There was a historic music festival in the summer of 1969. But it's not the one that took place in Bethel, NY. The Harlem Cultural Festival ran from June 29 to August 24 that summer, presenting a concert every Sunday afternoon in Mount Morris Park (known today as Marcus Garvey Park). Three hundred thousand people turned out for the six free concerts, hearing acts like Nina Simone , Sly & the Family Stone (the only act to play both Woodstock and the "black Woodstock"), Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, The 5th Dimension, Moms Mabley and. Speakers included Jesse Jackson and "blue-eyed soul brother" Mayor John Lindsay. Security was courtesy of the Black Panthers, since the NYC police refused to provide it. Filmmaker Hal Tulchin recorded over 50 hours of concert footage, which has remained unreleased. Historic Films seems to hold the footage; it was supposed to be made into a movie to premiere at Sundance 2007, but its release seems to be continually delayed for reasons unclear. [more inside]
posted by Miko on Aug 20, 2009 - 19 comments

This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of Woodstock, or to give its official name, the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, a little get-together held at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York. It's not like Woodstock hasn't been picked apart to death for every year around this time, but since this is the 40th year since it happened, there seems to be more than the usual nostalgia fest going on. [more inside]
posted by thread_makimaki on Aug 12, 2009 - 117 comments

For Sale: Max Yasgur's Farm [more inside]
posted by not_on_display on Jan 9, 2008 - 56 comments

Woodstock^ (YouTuner)
Day ☼ { Richie Havens ♪ Country Joe McDonald ♪ John Sebastian ♪ Sweetwater ♭ Incredible String Band ♪ Bert Sommer ♭ Tim Hardin ♪ Ravi Shankar ♭ Melanie ♪ Arlo Guthrie ♪ Joan Baez ♪ }
Day ☼☼ { Quill ♪ Keef Hartley Band ♭ Santana ♪ Canned Heat ♪ Mountain ♪ Janis Joplin ♪ ♫ Sly & the Family Stone ♪ Grateful Dead ♪ Creedence Clearwater Revival ♪ The Who ♪ ☻ ♫ Jefferson Airplane ♪ ♫ }
Day ☼☼☼ { Joe Cocker ♪ Country Joe & the Fish ♪ Ten Years After ♪ The Band ♪ Blood Sweat & Tears ♪ Johnny Winter ♪ Crosby, Stills & Nash ♪ ♬ ♫ Paul Butterfield Blues Band ♪ Sha-Na-Na ♪ Jimi Hendrix ♪ ★ ♫ }

posted by pruner on May 15, 2007 - 50 comments

Happy 59th Birthday, Steven Victor Tallarico. His full name anagrams to "Vertical, not so Vertical", but he is better known as, Steven Tyler, the leader singer of America's Greatest Rock 'n' Roll band, Aerosmith. As a 19 year old from hardscrabble suburban satellite city Yonkers, NY, Steven was an attendee of the original Woodstock Peace and Music Festival in 1969, and then again as a performer in 1994. He is one half of the infamous toxic twins, a drummer, singer of sprituals, front man par excellence and a famous collector of scarves. He fathered a child with über hot model, singer, muse and groupie extraordinaire, Bebe Buell [NSFW!!]. However, she so hated Steven, that she raised their daughter Liv as Liv Rundgren (daughter of Todd) until Liv discovered the truth at age 9, when she noticed that she was a dead ringer for Tyler's other daughter, Mia. Please join me in wishing Mr. Tyler a happy 59th because, given the life he's led, he probably doesn't have too many more of these left.
posted by psmealey on Mar 26, 2007 - 107 comments

Fixin'to Die after all these years Woodstock-era protest singer Country Joe McDonald still keeps an active pulse on today's events on his website. One of what eventually came to be perhaps his most famous song, the "I-Feel-Like-Fixin'-to-Die rag" has taken new life in light of current events, which is quite simple to deduct: just substitute all the Vietnam references with "Iraq" and there you have it - as many people have been happy to do by submitting their own lyrics versions to the site, somehow confirming that the world actually hasn't changed much in that respect 30 years after Vietnam...
posted by betobeto on Jan 29, 2003 - 7 comments

This would make a very nice birthday present - If anyone wants to buy me the Woodstock Master Tapes, I promise I will burn copies for you and all your friends...
posted by elvissinatra on Aug 1, 2002 - 13 comments