Friday, June 16, 1967 - Evening
Known for their happy, sunshine pop, The Association were formed in California and came together just a couple of years before Monterey. They hit the big time when their song "Along Comes Mary" made it to #7 on the US charts the previous year. Their first #1 song, "Cherish", came out in 1966, but their fame would grow even more when there song "Windy" would hit #1 a month after the festival.
Here's a link to part of their performance:
The Association at Monterey
Hailing from my hometown of Toronto, Ontario, this Canadian band would only be around for a few years. They were considered a psychedelic rock band, only releasing two albums in their time together. A couple of their songs charted in Canada, "If I Call You By Some Name" and "Simple Deed", but they faded away into obscurity soon after Monterey.
Here's a wacky video of their song "Magic People" which they performed at Monterey:
The Paupers freaking out!
It seems as though Lou Rawls has been singing forever, but in 1967, he was still relatively new to audiences. His first album, Stormy Monday, was released just five years before the Monterey Pop Festival. His first taste of success happened in 1965 when "Three O'Clock In The Morning" charted in the US, only reaching #83. In 1966 the song "Love Is A Hurtin' Thing" made it to #13, but gave Rawls his first #1 song on the R&B chart. We were still years away from "You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine" and "Lady Love".
Here's some audio of the great Lou Rawls singing "Tobacco Road":
Lou Rawls chats and sings Tobacco Road
Folk songs and acts were very popular in the 1960's. Beverley Martyn and her husband John performed under her first name at Monterey. I don't have a lot of info on the duo, as it seems they broke up more times than a high school couple. As far as I can tell they sang three songs during their time on stage: "Sweet Joy", "Sweet Honesty" and "Picking Up The Sunshine".
Here's a link to the song "Sweet Honesty" recorded from a show done in 2014:
Beverley Martyn with Nick Drake
You may not have heard of Johnny Rivers, but during the '60's and '70's, he was pretty big. He sang mostly folk-rock, but had a knack for covering some old time rock songs. In 1964 he covered Chuck Berry's "Memphis" and took it all the way to #2 on the US charts. Another Berry cover, "Maybellene", made it to #12 and a cover of Harold Dorman's "Mountain Of Love" made it to #9. Rivers' first #1 song, "Poor Side Of Town", was one of his own and charted in 1966. He would continue to have chart success after Monterey.
Here's some pretty good audio from the Monterey Pop Festival of Rivers doing "Memphis":
Johnny Rivers sing Memphis, Tennessee
The 1960's were a tumultuous time for Eric Burdon and his Animals. The original players that scored with the monster hit "The House Of The Rising Sun" had left and, due to some horrible mismanagement of funds, Burdon need to gather a new band that would be helped by the Animals moniker. The new band became a little more psychedelic, less on the soul favourites we were used to, more of the way rock music was going in the late '60's. Partly because of his name and partly because the music was still good, the new band scored a hit in 1966 with "Help Me Girl", reaching #29 on the US charts. "When I Was Young", released just a couple of months before the Monterey Pop Festival, hit #15. Burdon's appearance was sort of a new coming-out party for him and his mates. Shortly after the festival ended, Burdon penned the song "Monterey" about the goings on at the first peace and love fest.
Here is Burdon and his Animals doing their take on a Rolling Stones' tune:
Burdon And The Animals Paint It Black
To end the first night, the festival organizers brought out one of the biggest acts in America at the time. Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel started singing together way back in 1957, then known as Tom And Jerry. They released their first album in 1964, Wednesday Morning, 3AM, to fairly bad reviews. But in January of 1966, along came Sounds Of Silence, and Simon And Garfunkel became mega-stars. About eight months before the Monterey Pop Festival, the duo released Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing Simon And Garfunkel. In the dark of night in this warm California county, Paul and Art sang seven songs to the delight of the crowd.
