Attended the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in 1969, became an educator for 35 years after graduation from college, and am retired now and often volunteer at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts which is on the site of that 1969 festival.
June 16, 1966: announcement that NY radio station WOR-FM would be first NYC FM station to play rock and roll music on a “regular basis.” (see WOR FM for expanded article)
Monterey International Pop Music Festival
June 16 – 18, 1967: a three-day concert event held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. Monterey was the first widely promoted and heavily attended rock festival, with up to 90,000 people present at the event’s peak at midnight on Sunday.
The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Ravi Shankar, the first large-scale public performance of Janis Joplin, and the introduction of Otis Redding to a large, predominantly white audience.
The Monterey Pop Festival embodied the themes of California as a focal point for the counterculture and is generally regarded as one of the beginnings of the “Summer of Love” in 1967, along with the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival held at M ount Tamalpais in Marin County a week earlier. Monterey became the template for future music festivals, notably the Woodstock Festival two years later.
June 16, 1969 and the [bumpy] Road to Bethel
Just after midnight a meeting was held about festival security. Wes Pomeroy insisted on a “soft” approach. The Peace Service Corps.
Woodstock Ventures issued a statement to the press defending its position in the town of Wallkill.
June 16 Music et al, June 16 Music et al, June 16 Music et al, June 16 Music et al,
September 13, 1663: first serious slave conspiracy in colonial America. White servants and black slaves conspired to revolt in Gloucester County, VA, but were betrayed by a fellow servant. (see Encyclopedia Virginia article) (next BH & SR, see October 20, 1669; also see SR for expanded slave revolt chronology)
Oberlin, Ohio citizens
September 13, 1858: a group of Oberlin, Ohio citizens stopped Kentucky slave catchers from capturing John Price, a black man. Oberlinians, black and white, pursued the abductors to nearby Wellington at word of Price’s kidnapping and took him back, later helping him across the Canadian border to freedom. [Black Past article] (see Sept 17)
James H Meredith
September 13, 1962: the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi reordered the University of Mississippi to enroll Meredith. (see September 20, 1962)
Attica Prison Riot
September 13, 1971: state troopers dropped tear gas into the Attica prison while other troopers opened fire on a group of over 1,200 inmates. In the chaos, the police gunfire killed 10 hostages and 29 inmates Another 80 people were seriously wounded, the majority of them inmates, in what became the bloodiest prison uprising in U.S. history. Adding to the death toll were three inmates and a guard who had been killed earlier during the riot.
“We are men. We are not beasts, and we do not intend to be beaten or driven as such.” –L.D. Barkley, a 21 year-old prisoner serving time for breaching parole by driving without a license; he died in the assault, shot 15 times at point-blank range. (BH & Attica, see Sept 17)
George Wallace
September 13, 1998: George Wallace died. [NYT obit] (see Sept 17)
School Desegregation
September 13, 2013: nearly a week after the University of Alabama came under fire for persistent segregation in its sorority system, school officials announced a deal that would clear the way for black women to be admitted to the school’s prestigious and historically white Greek organizations. The deal was the first step toward ending more than a century of systematic segregation in the school’s sorority system. (Time story) (BH, see Oct 15; SD, see March 21, 2014)
Laquan McDonald
September 13, 2018: lawyers finished choosing 12 jurors and five alternates for CPD officer Jason Van Dyke’s murder trial. Mayor Emanuel and Illinois’ attorney general Lisa Madigan meanwhile unveiled an updated plan to reform the city’s police, saying it would ensure permanent, far-reaching changes within a 12,000-officer department that has a long history of committing serious civil rights abuses. The more than 200-page document was submitted to U.S. District Judge Robert Dow for his consideration. (B & S and McDonald, see Oct 5)
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
Vietnam
September 13, 1945: in accordance with the Potsdam Agreements at the end of World War II, 5,000 British troops of the 20th Indian Division, commanded by Gen. Douglas Gracey, arrived in southern Indochina to disarm the defeated Japanese forces Gracey detested the Viet Minh and rearmed some 1,400 French soldiers who had been imprisoned by the Japanese. This effectively was the first step in the re-establishment of French colonial rule and set the stage for the conflict between the French and the Viet Minh that led to a nine-year war. (see Sept 23)
South Vietnam Leadership
September 13 – 14, 1964: before dawn on September 13, 1964, a coup attempt headed by Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Dương Văn Đức threatened the ruling military junta of South Vietnam, led by General Nguyễn Khánh.
