Woodstock Scholarship: An Interdisciplinary Annotated Bibliography/Biography

Biography

Books

259. Baez, Joan. And a Voice to Sing With: A Memoir. New York: Summit Books, 1987.

Presents an autobiography account on the life of Joan Baez. Offers succinctly Baez’s unique poetic impressions of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Describes sharing the helicopter ride to the site with her mother and Janis Joplin. Articulates Baez’s humbled sense during the festival of belonging to the Woodstock generation. Compares the gathering to being like a city and a “technicolor, mud-splattered reflection of the 1960s.”

260. Black, Johnny. Jimi Hendrix: The Ultimate Experience. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1999.

     Compiles, dissects, and arranges chronologically-by-event various interviews with numerous individuals to construct a diary-like biography of Jimi Hendrix. Quotes Eddie Kramer describing his discovery of how badly prepared things were at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair with regard to the technology utilized on stage. Mitch Mitchell mentions the poor conditions at the Holiday Inn used by Jimi Hendrix at the festival. Jerry Velez offers Woodstock was his first professional gig, but he didn’t inform Hendrix of this fact. Leslie Aday reports Hendrix’s drug-induced anxiety about going on stage at Woodstock and his post-performance disappointment. Jerry Morrison claims he was the one who encouraged Hendrix to play The Star Spangled Banner and Tom Law refers to Hendrix’s rendition of the national anthem as being “a quintessential piece of art.” Hendrix himself comments on the lack of attention to the sound equipment and his dismay for large rock music festivals. Larry Lee, Billy Cox, and Juma Sultan reflect upon the on-stage experience of playing with Hendrix at the event.

261. Boyd, Joe. White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s. Serpent’s Tale, 2006.

     Recollects episodes from the author’s long and diverse career in the music business during the 1960s, when he worked with everyone from Muddy Waters to Pink Floyd before moving on to produce motion picture soundtrack albums. Relates his experience bringing the Incredible String Band to the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Describes his regret over allowing the group to postpone their performance by one day due to the inclement weather, thus moving them out of the acoustic lineup (e.g., Joan Baez, John Sebastian) and into the middle of the more heavy electric bands (e.g., Canned Heat) where their set fell flat. Suggests the careers of the Incredible String Band members could have been transformed if they had played on Friday night at the festival, as originally planned.

262. Crosby, David, and Carl Gottlieb. Long Time Gone: The Autobiography of David Crosby. New York: Doubleday, 1988.

     Utilizes a variety of voices to create an unique autobiography of David Crosby. Reveals Crosby’s generally positive feelings regarding the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Explains Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young were “scared” when they took the stage because “the whole goddamn music business was standing in a circle behind us,” noting everyone was curious about this new super-group. Quotes David Geffen describing his role in negotiating the inclusion of the group in the motion picture Woodstock.

263. Cross, Charles R. Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix. New York: Hyperion, 2005. https://www.scribd.com/doc/180427686/Room-Full-of-Mirrors-a-Biography-of-Jimi-Hendrix-Charles-R-Cross

     Presents a biography on the life of Jimi Hendrix. Notes Hendrix only rehearsed the band he used at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair for one week prior to the event. Tells the story of Hendrix and his band, along with Neil Young, needing to commandeer a truck in order to make it to the festival. Reprints Hendrix’s introductory remarks from the festival’s stage. Quotes Al Aronowitz describing the performance of The Star Spangled Banner as “the single greatest moment of the sixties.” Mentions Hendrix’s attitude toward his rendition of the national anthem as seeing it more of a musical exercise than a political manifesto. States the performance has become part of the Zeitgeist of the sixties. Reprints a poem Hendrix wrote about Woodstock.

264. Downing, David. A Dreamer of Pictures: Neil Young the Man and His Music. New York: Da Capo Press, 1994.

     Explores Neil Young’s life, politics, and aspirations. Mentions in a few words Young’s ambivalence towards the Woodstock Music and Art Fair and notes he refused to be filmed at the festival during his performance with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Includes a discography of record albums made by Neil Young as an individual artist and as part of a band from 1967 to 1993.