Here are a few links of their stellar performance:
The Sound Of Silence
Homeward Bound
The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
At The Zoo (audio)
Saturday, June 17, 1967 - Afternoon
The blackest white Blues band ever, Canned Heat formed in 1965 and, as of their performance in Monterey, hadn't even released an album yet. Their first album, Canned Heat, would hit stores in July of 1967. Most folks know the band from two big tunes they had later on; "On The Road Again" and "Going Up The Country". But this was just a small part of who Canned Heat was. They were first and foremost a fantastic Blues band, doing covers of such great artists as John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon. Their live shows were epic. Their set at Woodstock is a definite highlight of that festival. But their performance two years before, at Monterey, wasn't too shabby either!
Here's the start of their set on the second day of the festival:
Canned Heat Rollin' And Tumblin'
Bullfrog Blues (audio)
Yep, it wasn't even "Janis Joplin with Big Brother And The Holding Company". Nobody really knew who Janis Joplin was in the Summer of '67. She had recently made her way out to California and joined the band who was, at the time, more of a progressive rock instrumental band. They changed their sound with the addition of Joplin, focusing more on Blues oriented rock and psychedelic rock. The change was for the better! In August of 1968 they released the album Cheap Thrills, and with Joplin providing the soul-filled vocals, the album went straight to #1 on the Billboard Album chart. You must remember, as you watch the linked footage, that not many people in the audience had really heard Janis Joplin sing. They certainly remembered her from this performance! I've posted the remarkable performance of "Ball And Chain" on my Facebook page many times, as I just can't get over the passion Joplin exudes. What I didn't know was that the band had to come back later in the evening to film that footage because most of the afternoon set wasn't filmed. But due to the overwhelming response from the audience, the filmmakers wanted to make sure they had something recorded.
Here's the phenomenal performance of the relatively unknown Janis Joplin that night in '67, and watch The Mamas And The Papas' Cass Elliot in open-mouthed awe:
Big Brother And The Holding Company Ball And Chain
Down On Me (audio from the afternoon show)
"Country" Joe McDonald was a songwriter/musician who got a few guys together to form Country Joe And The Fish in the mid-'60's. Their debut album, Electric Music For The Mind And Body, was released just a month before the Monterey Pop Festival. The album garnered rave reviews and the band became known for their psychedelic folk-blues-rock sound. The band never charted well on Billboard, but their performance at Woodstock in 1969 (with a mishmash of new members) is one of the unforgettable moments of that festival when they sang "The Fuck Song", sometimes known as "The Vietnam Song". ("Well its one, two, three, what are we fighting for/Don't ask me I don't give a damn/the next stop is Vietnam").
Here's the band doing a song from their debut album:
Country Joe's Section 43
Who?? Well, let me tell ya! Al Kooper has been a big figure in the music industry for over 50 years. He's a writer/performer/producer/engineer/session player, etc. He was instrumental in the formation of Blood, Sweat And Tears. He played on Bob Dylan's first electric album in 1965. He's played on records by such artists as The Rolling Stones, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Alice Cooper, Cream and The Who to just name a few. He is a giant in the music industry and it's only a matter of time before he is inducted into The Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame. In 1967, at the time of the Monterey Pop Festival, he was trying his luck as a solo artist, playing a number of instruments.
Here is a song from Kooper from the festival with Elvin Bishop on guitar (the uploader of this song has the wrong title):
Al Kooper doing Wake Me, Shake Me
Paul Butterfield grew up in Chicago during the time when the Chicago Blues were building momentum. As a young man he met many Blues artists, including Muddy Waters, while he perfected his harmonica playing. In the mid 1960's, Butterfield put together a band and started to record and continued to record albums until he died in 1987 from a heroin overdose. At Monterey, he and his band put together a long set of Blues songs hat the audience seemed to greatly enjoy.
Here they are layin' some out:
The Butterfield Blues Band Driftin' Blues
Born In Chicago (audio)
Mystery Train (audio)
Another band that formed not long before the Monterey Pop Festival, Quicksilver Messenger Service was known for their psychedelic rock. Their biggest hit, "Fresh Air", would reach #49 on the Billboard charts in 1970. At the time of their appearance at the festival, they were still about a year away from releasing their self titled debut album.
