Tag Archives: Woodstock Music and Art Fair

Music et al, Woodstock Music and Art Fair

Bassist Charlie Bilello

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Bassist Charlie Bilello

November 3, 1943 – March 19, 1989
Bassist Charlie Bilello
Charlie Bilello (foreground) playing w Bert Sommer and Ira Stone at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair.
Bassist Charlie Bilello

Bert Sommer’s band

Here is another Woodstock Music and Art Fair performer for whom little can be found.

Charlie Bilello played bass with Bert Sommer that Friday 15 August in Bethel, NY.  Woodstock fan, blogger and autograph hound Jack Lokensky wrote that he has not been able to locate Bilello, but did seek out Ira Stone, the other musician with Sommer that day.

Jlokensky

According to Jlokensky, Stone and his wife Max were part of a fund-raiser the day he met Ira. Their [the Stones’s] set was dedicated to the memory of Bert Sommer. Three of the four songs they played were played by Mr. Sommer as part of his ten song set. “Jennifer”, which was a song written about fellow “Hair” cast member, and future singer, Jennifer Warnes, opened the set. Max then told a story about how Tim Hardin borrowed and made off with Bert Sommer’s guitar just prior to Mr. Sommer’s set. They then played Tim Hardin’s “If I Were a Carpenter”. They played a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “America”, a song which allegedly earned Bert Sommer the first standing ovation of the Woodstock Festival. They concluded with another Bert Sommer original, “Smile”.

Wade Lawrence

Wade Lawrence, the former director and head curator at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts’ Museum, had similar problems finding much about Bilello: Bass player Charlie Bilello hasn’t been heard from for a number of years and is presumed to have retired from the music business or died.

According to a comment made by a “Les” at the West Virginia Surf Report site, “Charlie died in an accident in 1989.”

According to a Facebook comment by Lynda Galindo: Charlie Bilello died n March 1984 when he was hit in a hit and run n West Hempstead New York…

I’ve since found after a communication with Charlie’s son Ryan Bilello said that Charlie died on March 19, 1989.

And another Facebook comment by Sharon Watts:  Charlie was a Sam Ashe music store employee, and on the Zax CD, you can hear Bert correcting himself to say Hempstead (the Sam Ashe branch). 

Sharon also mentions him dying in a hit and run accident.

A Nancy Dunn Kurlish commented on  my post: Here is a pic of Charlie sleeping. He was a friend when I lived in NY. We lost touch.

No photo description available.

In response,  Ryan Bilello  wrote: Hi Nancy Dunn Kurlish, my name is Ryan and Charlie Bilello is my father. Sadly, as Lynda Galindo stated, he passed in 1989 when I was 2 years old and my sister was 6. Thank you for sharing that picture of him as there aren’t many that we have. Please do let me know if you come across any others. All the best! 

Bassist Charlie Bilello

Music et al, Woodstock Music and Art Fair

John Pilla Guitar Woodstock

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John Pilla Guitar Woodstock

John Pilla Guitar Woodstock
John a “few” years ago

John Pilla’s internet footprint is a small one and what there is is usually associated as a guitarist with Arlo Guthrie. The reason I am doing a piece on John is because he played with Arlo at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair.

John Pilla Guitar Woodstock

Incidental references

There are some incidental references such as that made by Dr Eugene Beresin from a June 2012 Psychology Today post: “Growing up in the Philadelphia area, I spent a number of years working as a member of the grounds crew for the Philadelphia Folk Festival. As a teenager, I went to the Philly Folk Song Society, frequented the Main Point, and took guitar lessons from John Pilla, who backed up Doc Watson and Arlo Guthrie among others. In fact, I bought my first real guitar through John who got it from Fred Neil. John said it was an old beat up 1935 Martin, but I found out much later it was really made in 1956.”

