreach

• Author events and interviews out of Nashville, TN, and Woodstock, NY• Promotions to tie in with Woodstock 40th Anniversary

• Association with the Woostock Museum at Bethel Woods

It defined a generation, exemplified an era: Woodstock was unlike anything that has ever happened beforeor since—and August 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of this seminal event. Relive the moment and “getback to the garden” with this day-by-day, act-by-act account of everything that went down on Yasgur’sFarm. With interviews and quotes from those who were there—the musicians, the fans, the organizers—

and a wealth of photographs and graphic memorabilia,Woodstock is the ultimate celebration of a landmarkin modern cultural history.

Woodstock is organized in three parts:• Origins sets the stage by describing the counterculture of the time, along with the festival’sorganization, fundraising, buzz-building tactics, ticket selling and publicity, and site building.

• The Event—the heart of the project—includes a log with a run-down of each of the thirty-two acts,in the order they appeared, one spread to each name. Fans and politics are also featured prominently here.

• The Aftermath focuses on media coverage, follow-up festivals, Michael Wadleigh and ThelmaSchoonmaker’s documentary, and Woodstock’s enduring legacy.

A musician on the ’60s rock scene,Mike Evans began writing about popular music in the ’70s as abroadcaster on local radio, freelance author, and regular contributor to Melody Maker. Since the late ’80she has worked in book publishing, commissioning and editing titles on rock ’n’ roll, jazz, and popularculture. His previous books include: The Rock ’N’ Roll Age (Readers Digest, 2007); From Kerouac toKesey: An Illustrated Journey through the Beat Generation (Running Press, 2007), The Beatles Literary

Anthology (Plexus Publishing, 2004), and Elvis: A Celebration (DK Publishing, 2002).

Paul Kingsbury is a freelance writer and editor specializing in music journalism, and the former DeputyDirector of Special Projects for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. He is the author or coauthorof several books, including The Grand Ole Opry History of Country Music (Villard/Random House, 1995)

and Vinyl Hayride: Country Music Album Covers, 1947–1989 (Chronicle, 2003). He served as a consultingeditor to the Billboard Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (Billboard Books, 2003). Kingsbury’s articles

have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, US Weekly, American Songwriter, Country Music, Guitar WorldAcoustic, Nashville Life, Nashville Scene, The Journal of Country Music, and numerous other publications.

“Woodstock” Words and Music by JONI MITCHELL © 1968 (Renewed) CRAZY CROW MUSIC