Here is the first song of their set at Monterey (audio is a little low):
QMS doing Dino's Song (All I Ever Wanted To Do)
Steve Miller had moved to Chicago in his early 20's to learn the Blues and play in the clubs around the city. In 1966, he moved across the country, to San Francisco, to check out the growing music scene out West. There he formed what would become the first incarnation of the Steve Miller Band. He continued to make a name for himself, but hadn't cut an album yet. His debut album, Children Of The Future, would be released a year after the festival. Miller obviously went on to be a bit of a big deal in the '70's, releasing a Greatest Hits album in 1978 that has sold over 14-million copies!! There isn't any video footage, that I know of, of the Steve Miller Band performance.
Here is some audio from that day:
Mercury Blues by the Steve Miller Band
Another Blues band that was led by guitar virtuoso Mike Bloomfield. (If you have a few minutes, Google Mike Bloomfield and the strange circumstances surrounding his death in 1981). They had formed earlier in the year and had recorded the soundtrack to a movie, The Trip, that would be released in August of 1967, an LSD laden experiment by Peter Fonda. Their first album would not be released until Early 1968. With Buddy Miles on drums (future drummer with Jimi Hendrix' Band Of Gypsys and Santana), the group were known for their musicianship.
Here are a couple of cool tunes by the band, which are really groovy, man:
Over Lovin' You by The Electric Flag
Very cool song, Wine
Saturday, June 17, 1967 - Evening
Here is a band that was becoming more popular by the minute in 1966 and 1967. Moby Grape was known for having all five members sing different songs, a rarity in any band (the Eagles come to mind). They played a mix of folk, blues, country, jazz and psychedelic rock. Their self-titled debut album was released just one week before they took the stage at the Monterey Pop Festival. The album made it to #24 on the charts. The single "Omaha", released on the same day, was their highest charting single at #88.
I couldn't find any video from their performance, but here they are doing three songs at Monterey, introduced by Tommy Smothers:
Moby Grape audio of Indifference, Sitting By The Window and Omaha
A South African jazz musician would follow Moby Grape...why, i don't know. It was, after all, an International music festival. Masekela began his career back in 1956, taking up the trumpet after seeing a Kirk Douglas film titled Young Man With A Horn. He had released a few albums before the festival, so folks there knew who he was, even if I don't. He became more popular in the late '60's when he had a number one hit in America with "Grazing In The Grass" in 1968.
Here is a very robust performance from Monterey:
Hugh Masekela's Bajabula Bonke
Here was probably the first big band of the festival. The Byrds formed in 1964 and started churning out hits soon after. By the time they took the stage at Monterey, they had released four albums, all of which charted in the US. Their biggest success was their debut album, Mr. Tambourine Man, released in 1965, which made it to #6 on the album charts. They had two #1 singles as well; the Bob Dylan tune "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" written by Pete Seeger, both in 1965. The band would continue to release albums until th early '70's and were always regarded as one of the best folk-rock bands of their time. Because of their popularity at the time, there are a few good recordings of their performance at Monterey:
He Was A Friend Of Mine
Hey Joe
So You Want To Be A Rock N Roll Star (audio)
Renaissance Fair (audio)
Lady Friend (audio)
An American songwriter, singer and pianist, Nyro had just started out on the music scene as a 19-year old playing a mix of jazz, rhythm and blues, pop, folk and rock. He first album was released earlier in 1967, titled More Than A New Discovery. On that album was the song "And When I Die", written by Nyro and made famous a couple of years later by Blood, Sweat And Tears. Nyro passed away in 1997 from ovarian cancer, but not before she left an indelible mark on many other singer/songwriters. Artists who have mentioned Nyro as an inspiration for their music include Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones, Tori Amos, Elton John and Steely Dan. Todd Rundgren once said, after hearing Nyro, that he "stopped writing songs like The Who and started writing songs like Laura". Pretty cool!
There was a write up after the festival that stated Nyro was booed off the stage, which has been shown to be false over and over again. Unfortunately, Nyro heard the rumours and believed them for almost 30 years.
