The muddiest four days in history were celebrated in a drug-induced haze in Sullivan County, New York (Tiber 1). Music soared through the air and into the ears of the more than 450,000 hippies that were crowded into Max Yasgur's pasture. "What we had here was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence," said Bethel town historian Bert Feldmen. "Dickens said it first: 'it was the best of times, it was the worst of times'. It's an amalgam that will never be reproduced again" (Tiber 1). It also closed the New York State Thruway and created one of the nation's worst traffic jams (Tiber 1). Woodstock, with its rocky beginnings, epitomized the culture of that era through music, drug use, and the thousands of hippies who attended, leaving behind a legacy for future generations. Woodstock was the hair brained idea of four men that met each other completely at random. It was the counterculture's biggest bash, which ultimately cost over $2.4 million, and was sponsored by John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Artie Kornfeld, and Michael Lang (Young 18). John Roberts was an heir to a drugstore and toothpaste manufacturing fortune. He supplied the money, for he had a multi-million dollar trust fund, a University of Pennsylvania degree, and a Lieutenant's commission in the Army (Tiber 1). Joel Rosenman, the son of a prominent Long Island orthodontist, had just graduated from Yale Law School (Makower 28). In 1967, he was playing guitar for a lounge band in motels from Long Island to Law Vegas. He and Roberts met on a golf course in the fall of 1966 (Tiber 1). By the next winter, Roberts and Rosenman shared an apartment and were trying to figure out what to do with their lives. One idea was to create a screw ball situation comedy for television (Landy, Spirit 62). "It was an office comedy about two pals with more money than brains and a thirst for adventure," Rosenman said. To get plot ideas for their sitcom, Roberts and Rosenman put a classified as in the Wall Street Journal and Fanning 2 the New York Times in March of 1968 that read: "Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions" (Tiber 1). Artie Kornfeld was the vice-president of Capitol Records. He smoked hash in the office and was the Company's connection with the rockers that were starting to sell millions or reco... ... middle of paper ... ...ug use, and the thousands of hippies who attended, leaving behind a legacy for future generations. II. How Woodstock got Started; The Events Leading up to Woodstock0 A. Woodstock was the hair brained idea of four men that met each other completely at random. B. The four met to discuss their idea at a high-rise on 83rd Street. C. "In the cultural-political atmosphere of 1969, Kornfeld and Land knew it was important to pitch Woodstock in a way that would appeal to their peer's sense of independence. III. The Four Days of Woodstock A. After a much-anticipated wait, Friday, August 15, 1969, arrived. B. On Friday, Joan Baez was the headliner…and Sly and the Family Stone. C. There were people everywhere. D. There was a tent dubbed the Freak-Out Tent, which in reality was the nurses' station. IV. The Aftermath A. After the final hippie drudged out of Max Yasgur's pasture, the problems for Woodstock Ventures began. B. For the next decade, Woodstock was virtually a cliché for all that was goofy and bad about the '60's. V. Conclusion Summary Sentence: A good time was had by all, and although it has been tried, perfection cannot be imitated.
The 1960’s was a radical decade filled with political tensions, social strife, and overall cultural intrigue. The beginning of the decade allowed for the transition from President Eisenhower to President Kennedy, the youngest President to take office, and the first Roman Catholic. The move represented a shift from a Republican to Democratic administration in the Oval Office. Kennedy became a symbol for the young vibrancy of the American populous, as he was quickly accepted by the grand majority. After Kennedy was assassinated and Lyndon B. Johnson took office, the nation was further engulfed in the war that would come to define America for years to come. The Republican Party regained office as Richard Nixon was elected in his second attempt to run as the decade came to a close. Activists such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X paved the way for the civil rights movement that swept the nation and captivated the spirit of not only black Americans, but white Americans as well. The race between the United States of America and The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics for domination of space escalated as Kennedy pushed for a man on the moon by the close of the decade, achieved in 1969. The possibility of nuclear war became all too real in 1962 as the launch of nuclear missiles became an abundantly clear possibility. The drug culture emerged in the 1960’s in large part due to the newfound accessibility of illegal drugs, such as marijuana and Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, or LSD. American society was entrenched in the chaotic desire for new, improved highs. The profound ascent of the drug culture was truly realized when the 3-day music festival, Woodstock, took place in 1969, as “sex, drugs and rock n’ roll” symbolized America’s...