Generals Lâm Văn Phát and Dương Văn Đức sent dissident units into the capital Saigon. They captured various key points and announced over national radio the overthrow of the incumbent regime. With the help of the Americans, Khánh was able to rally support and the coup collapsed the next morning without any casualties.(V, see Sept 30; SVL, see Dec 19)
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
September 13 Music et al
Payola
September 13, 1960: the Federal Communications act in the USA was amended to outlaw payments of cash or gifts in exchange for airplay of records. (see June 1, 1961)
Yesterday
September 13, 1965: Beatles released Paul McCartney ‘s composition ‘Yesterday‘ as a single in the US. The final recording was so different from other works by The Beatles that the band members vetoed the release of the song as a single in the United Kingdom. (However, it was issued as a single there in 1976.) (see Sept 25)
Second Big Sur Folk Festival
September 13 – 14, 1965: The Second Big Sur Folk Festival. (see July 10, 1966)
September 13, 1969: The Toronto Rock and Roll Revival (Varsity Stadium, at the University of Toronto) over 20,000 attended. The appearance of John Lennon, Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band was not publicly known in advance. It was Lennon’s first-ever public rock performance without one or more of the Beatles since meeting Paul McCartney in 1957. He decided before returning to England to leave the Beatles permanently. (Beatles, see Sept 20)
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
Native Americans
September 13, 1976: in 1975, twenty-seven Native Alaskan high school students sued the state of Alaska for failing to provide secondary education in their villages. The students argued that the state was violating their right to education, which was guaranteed by the Alaska Constitution and the Equal Protection Clause of the United States Constitution.
The case, Tobeluk v. Lind was settled on September 13, 1976, when the State of Alaska agreed to build secondary schools in rural Native villages. The victory came after nearly a century of inequality and discrimination in the state. [EJI article]
International Treaty Conference
In 1977 the American Indian Movement sponsored talks resulting in the International Treaty Conference with the U.N. in Geneva, Switzerland. [UN article]
Indigenous People’s Day
In 1977, the idea for an Indigenous People’s Day (also known as Native American Day as a counter-celebration to Columbus Day began. The purpose of the day was to promote Native American culture and commemorate the history of Native American peoples.
Indigenous People’s Day is usually held on the second Monday of October, coinciding with federal observance of Columbus Day.
Congressional intervention
During 1977 – 1978 Congress passed approximately 50 laws that helped redefine tribal issues regarding water rights, fishing rights and land acquisition. Some land was returned to the tribes, and issues of self-governance were further clarified. (see Feb 11 to July 1978)
Iran–Contra Affair
September 13, 1985: Iran received 508 US-made Tow missiles, as part of secret arms-for-hostages deal with US. [PBS story on I-C A] (see January 17, 1986)
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
ADA
September 13, 1988: the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 expands on the Civil Rights Act of 1968 to require that a certain number of accessible housing units be created in all new multi-family housing. The act covered both public and private homes and not only those in receipt of federal funding. [HUD article] (see March 12, 1990)
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
Feminism
September 13, 1994: the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) signed by President Bill Clinton. The Act provided monies toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposeed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed civil redress in cases prosecutors chose to leave un-prosecuted. The Act also established the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice. Its coverage extended to male victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. [US DoJ article] (Feminism, see, Sept 28, 1994; VAWA, see May 15, 2000)
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
DEATH PENALTY
September 13, 1994: President Clinton signed crime bill making dozens of federal crimes subject to death penalty. [PBS timeline re death penalty] (see February 8, 1995)
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
Cannabis
September 13, 2018: Canadians who work in the cannabis industry — and those who invest in it — risked a lifetime ban on travel to the U.S., according to a senior official overseeing U.S border operations.