265. Echols, Alice. Scars of Sweet Paradise: The Life and Times of Janis Joplin. New York: Metropolitan Books, 1999.

     Offers a biographical portrait of Janis Joplin. Relates Joplin’s efforts to seek out a private place at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in order to take illegal drugs. Describes her lackluster performance at the festival, attributing it mostly to drugs and alcohol.

266. Gelb, Arthur. City Room. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2003.

     Represents the autobiography of Arthur Gelb, New York Times managing editor. Chronicles his forty-five year career at the newspaper. Describes how Gelb sent Barnard Collier to cover the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, thinking it was going to be just another music festival, along the lines of the Newport Folk Festivals. States, upon hearing reports of the massive traffic jam leading to Max Yasgur’s farm, he assigned two more reporters to cover the festival. Comments on the specialized, all-access, treatment afforded exclusively to the trio of New York Times reporters, stating the promoters “fed them champagne and lobster.” Also notes the wide-spread use of LSD at the festival. Reports on forming a post-event panel of attendees to discuss the significance of Woodstock, revealing the heightened sense of community where everything “was understood to be collective property.” Claims the coverage provided by the newspaper crystalized and empowered the global counterculture community.

267. Glatt, John. Rage & Roll: Bill Graham and the Selling of Rock. New York: Birch Lane Press, 1993.

     Offers a biography on rock music impresario Bill Graham (1931–1991). Provides insight into Graham’s involvement with the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Notes he was angered when the festival promoters started signing many of the acts scheduled to perform at his Fillmore East auditorium during the summer of 1969, fearing he would lose business if fans were able to see all the acts in one August weekend. States the solution agreed to by Michael Lang and Graham was to not announce the Woodstock acts until after they had played the Fillmore East during the summer. Claims John Morris hired many of the staff from the Fillmore East to work the Woodstock festival. Lists some of the fees paid to the acts. Describes how Graham negotiated getting Santana on the bill by threatening to withdraw the Grateful Dead. Quotes Graham discussing how Woodstock launched an era of stadium concerts and extraordinary fees being paid to performers. Observes this led directly to the demise of smaller concert venues such as the Fillmore East. Includes Graham’s reaction to the motion picture Woodstock which includes a clip of Graham articulating criticism of the event.

268. Goldberg, Danny. Bumping into Geniuses: My Life Inside the Rock and Roll Business. New York: Gotham, 2008.

     Presents the autobiography of Danny Goldberg, music industry insider. Describes Goldberg’s experience as a concert reviewer for Billboard magazine assigned to the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Confesses he has difficultly separating his memory of the festival from the images displayed in the motion picture Woodstock. Recalls the music as a backdrop to “the transient but ineffable sense of hippie camaraderie.” Mentions being compelled by the performance of Santana to make his way to the front of the stage.

269. Graham, Bill, and Robert Greenfield. Bill Graham Presents: My Life Inside Rock and Out. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

     Presents the autobiography of Bill Graham. Includes commentaries on Graham’s involvement with the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Covers his opposition to the festival, relationship with the promoters, and role in getting acts booked for the event. Quotes numerous individuals, including Graham, discussing his attendance and participation at Woodstock. Notes the festival organizers “capitalized on the smarts” of Fillmore East staff, including John Morris, Chip Monck, and Chris Langhart. Graham refers to the Woodstock promoters as “rank amateurs” who did not know what they were doing, but acknowledges no one had attempted anything of this scale before. Discusses how Graham managed to get Santana on the bill even though they had yet to release a record album. Includes Graham’s negative comments on the event as excerpted from the motion picture Woodstock. Claims Martin Scorsese directed the filming of the festival more so than Michael Wadleigh because Scorsese was located at the front and center of the stage. Reports Graham stating his favorite performances at Woodstock were by The Who and Sly and the Family Stone. Graham also notes Jimi Hendrix’s rendition of The Star Spangled Banner was “as creative a two minutes as you can probably find in rock and roll.” Mentions Graham’s observations on how Woodstock paved the way to a future of extremely large outdoor concerts.