"First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth."- John F. Kennedy. On a warm July night in 1969, this dream came true. Millions of people sat captivated in front of their TVs witnessing one of the most monumental events in history, Neil Armstrong walking gracefully on the moon. This event in US history changed the way we look at space forever. Political issues such as the Vietnam War and foreign affairs were on the forefront of American's minds. Thousands of people came peacefully together in a historical concert event called Woodstock. Children were introduced to a place called "Sesame Street" and Heavy Metal meant more than just an old car. The year 1969 impacted American's lives today in politics, science, sports, art, entertainment and daily living.
Many times, people have very different ideas about what makes an icon. Our icons may be singers, dancers, athletes, actors or politicians. We may not even know what the criteria would be for an icon, but we know one when we see it. One of the greatest American icons in history is the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival. To say that Woodstock isn’t an icon would be like saying that the music wasn’t a dynamic character in the movie “Star Wars” or “The Phantom of the Opera”. An Icon must encompass a distinct ideology, and nothing ushered in our generation’s journey to the end of the innocence like Woodstock.
...eir surf like music, and sixties pop. They also introduced influential harmonies. From August 15th through the 17th of 1969, a music festival called Woodstock was held on a 600 acre dairy farm in New York. Over 300,000 people were in attendance. Tickets were free of charge, and the festival was also known as “three days of peace and music”. Performers included Richie Havens, Bert Sommer, Joan Baez, Quill, Santana, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Joe Crocker, and so many more talented musicians.
The year was 1967. The Vietnam War was in full swing. “Make Love not War” posters were plastered around cities of Sydney, London and San Francisco. Social change was expanding and individuals continued rebelling against the conformity of society. The vision of a new counter culture has been established in the early sixties and was now bigger and stronger than ever, with 30 000 like minded people attending the event to define the decade; the Summer of Love. Held on the corner of Haight and Ashbury in San Francisco, Golden Gate Park became home to free food, love, health clinics, music, and even free drugs. Organised by artist Micheal Bowen, this Summer of Love was aimed to be a “gathering of tribes”, allowing individuals to gather in harmony to express their views and a similar way of living. The start was marked by a “Human Be-In” rally on January 14 1967 and attracted people of all ages and countries to flock to the festival. Not only did it attract many gentle and calm participants along for the journey, but a large range of media reporters in an attempt to bring the event to ...
Before 1963, the music being played in the 60’s were closely reflecting the sound, style, and belief of the decades before. After 1963, many social influences changed what peopled were viewing as popular music. The assassination of Kennedy, war in Vietnam, and the Civil Rights Movement all greatly impacted the mood of American culture and how the music began to reflect change. The “British Invasion” was a time period in which many British bands and artists came to the United States, and excelled extremely well. The most famous of these bands were “The Beetles,” who would eventually go down in history as one of the most famous bands in history. At the height of the music industry in the 60’s, one single event changed American music forever. Woodstock was a three-day concert full of sex, drugs, and a lot of hippies. The organizers were only expecting about 50,000 people to show up. To their surprise, more than 400,000 appeared at the infamous dairy farm in New York. With artists like Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, many were drawn to witness this phenomenon. This festival is widely known as the definitive moment for the larger counter-culture generation. The 60’s drastically revolutionized music in a way that shaped music into the powerhouse that it is for generations to
They set themselves out as a group and were going to stand up for their rights as well as the rights of mankind. Songs of peace and harmony were chanted throughout protests and anti-war demonstrations, and America’s youth was changing rapidly. Never before had the younger generation been so outspoken. Fifty thousand flower children and hippies traveled to San Francisco for the "Summer of Love," with the Beatles’ hit song, "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band listen as they light up in the dark.
In 1969 at Bethel, New York, the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was 3 day event that was all about peace, love, music, and partying. It was a historic event that changed what was known back then as the “hippie movement”. At Woodstock there were many influential artists that performed at this huge event. It was a popular festival that led the later generations to embrace the sentiment and mood of what Woodstock came to represent. People didn’t realize (until later) how historic Woodstock really was. Woodstock was actually supposed to be a simple small event that would have around a only expected to have 5,000 people attend. It surpassed all expectations by having nearly 500,000 people attend. In the end it actually become a
As Jimi Hendrix matured, he turned to his guitar skills when nothing else was working for him. He joined a blues and rhythm circuit that traveled around playing at different restaurants in Nashville. Jimi was only a sideman and was making only a little money, if any at all. Then, Jimi met a man named Curtis Knight who was the lead singer of Curtis Knight and the Squires. Hendrix and Knight quickly became close friends. Knight knew the music industry and helped out Hendrix. Though Knight helped Hendrix, he also hurt him. Knight introduced Hendrix to Greenwhich Village. This is where all the music was, but that's not all. Marijuana, Cocaine, and pep pills were all introduced to Hendrix and became apart of his daily life, as he was an avid abuser of these drugs. Not long after being in the band the Animals' bassist, Chas Chandler, approached Hendrix and convinced him to move to London. In London, Chandler became Hendrix's manager and helped him form The Hendrix Experience. This new group consisted of Hendrix, Mitch Mitchell, and Noel Redding. The Experience consisted of R&B with a little eclectic pop. His new group quickly became popular in London earning top ten spots on the UK Top Ten.