Here are a couple of fabulous performances from this very talented 19-year old:
Wedding Bell Blues and Poverty Train
Formed in 1965 in San Francisco, California, about 120 miles north of Monterey, Jefferson Airplane was a band just finding itself in the summer of 1967. Their first album, Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, was released in 1966 to mixed reviews. At the time, the band's female lead singer was Signe Toly Anderson and the album was a more folksy turn. Anderson left the group soon after, as she didn't want to raise her new child on the road. The band recruited Grace Slick to replace Anderson. Slick used to play in a band called the Great Society who would open for Airplane occasionally. When they band went in to record their next album, they soon realized becoming more psychedelic was where they needed to go. The album, Surrealistic Pillow, was released in February of 1967 and the band exploded! The album shot up the charts, landing at #3. The songs "Somebody To Love" and "White Rabbit" became huge hits and are still considered vital listening in the annals of rock.
Here are a couple vids of Jefferson Airplane's performance:
Don't you need Somebody To Love??
High Flyin' Bird and Today
26 minute audio of Airplane's set
If you're talking about rhythm and blues innovators and you don't include Booker T. and his MG's, you know nothing! Armed with the legendary Steve Cropper on guitar, the MG's were the "house band" at Stax Records for years. They played on records by Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Sam And Dave, Bill Withers and dozens more. By 1967, Booker T. And The MG's had released four studio albums, with their fifth, Hip-Hug-Her, being released right around the time of the Monterey Pop Festival. They had ten charted singles on the Billboard charts, their most famous being the instrumental "Green Onions", which reached #3 in 1962.
The only track I could find of Booker T. at Monterey is an audio track:
Booker Loo (audio)
Soul music has always had it's great performers. Few could compete with the energy and vocal chops of the one and only Otis Redding. His star was still rising in 1967. In June of that year, he was still just 25 years old, but he had already solidified his legend. Recording for Stax Records out of Memphis, Redding recorded hit after hit, starting in 1962 with "These Arms Of Mine". Others followed; "Pain In My Heart", "Mr. Pitiful", "That's How Strong My Love Is", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", "Respect" (written by Otis, made more famous by Aretha), "I Can't Turn You Loose" and, of course, "Try A Little Tenderness". The light emanating from Otis when he performed was something to behold. Less than six months after his performance at Monterey, Otis Redding would die in a plane crash at the tender age of 26. There are artists that people disagree on sometimes; some like them and others don't. I can't even imagine anybody not thinking Otis Redding was one of the best, if not THE best, singers and entertainers the soul scene has ever seen!
Lucky for us, there are some good recordings of Otis performing at Monterey:
I've Been Loving You Too Long - just listen to the crowd's appreciation!!
The Stone's Satisfaction
Respect
Try A Little Tenderness
Sunday, June 18, 1967 - Afternoon
Back in 1939, a 19-year old Ravi Shankar picked up a sitar and began to change the thinking of popular musicians around the world. His friendship with George Harrison of The Beatles helped to introduce Indian-themed music to the masses. Everybody knew who he was and how his music influenced others, so to have him on stage for up to an hour. I have to say, the first time I watched the Monterey performances, I was going to skip the Ravi Shankar section. I'm so glad I decided not to...it was fabulous!
The first link is Shankar's entire set in audio, all 50 minutes of it:
50-minute audio Ravi Shankar
Take 18 minutes to watch this phenomenal performance!
Sunday, June 18, 1967 - Evening
This blues-rock band had formed in 1965 and by the time they played Monterey in 1967, they were in the midst of a breakup. Their first record was a live album, Live At The Cafe Au Go-Go, where they played many Blues classics by Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters and the like. They weren't a "big" band when they opened the last night of the festival, but they fit in with the blues-folksy rock that most others were performing.
Here's some audio of their set:
22-minute set by Blues Project
Video of A Flute Thing
After Janis Joplin came back out to sing "Ball And Chain" again (so that there would be a video recording of it), The Group With No Name took the stage. The band was led by Cyrus Faryar, a songwriter and folk musician in the late 1960's and early 1970's. I have absolutely no idea what they sang. I can't find any video or audio recording, so they'll have to remain a mystery...
Formed in 1966, and only together for a couple of years, Buffalo Springfield was made up partly of Stephen Stills and Neil Young, soon to form Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. In fact, Neil Young was unable to make the festival so David Crosby stood in his place. Their first album, Buffalo Springfield, was a pretty big hit in 1966. But when it came time to make a second pressing of the album, the song "For What It's Worth" was added as the lead off song, making the album a much bigger hit.