270. Gravy, Wavy. Something Good for a Change: Random Notes on Peace Thru Living. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1992.

     Recounts moments from the author’s life. States the Hog Farm was originally hired for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair only to prepare the site (e.g., clear trails, dig fire pits), but when reporting for duty were informed they would be serving as security for the festival. Describes the Hog Farm’s free kitchen at the event. Explains how the author came to be one of the persons giving the stage announcements. Fantasizes about a “Woodstock World” built on the site of the original festival 100 years after the event. Offers those at the concert “rose up to our highest common denominator and reflected it nationwide through the popular press.” Expresses dismay the Woodstock generation ethos did not fully materialize in American culture, but remains hopeful for future generations.

271. Greenfield, Robert. Dark Star: An Oral Biography of Jerry Garcia. New York: William Morrow & Co., 1996.

     Presents a series of short commentaries collected and arranged chronologically. Quotes Owsley Stanley and Nick Scully describing the Grateful Dead’s performance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair as a disaster due mostly to equipment problems.

272. Havens, Richie. They Can’t Hide Us Anymore. New York: Avon Books, 1999.

     Proclaims to not be an autobiography, but rather a book of impressions and experiences. Contains stories about Richie Havens and those persons who have affected his life. Begins with a description of Havens being ushered by helicopter to the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, and then shifts to recollections of his childhood. Returns to recalling the Woodstock festival, its eighteen foot high stage, and the sea of humanity. Describes how Havens came to be the first act to perform at the event as a result of Michael Lang begging him to get on stage since no other acts had arrived or were willing to go first. Shares his euphoric emotional state during the performance. Explains the spontaneity behind his final encore of Freedom/Motherless Child. Devotes some text to articulating the meaning behind Woodstock and the sacredness Havens feels for the location when he visits the site. Mentions various unsuccessful attempts to recreate the spirit of the event through anniversary concerts. Foreword by James Earl Jones.

273. Helm, Levon. This Wheel’s on Fire: Levon Helm and the Story of the Band. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2013.

     Recounts the author’s life as a member of The Band. Describes how the group came to play at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. States The Band felt as if they were going into a war zone based on what they had heard about the event from some of the first day’s performers. Shares observations about the event. Lists the songs performed during The Band’s set. Claims the group does not appear in the film or on the record album because of disputes over compensation. Notes also some disappointment with their set because Robbie Robertson’s “microphone had been inadvertently left on, and he wasn’t much of a singer.”

274. Henderson, David. The Life of Jimi Hendrix: ‘Scuse Me while I Kiss the Sky. London: Omnibus Press, 1990.

     Provides an extensive biography of Jimi Hendrix. Mentions how Hendrix became the closing act of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair almost by default because, by this point in his career, no bands wanted to follow his sets. Breaks down his performance in some detail. Observes the final moments of Hendrix’s performance were “both sad and beautiful, almost mournful yet exquisitely sculptured.” Comments on the generally held disappointment with the sound recording of the festival, noting most of Hendrix’s bandmates are essentially missing from the mix. This book is a newer edition of the author’s Jimi Hendrix: Voodoo Child of the Aquarian Age (New York: Doubleday, 1978).

275. Jackson, Blair. Garcia: An American Life. New York: Penguin Books, 1999.

     Offers the biography of Jerry Garcia. Describes Garcia’s experiences at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Mentions how he wandered the festival’s site under the influence of LSD. Contrasts the Woodstock performance by the Grateful Dead with the mythology of Woodstock where people helped each other survive the weekend and the music was “transcendent.” Repeats the often reported self-criticism of the Grateful Dead’s poor performance at the event. Suggests band members view their set in hindsight with both horror and glee, wearing their failure at such an historic event as a badge of honor. Quotes Garcia remarking on how everyone at Woodstock could sense the significance of the event as it was unfolding.