Todd Owen, executive assistant commissioner for the Office of Field Operations, said that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency would continue to apply long-standing U.S. federal laws and regulations that treat marijuana as a banned substance — and participants in the cannabis industry as drug traffickers — who are inadmissible into the U.S. [Politico article] (next C, see Oct 17 or see CCC for expanded cannabis chronology)
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
Immigration History
Increased Immigration
September 13, 2018: a Brookings Institution analysis of that Census Bureau’s figures for 2017 showed that the foreign-born population in the United States had reached its highest share since 1910.
For years newcomers tended to be from Latin America, but the Brookings analysis of that data showed that 41 percent of the people who said they arrived since 2010 came from Asia. Just 39 percent were from Latin America. About 45 percent were college educated, the analysis found, compared with about 30 percent of those who came between 2000 and 2009. [New Republic article] (see Oct 2)
DACA
September 13, 2023:Judge Andrew Hanen, of the Southern District of Texas ruled that a regulation intended to preserve the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was unlawful.
The Biden administration had moved to preserve the program – which protects undocumented immigrants who were brought to the US as children – and released a rule to codify the policy into a federal regulation.
But Judge Hanen maintained that DACA was unlawful and argued the rule violated the Administrative Procedure Act, a law that governs how agencies make regulations. The order doesn’t impact current beneficiaries of the program. [CNN article] (next IH, see Oct 5; next DACA, see )
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
Sexual Abuse of Children
September 13, 2019: after a yearlong statewide investigation into clergy sexual abuse, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt announced that he would refer a dozen men who previously served as Roman Catholic clergy for potential criminal prosecution.
The investigation found that 163 priests or clergy members were accused of sexual abuse or misconduct against minors.
“Sexual abuse of minors by members of Missouri’s four Roman Catholic dioceses has been a far-reaching and sustained scandal,” Schmitt said. “For decades, faced with credible reports of abuse, the church refused to acknowledge the victims and instead focused their efforts on protecting priests.” (next SAoC, see Dec 4)
September 13 Peace Love Art Activism
US Labor History
September 13, 2024: about 33,000 union members at Boeing walked off the job after they overwhelmingly rejecting a proposed four-year contract with the troubled aircraft manufacturer.
The strike, the first at the company in 16 years, will virtually stop commercial airplane production at one of America’s biggest manufacturing giants and its largest exporter, dealing a potential blow to the US economy. Depending on the length of the strike, it could cause problems for nearly 10,000 Boeing (BA) suppliers, which can be found in all 50 US states. [CNN article] (next LH, see Oct 1)
The older we get the more we realize that there’s so much we just didn’t know. Or so much we thought we knew, but wasn’t quite the whole story.
If pressed to answer the question, “What is your favorite album?” I will likely respond that there are a few, but Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks is up toward the top if not at the top. It’s as much a nostalgic reason–I was away at school and homesick and the album just was the right thing at the right time–as it’s just great music.
That was in 1969 when my college station’s late night DJ played lots of it.
It was sadly only on September 6, 2023, 54 years later, when I heard two things, that the bassist on Astral Weeks had died and that his name was Richard Davis. I had a name to attach to that beautiful playing.
Astral Weeks influence
And then while listening to, Episode 170 of A History of Rock Music in Five Hundred Songs–the best rock music podcast anywhere [a New Yorker article headline called Andrew Hickey‘s show “A Music Podcast Unlike Any Other”) I discovered that not only was Davis the bassist on that amazing album, he was everywhere and our musical paths had crossed regularly over the decades.
An example? Bruce Springsteen loved Morrison’s Astral Weeks and that love influenced his first album, Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. How? Davis played double bass on “The Angel.”