Here is their monster hit and some audio from the festival:
For What Its Worth - intro by Peter Tork
Rock And Roll Woman and Bluebird (audio)
One of the biggest bands of the British Invasion, The Who had millions of fans already and were just beginning a legacy of rock music we're still listening to. In 1967, The Who had released only two studio albums, My Generation and A Quick One. They had four songs that made the charts in 1965 and 1966, but none more important than "My Generation". That song introduced The Who as a band that wasn't gonna take no guff! They were loud and brash, and the lead guitarist and songwriter/singer Pete Townshend may have been insane! With his flamboyant playing and guitar smashing, he became the epitome of angry youth that wished all the older folk would just "fade away"!
Here is there full set in audio, and some video clips:
26-minute audio of The Who
Summertime Blues - check out Keith Moon!
Substitute - intro by Eric Burdon
My Generation...and destruction
In 1965, in Palo Alto, California, a rock band formed that would stay on the road for decades, and capture the hearts of millions of "Dead Heads". They would mix different genres into their records and live shows, anything from reggae to jazz, but mostly folk-rock. They had only just released their debut album in March of 1967, but they already had a reputation of a great live band, playing for hours. They were never a band that filled the charts with songs, but many folks knew every word of every song they ever recorded, and that was many!
Here is The Dead playing at Monterey:
Viola Lee Blues
34-minute audio from Monterey set
Most of us know the story of the best, most influential guitarist to ever walk the Earth, but here's a synopsis: Born in Seattle, moved to London when Chas Chandler of The Animals saw him play and thought he could be huge. That was in late 1966. He got together with bass player Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell to create The Jimi Hendrix Experience. They cut an album, Are You Experienced, and released it in May of 1967. Singles released in the UK from that album included "Purple Haze" (#3 on the UK charts), "Hey Joe" and "The Wind Cries Mary" (#6), before the US had even heard of the album. Paul McCartney, who had seen Hendrix perform in the UK, suggested to the organizers of the Monterey Pop Festival to include Jimi. He told them Jimi was "an absolute ace on guitar". So now it's June 18, 1967, and American-born Jimi Hendrix is about to blow everyone's mind! He did it all at Monterey; playing behind his back, behind his head, with his teeth. It was a truly remarkable performance and catapulted Hendrix into super-stardom. For the next three years, Jimi Hendrix was the biggest star in the world, which made it all so unbelievable when he died as a young 27-year old in 1970. The Animals bassist, Chas Chandler, not only believed in Hendrix, but helped put together one of the best rhythm sections around in Redding and Mitchell. I often think of Mitch Mitchell as one of the best drummers ever, someone who didn't get the credit he so deserved. Anyway, sit back and enjoy most of the Hendrix set ("Purple Haze", their biggest hit to date, wasn't recorded because the filmmakers had to change the film on their cameras.).
Hey Joe
Rock Me Baby
End of Wild Thing with guitar-a-fire
Turns out it's hard to find the Monterey stuff because of the official DVD you can buy...
Yup, this harmony quartet had to follow the explosive Jimi Hendrix! Made up of John Phillips and his wife Michelle, Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty, the band started out in 1965 with their folksy songs. At the time of the Monterey Pop Festival, they had released 3 albums and had great success. Their debut album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes And Ears, rocketed to #1 on the Album charts, due in part by their two hit singles off that album, "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday". The Mamas And The Papas were set to close the festival as John Phillips was one of the event's organizers. As a result, there seems to be a lot of video of their performance.
Here is some of their work at Monterey:
Straight Shooter
Got A Feelin'
I Call Your Name
California Dreamin'
Monday, Monday
Dancing In The Street - the last song of the festival
Oh, but wait....
Out comes singer/songwriter Scott McKenzie before the finale to sing his monster hit song "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)". His backing band was The Mamas And The Papas.
Here's some proof:
San Francisco
There it is, or was. One of the most important music festivals of our time, 50 years ago this weekend. Seems almost impossible that it happened that long ago, but in two years, right here on this blog, I'll be wrapping up the 50th Anniversary of the most popular music festival ever, one that attracted more than 400,000 people. Hope this was an enjoyable look back.