276. Kaliss, Jeff. I Want to Take You Higher: The Life and Times of Sly & The Family Stone. New York: Backbeat Books, 2008.

     Presents a biography of Sly & the Family Stone, and Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone) in particular. Points to the Woodstock Music and Art Fair as the group’s monumental breakout event. Describes the festival experience from the perspective of the group’s members. Their manager, David Kapralik, describes watching Sylvester Stewart perform as “Icarus, his wings made of wax, and [the spotlight] was the sun he flew too close to.” Claims both the motion picture Woodstock and the sound recording, Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More, gave a mythological status to the concert and the performers showcased within, including Sly & the Family Stone. Foreword by Sylvester Stewart. Preface by George Clinton. Includes a selected annotated discography.

277. Kennedy. The Kennedy Chronicles: The Golden Age of MTV through Rose-Colored Glasses. New York: Thomas Dunne, 2013.

     Provides autobiographical account of Kennedy’s years working for MTV as a VJ. Describes her experience covering Woodstock ’94 for MTV. Relates her “all night journey” to discovery what was really happening at the festival after dark. Reports her shock, awe, and disgust at the public sodomy, excessive drug use, and lack of sanitation. Comments “the pungent fecal fragrance was warning strung out revelers to head for dryer ground.” Mentions her brief flirtation with Dave Navarro, just prior to the Red Hot Chili Peppers taking the stage at the festival.

278. Keyser, Les. Martin Scorsese. New York: Twayne, 1992.

     Presents a biography of Martin Scorsese, America’s “most accomplished and most interesting filmmaker.” Describes concisely Scorsese’s involvement with making the motion picture Woodstock. Notes Scorsese spent his entire time at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair on the stage, filming the performances. Points out his arrival at the festival wearing expensive cufflinks as emblematic of the filmmaker’s desire to be upper-class while simultaneously obsessing on the “dreams of outsiders and the music of iconoclasts and rebels.” Includes a biographical chronology and a filmography.

279. Kindman, Michael “Mica”. My Odyssey through the Underground Press. Ed. Ken Wachsberger. East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press, 2011.

     Conveys the author’s life story and pivotal role in the development of the counterculture’s underground press movement, from his 1963 enrollment at Michigan State University to his death from AIDS. Presents sketchily Kindman’s experience at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Originally planning to use the opportunity to sell underground publications or, at least proselytize, he and his approximately twenty colleagues spent their entire time at the festival “directing traffic in the rain while one of the great cultural events of our generation went on around us.” Reports they only heard the music dimly in the distance. Forewords by Paul Krassner and Tommi Avicolli Meca.

280. Kornfeld, Artie. The Pied Piper of Woodstock. Delray Beach, FL: Spirit of the Woodstock Nation, 2009.

     Presents the autobiography of Artie Kornfeld, one of the original four producers of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Shares extensively his life and the events that led him to help create the Woodstock festival. States the author was the youngest vice-president for Capitol Records at age twenty-one and had composed more than seventy-five songs that made it onto Billboard’s charts. Devotes most of the book to Woodstock. Provides first-person account on the formation of Woodstock Ventures. Explains the evolution from the town of Woodstock, to Wallkill, and then on to Bethel with regard to deciding on and securing a site for the festival. Offers some background on the movie deal and other finances associated with the event. Offers commentary on every act that performed at Woodstock. Shares numerous personal incidents which occurred during the festival (e.g., a gun being pointed at the author’s head). Reveals post-concert aftermaths. Contains photographs and reproductions of news clippings, as well as lyrics from Kornfeld’s songs and paintings by Jim Warren.

281. Lang, Michael. The Road to Woodstock. New York: Ecco, 2009.

     Serves as a semi-autobiographical account of Michael Lang, one of the original promoters of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Provides the author’s inside and unique perspective on the origin of the idea, planning of the event, and problems encountered along the way. Relies on extensive use of quotes from key individuals associated with the festival. Devotes chapters to each day of the concert and to the aftermath. Includes a “Where Are They Now” appendix and the complete set lists of all the acts performing over the festival’s three days. Includes some black and white photographs.