He also played with Bonnie Raitt, The Rascals, Spanky & Our Gang, Ruth Brown, Garland Jefferies, Laura Nyro, Biff Rose, Sha Na Na, Loudon Wainwright III, Paul Simon, Van Eaton brothers, Janis Ian, Carly Simon, Melissa Manchester, Elliott Murphy, Billy Cobham, Jaco Patoriouis (!), Essra Mohawk, Judy Collins, Lew Soloff, The Manhattan Transfer, well, you get the idea and that’s just performers that my demographic might be most familiar with.
There are dozens of equally famous (in many cases, more famous) jazz musicians he played with.
Let simply quote his site’s statement: He…recorded a dozen albums as a leader and 3000 recordings and jingles as a sideman.
Davis was born Chicago but is mother died in childbirth. His NYT obituary stated: …he was adopted by Robert and Elmora Johnson. …exposed to music through the records his mother had collected in her native New Orleans and the hymns Mr. Johnson would sing around the house.
He attended DuSable High School in Chicago, where he studied music under Walter Dyett, who mentored many future jazz stars, and he started playing the bass at 15. As he recalled in a 2013 interview published in the American Federation of Musicians magazine Allegro: “I was just enthralled by the sound. The bass was always in the background and I was a shy kid. So I thought maybe I’d like to be in the background.”
I wonder how often the shy kid becomes the bass player?
While he attended VanderCook College of Music Davis continued to play and make connections. One of those was pianist Don Shirley (think the movie “Green Book”)
New York City
In 1954, he and Shirley moved to New York City and performed together until 1956, when Davis began playing with the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra. In 1957, he became part of Sarah Vaughan’s rhythm section, touring and recording with her until 1960
Madison?
Davis left New York in 1977 to take a position as a professor of music and music history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
In 2011, Davis told OnWisconsin, the university’s alumni magazine, “I got a call offering me a job at the university in Madison because they didn’t have a bass teacher on campus,”. “I said, ‘Where’s Madison?’ I asked around if anyone had heard of the place because this school kept calling me. Martin Luther King Jr. talked about the importance of teaching others, and I had always wanted to teach young people. I thought maybe it was time.”
He retired from teaching in 2016.
Legacy of Activism
Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists
In 1993 Davis established the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists. It states it purpose this way:
The string instrument family has many members, but it is typically the violin, viola and cello that are most familiar to many people. The melodic beauty of these three instruments is often heard thanks to the significant solo repertoire that exists. However, the double (or ‘string’) bass has traditionally been thought of as an accompaniment instrument. As a result its development as a melodic or ‘solo’ instrument has been slow. The instrument, unique is all its features, has an incredibly versatile in range, virtuoso artistry and lyricism, with spectacular visual excitement. Pedagogically and soloistically, the bass has undergone rapid advancement in the last century, however progress for pre college students is still behind due to a number of limiting factors:
As the bass relates to children and their musical development, there are two major inter-related problems limiting their opportunity to explore this instrument and its melodic beauty, thus its virtuosity: Instrument size, availability and cost and availability of training.
Retention Action Project
In 1998 he began the Retention Action Project(RAP) at the University to improve graduation rates for students of color.
Center for the Healing of Racism
And in 2000 Davis established the Madison chapter of the Center for the Healing of Racism. The Center was founded in 1989 by an ethnically diverse group of individuals who met in Houston, Texas, to discuss the impact of racism. The emphasis was on personal growth, healing, and the exploration of ways to heal racism.
In Conclusion
Perhaps, there is no better way to recognize the talent and legacy of Richard Davis than by quoting Neil Heinen, editorial director of Madison magazine’s Spectrum:
“As one of the world’s premier bass players, Davis’s music…touched the lives of countless fans, and his teaching…inspired generations of students in the classroom as well as with the Richard Davis Foundation for Young Bassists, Inc., which provides musical instruction for financially challenged youth. While the jazz master and professor could’ve ended his renowned biography there, his passion for social justice, for the healing of racism, …changed the lives of those who have accepted his invitation to open their hearts, minds and spirits to the history and pathology of racism within.”
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