All posts by Woodstock Whisperer

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.
Birthdays

Remembering Rick Danko

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Remembering Rick Danko

Born on December 29, 1942
Thank you for that voice. Did you come out singing?
Thank you for that smile. Did you come out smiling?
Without your love…

Without your love I’m nothing at all

Like an empty hall it’s a lonely fall

Since you’ve been gone it’s a losing battle

Stampeding cattle they rattle my walls

Opportunity denied

Because I was wet, tired, hungry, and worried whether our car was still where we left it on the side of 17B, Tony and I left the Woodstock Music and Art Fair after Sunday afternoon’s deluge.

No Hendrix. No Crosby Stills and Nash. And no Band. Damn it, no Band. Big Pink. Bob Dylan. Tears of Rage. Woodstock.

I did see the Band later and they were as good as I’d hoped. And I had great hopes.

Remembering Rick Danko

Next generation

And later still I got to see a solo Rick a few times at The Turning Point in Piermont, NY. One of those times, my wife and I brought our young teenage son who was a fan and an aspiring guitarist. At a point, Rick, with a smile as big as the stage, asked the audience, “Does anyone have a heavy?” meaning a guitar pick.

Our son had one, handed it to Rick and got Rick’s in return.

Get much better? I think not.

Rick did make a difference.

Remembering Rick Danko

Carol Gaffin

Carol Gaffin wrote after Rick’s death:

On December 10, 1999, Rick Danko died as he had lived – simply, without fanfare, pomp or pretense. If the tears, prayers and tributes that followed are any indication, this country boy whose goal was to “help the neighborhood” certainly succeeded. The world is a much better place because of Rick Danko, and a much sadder one without him.

Link to Band site bio >>> Rick bio

The NYT article about Rick when he died >>> NYT article

And just because he was a December baby so close to Christmas…

Remembering Rick Danko

 

Music et al, Music of the 60s, Woodstock Music and Art Fair

1968 Miami Pop Festival

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1968 Miami Pop Festival

Before 1969

While my aim is to have pieces describing each of 1969’s many festivals, mentioning a pre-1969 one is often useful as the several that preceded 1969’s memorable year (capped by the Woodstock Music and Art Fair) helped encourage promoters to expand the number.

1968 Miami Pop Festival
Miami Pop Festival

There were two Miami Pop Festivals in 1968. The first one was in May and Woodstock organizer Michael Lang  played a minor role in that festival’s promotion.

1968 Miami Pop Festival
cover for Miami Pop Festival program

The second Miami Pop Festival began on December 28. An estimated 100,000 attended the three-day concert.  It was produced by Tom Rounds and Mel Lawrence, who had previously produced the seminal KFRC Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival in California. [A side note, the Fantasy Fair occurred before the Monterrey Pop Festival and so is actually considered the first rock festival.]

According to Rolling Stone (February 1, 1969), the Miami festival was “a monumental success in almost every aspect, the first significant — and truly festive — international pop festival held on the East Coast.” Hallandale city officials, horrified by visions of stoned hippies dancing naked at Gulfstream, nixed plans for a second Miami Pop Festival.

1968 Miami Pop Festival

1968

Among the performers, were future Woodstock stars, the Grateful Dead, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Richie Havens, Sweetwater, Canned Heat, and Country Joe and the Fish.

Of course it’s difficult to find recordings or film of the event, but we are twice lucky. There is a film/still shot combination video of Jimi Hendrix doing “Foxy Lady.”

1968 Miami Pop Festival

The Dead

And of course the Grateful Dead did record their performance. You can listen to it through the AMAZING collection at the Internet Archive site: Dead in Miami

According to Wikipedia’s entry, some unique stories of the event were that:

  • Joni Mitchell invited Graham Nash and Richie Havens  to join her onstage to sing Dino Valenti’s “Let’s Get Together“
  • Jefferson Airplane’s Jack Casady played bass guitar with Country Joe & the Fish
  • it was the first rock festival to have separate ‘main’ stages several hundred yards apart (the Flower Stage and the Flying Stage).

There is also some additional information from Miami.com which includes several pictures

1968 Miami Pop Festival
Music et al, Today in history, Woodstock Music and Art Fair

Multi instrumentalist Edgar Winter

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Multi instrumentalist Edgar Winter

Happy birthday Edgar
born December 28, 1946
Multi-instrumentalist Edgar Winter
Edgar with Johnny and mother

Edgar Winter the multi-instrumentalist: keyboard, guitar, saxophone, and percussion — as well as a singer.

Multi instrumentalist Edgar Winter

Woodstock

He played both with his brother, Johnny (famously at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair) as well as a solo artist with his own bands. He described the Woodstock event as something that changed his life. He had not written music much to that point, but afterwards “realized the great spiritual dimension of music…”

Multi instrumentalist Edgar Winter

White Trash/Edgar Winter Group

His powerful “Tobacco Road”brought him into the national spotlight. Edgar formed White Trash, a group originally comprised of musicians from Texas and Louisiana. White Trash enjoyed  success with the 1971 release of the studio album, Edgar Winter’s White Trash, and with 1972’s follow-up live gold album, Roadwork.

Johnny and Edgar playing at the Olympic Auditorium LA.
March 7, 1970: Tobacco Road

In 1972 Winter formed The Edgar Winter Group, the  band that created  the number one Frankenstein and Free Ride.  Edgar invented the keyboard body strap early in his career, an innovation that allowed him the freedom to move around on stage.

Multi instrumentalist Edgar Winter

Film, TV

He has released over 20 albums and numerous collaborative efforts He  appeared in the film “Netherworld”, and the TV shows “The Cape”, “Mysterious Ways”, “Dave Letterman”, and “Jimmy Kimmel”.

Edgar’s music can also be heard film and television projects, including Netherworld, Air America, My Cousin Vinny, Encino Man, Son In Law, What’s Love Got to do With It, Wayne’s World 2, Starkid, Wag the Dog, Knockabout Guys, Duets, Radio, The Simpsons, Queer as Folk, and Tupac Resurrection.

Edgar and his wife, Monique, live in Beverly Hills with their little dog Mimi.

On the road

Edgar is constantly on the road touring,  His site has the latest dates.

Happy Birthday.