282. Langum, David J. William M. Kunstler: The most Hated Lawyer in America. New York: New York University Press, 1999.

     Chronicles the career of William Kunstler, radical lawyer, director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and defender of the Chicago Seven. Reveals Kunstler’s attending the Woodstock Music and Art Fair at the invitation of Abbie Hoffman. Quotes Kunstler’s description of a self-revelation experienced at the festival, which was his inability to identify with the youth of America.

283. Lesh, Phil. Searching for the Sound: My Life with the Grateful Dead. New York: Little, Brown, 2005.

     Presents the autobiography of Phil Lesh, bass guitar player and founding member of The Grateful Dead. Contains a description of the band’s experience at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, including the endless waiting to perform and backstage incidents including a confrontation between Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane and Bill Graham. Discusses problems with the stage set-up, equipment, and electricity during their performance.

284. Marsh, Dave. Before I Get Old: The Story of the Who. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1983.

     Offers a biography of The Who and a study on “the world in which the band lived and played.” Chronicles from 1960 to 1980. Conveys the band’s experience at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Notes the group did not share “the rhetoric of hippie pastoralism” so prevalent at the event. Reveals backstage machinations over paying the bands for their performances. Reports the frustrations The Who suffered over drug-spiked catering and the lengthy delay before they took the stage, some of which is used to explain the incidents of Pete Townshend kicking Michael Wadleigh and knocking Abbie Hoffman off the platform. Overall, the band members do not consider the performance at the festival to be one of their better sets.

285. McDermott, John. Hendrix: Setting the Record Straight. New York: Warner Books, 1992.

     Presents a biography of Jimi Hendrix with a focus mostly on his years as a performer. Reports the conditions under which Hendrix agreed to perform at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair (i.e., he would be the headliner and close the festival as well as be the highest paid performer). Quotes Eddie Kramer commenting on the conditions for making sound recordings at the festival and the quality of Hendrix’s set. Describes the backstage environment while Hendrix waited to take the stage. Suggests he may have been dosed unknowingly with illegal drugs shortly before his appearance. Recounts, song-by-song and in detail, Hendrix’s uneven performance with a new under-rehearsed band. Notes Hendrix “repeatedly apologized” to the audience through his performance. Includes an annotated discography.

286. McDonough, Jimmy. Shakey: Neil Young’s Biography. Random House, 2002.

     Presents a detailed biography of Neil Young. Quotes Young commenting concisely on his performance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair as a member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Quotes Young asserting the group was playing more to the cameras than to the audience and “Woodstock was a bullshit gig… we played fuckin’ awful.” Explains in his own words why he did not let himself be filmed for the motion picture Woodstock. Notes Young refused to play at Woodstock ’94, despite a considerable financial offer to appear.

287. Mills, Randy K. Troubled Hero: A Medal of Honor, Vietnam, and the War at Home. Bloomington, IL: Indiana University Press, 2006.

     Chronicles the story of Kenneth Kays, an anti-war college dropout who attended the Woodstock Music and Art Fair, was drafted into the Vietnam War, earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, and eventually took his own life after years of struggling with his involvement in the military. Notes how his plans to attend Woodstock almost didn’t happen. Details his time at the concert with his traveling companions. Describes the impact of the festival as being both affirming and empowering. Suggests the event also contributed to his drug addictions. Continues by describing his life immediately after returning to his conservative hometown.

288. Reineke, Hank. Arlo Guthrie: The Warner/Reprise Years. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2012.

     Presents an unauthorized biography of Arlo Guthrie with particular attention to the years 1967 through 1981. Focuses on his professional career and musical output. Describes Guthrie’s summer of 1969, his set at the Newport Folk Festival, and the events leading up to his appearance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair (for which he was paid $5,000). Quotes Guthrie’s immediate reflections on Woodstock including his observation that “it was probably one of the most wonderful moments of my life.”