John Pilla Guitar Woodstock

John Pilla Guitar Woodstock

All Music dot com

John’s AllMusic credits are also mainly associated with Guthrie, but not just as a guitarist. Pilla has also done photography for albums (e.g., Eric Andersen), engineered albums (e.g. 3 Penny Needle), and produced many of Arlo Guthrie’s albums. The discogs.com site has a similar description of John’s discography.  And an news article from years ago: John Pilla, also a native Philadephian, has, in his nine years as a guitarist, evolved from rock ‘n roll player to one of Philadelphia’s finest folk guitarists. John, who is also a songwriter, has just made a record with Doc Watson (who performed at Central last year) and it due to be released shortly. Previous to his becoming a solo performer and his work with Doc Watson, John was a member, along with Jerry Ricks, of the Johnson City Three. Locally, John has appeared at the 2nd of Autum, the Second Fret, and the Main Point, where he is now appearing with Doc Watson.

Bethel Woods

Bethel Woods has a piece on Arlo Guthrie at its site which includes Pilla. Apparently, John died in 1988 of a heart attack, but if anyone has any more recent or expanded information about John, please comment below or email to woodstockwhisperer@gmail.com

John Pilla Guitar Woodstock

In 2024, John’s son Chris posted a comment for this post. It’s below, but perhaps readers don’t always get to those.

I’m including his comment here as well because someone might have another personal story about John and Chris can see it. A kindness that would certainly be welcome.

My name is Chris and I am John’s son. He and my mother divorced while I was very young and I didn’t reconnect with him very much until I was in my late teens and he was finding out about his heart condition. I love reading some of these because I get to know him a bit more with each story.

Guitar Woodstock, 

Birthdays, Woodstock Music and Art Fair

Sweetwater Nancy Nevins

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Sweetwater Nancy Nevins

October 12…happy birthday

Sweetwater Nancy Nevins

I try to do a blog piece for each Woodstock performer on their birthday and if her Facebook page is accurate 😀 , then October 12 is Nancy Nevin’s birthday.

Sweetwater Nancy Nevins

The main source for my information is from a February 2, 2017 Wade Lawrence blog piece for the Museum at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts.

Nevins’s Sweetwater story began when she was 17. She happened to stop at a coffeehouse on her way home. She sat in with Alex Del Zoppo (keyboards), Albert Moore (flute), and Elpidio Cobian (congas) who were jamming.

That was it. About an hour later she headed home. Eventually, though, she began performing with those three on the coffeehouse circuit. August Burns (cello), Fred Herrera (bass), and Alan Malarowitz (drums) joined and all became Sweetwater.

Sweetwater Nancy Nevins

Eponymous Sweetwater album

In 1968, Reprise Records released Sweetwater’s first album, Sweetwater. The band toured as an opening act for some of the time’s big names: The Doors, Eric Burdon and the Animals, Cream, Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, and others.

They also found themselves on various TV variety shows such as The Red Skelton Show, The Steve Allen Show, Playboy After Dark, The Hollywood Palace, and American Bandstand.  Here’s a clip from an appearance on Hollywood Palace with Bing Crosby’s corny intro:

Sweetwater Nancy Nevins

1969 Festival circuit

Along with dozens of other bands that year, Sweetwater played at many festivals besides Woodstock:

Sweetwater Nancy Nevins

Bad luck and tragedy

For many Woodstock bands, their fame was brief. For others, like Santana, their fame blossomed a year later when their appearance became part of the triple-album and/or the Woodstock movie.

Sweetwater had neither.

And when a drunken driver sped into Nancy Nevins’s stopped car, her career should have ended, too.

She wasn’t supposed to live. She wasn’t supposed have any mobility if she did live. And she certainly would never sing again if she regained any movement.

Sweetwater Nancy Nevins

Recovery

But after twenty-five excruciating years of rehabilitation, incredible persistence, great medical care, Nevins lives on. Nevins sings some (with a different voice), teaches more (and learns more every day), and realizes how fortunate she is simply to be alive.

Sweetwater released two more albums using some of her pre-accident recordings, but its members eventually went their own way as well.

 

Sweetwater Nancy Nevins
From her Facebook page

Her Facebook page lists this information as well:

  • Works at Musician
  • Former Recording Artist at Self and Rhino Records, et al
  • Former Singer/Performer at Musician
  • Studied at California State University, Fullerton
  • Studied American Studies at California State University, Fullerton
  • Went to Glendale High School
  • Lives in Los Angeles, California
  • From Los Angeles, California
Sweetwater Nancy Nevins