In the town of Woodstock, local residents became fearful about the possibility of a hippie invasion. The location was changed from the village of Woodstock, to the town of Wallkill, then finally to a farm at White Lake in the town of Bethel. The name was retained. They rented a 70 acre field from a prominent local dairy farmer, Max Yasgur, who owned land about 48 miles from Woodstock, in Bethel.
The ‘60s were the age of youth, as millions of children’s from post World War II became teenagers and rebelled against the conservative fifties. Denying civil rights to African-Americans and liberation to teenagers in previous decades and Vietnam War, created a vortexes which lead to massive rebellion against the status qua. Music of the 1960s was characteristic of the revolution that was going on during the decade. It was a time of rebellion and counter-culture in which the teenagers and college students were critical of government, business, religious institution and other various aspects of life. Era marked by civil rights movement, Vietnam War, environment of drug abuse and sexual freedom formed new music like: folk rock, soul and psychedelic rock. These genres starkly contrast the teen idol music of ‘50s pop mainstream. Writes John Covach; “World was exploding, and rock musicians were listening more closely than ever.”(Covach, 152) Such stark contrast in pop music directly relay to changing social culture in America, which further echo’s the relationship between music and culture.
In 1967, summer of love in San Francisco there were people traveling from across the world to go to Haight-Ashbury street to join the huge crowd. To listen to bands play while going wild. Taking drugs, having sex, dancing to music, people fighting for what’s right. During that year summer lasted a year long and not a lot of people complained. With what happened, there were multiple of things that had an impact on American society and culture, hippie movement became a trend, there were drugs, and music.
When the word “hippie” comes to mind, images of men with long hair and colorful clothing, women with peace-sign necklaces and fringed vests, vans with “flower power” and rainbows arrive with it. For many people, colorful clothing and peace-signs were the legacy of the hippies. In fact, the definition of a hippie is a person from the 1960s with an unconventional appearance. However, the real legacy of the “hippie movement” is forgotten completely. As Timothy Miller writes, “There is at least some ongoing impact in the three most renowned centers of the hip revolution: "sex, dope, and rock and roll” (Miller 133). The actual legacy of the movement had very little to do with appearance and fashion. Instead, the legacy has more to do with rebellion and challenging societal norms - the acceptance of, dope, premarital sex, and rock and roll.
Along with the peak of several movements music began to reach a point of climax. Rock specifically began to flourish in the 1960’s, while expressing the voice of the liberated generation. It is the power of such trends that overall lead to what is known as the greatest music festival of all time: Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The festival started on August 15, 1969 on Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York. Appealing to the time period, Woodstock was designed to be Three Days of Peace and Music. However, many argue that it was more than just a musical art fair of peace, but a historically significant event that shifted American culture. While some regard Woodstock as the beginning of a cultural advancement and the end of a naïve era, others view it as ridiculous hippy festival infested with illegal drug usage. Woodstock cost over $2.4 million and attracted over 450,000 people (Tiber, 1). Despite the debate of whether Woodstock produced a positive or negative effect, it is clear that a note worthy impact was made. When discussing the overall impact of Woodstock it is important to look at the influences and creative plan and the positive and negative effects produced from the festival.
Unlike the society before this movement, the hippie did not try to change America through violence, the hippie tried to change things through peace and love. The Hippie Movement was a moment during the mid 1960s through the early 1070s where sex, drugs and Rock-n-Roll, was at the forefront of mainstream society. No one really knows the true definition of a Hippie, but a formal definition describes the hippie as one who does not conform to social standards, advocating a liberal attitude and lifestyle. Phoebe Thompson wrote, “Being a hippie is a choice of philosophy. Hippies are generally antithetical to structured hierarchies, such as church, government, and social castes. The ultimate goal of the hippie movement is peace, attainable only through love and toleration of the earth and each other. Finally, a hippie needs freedom, both physical freedom to experience life and mental freeness to remain open-minded” (Thompson12-13). Many questions are asked when trying to figure out how this movement reached so many of America’s youth, and what qualities defined a hippie as a hippie?