289. Roby, Steven. Black Gold: The Lost Archives of Jimi Hendrix. New York: Billboard Books, 2002.

     Attempts to capture completely in text Jimi Hendrix’s creativity in order to provide insights to his varied talents often overlooked. Discusses Hendrix’s desire to be the closing act on Sunday night of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair and the amount of money he made from the performance and the film rights. Shares the disappointment he felt as Sunday night turned into Monday morning while waiting to perform at the festival. Discerns Hendrix’s manager at the time wanted to control which songs Hendrix played at the concert. States how the auction of the guitar Hendrix played at Woodstock, a Fender Stratocaster, increased greatly the value of vintage guitars. Quotes Michael Wadleigh on the experience of filming Hendrix’s Woodstock performance and the thrill of being physically close to him as he launched into The Star Spangled Banner. Includes a foreword by Noel Redding.

290. Rogan, Johnny. Neil Young: Zero to Sixty. London: Calidore Books, 2001.

     Offers an extensive biography of Neil Young. States anticipated exposure of performing at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was more important to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young than the amount of money they would be paid ($5,000). Mentions Young’s arrival at the event was by “truck and riding shotgun with Jimi Hendrix.” Touches on the nervousness felt by the relatively new group playing at such a large event, “the most momentous gathering in the history of rock music,” and in front of their peers. Notes the festival attendees were “forced to endure three days of hell.” Observes Young’s detachment during his performance and his refusal to be filmed during their set. Suggests in the long run this allowed him a certain amount of mystique and the ability to maintain a professional identity separate from the group. Discusses the record album Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More and how Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s vocal performances had been “doctored after the event.” States the included recording of Young’s song Sea of Madness was actually from a performance at the Fillmore East. Claims David Geffen would only allow footage of their set to be included in the motion picture Woodstock if their studio recordings of the songs Long Time Gone and Woodstock were used during the opening and closing credits. Asserts this helped elevated the group’s legacy as the “living embodiment” of the Woodstock ethos. Includes a discography.

291. Rowes, Barbara. Grace Slick: The Biography. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1980.

     Offers an authorized biography of Grace Slick. Explains how Jefferson Airplane learned of the plans for the Woodstock Music and Art Fair through Chip Monck. Describes Slick’s experiences at the event, from swimming in the pool at the Holiday Inn where the acts were being housed to roaming the festival site with Paul Kantner prior to the start of the three-day concert. Notes Slick did not do much socializing, keeping to herself and not sharing her room with anyone. Relays the story of several of the managers representing the bands, including Jefferson Airplane’s Bill Thompson, demanding their acts get paid prior to performing. States the start of Jefferson Airplane’s set kept getting pushed back until it was nine hours later and in the early morning before they performed, after having spent the entire time sitting on the massive stage waiting their turn. Quotes Slick complaining about the lack of available bathroom facilities near backstage.

292. Selvin, Joel. Sly and the Family Stone: An Oral History. New York: Avon Books, 1998.

     Represents a collection of commentaries by individuals who have worked with, known, or are related to Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone). Quotes band member Larry Graham claiming the audience response while Sly and the Family Stone were on stage at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair made the group “rise to a level we had never been musically.” Echoes Gregg Errico’s description of the performer/audience energy-generating dynamic filling the air in the middle of the night during their set.

293. Shankar, Ravi. Raga Mala: The Autobiography of Ravi Shankar. New York: Welcome Rain Publishers, 1999.

     Presents, in his own words, the life of Ravi Shankar. Mentions very briefly the author’s experience at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Comments the audience reminded him “of the water buffalos you see in India, submerged in the mud.” Reflects the music at the festival was incidental to the overall phenomenon. Regrets having played at the event because it was difficult to connect with the audience given the size and the widespread drug use. Claims there was, in fact, violence and sexual assaults at Woodstock and it was “not what people try to glorify it as today.” Edited and introduced by George Harrison. Includes a glossary and a chronology.

294. Shapiro, Harry, and Caesar Glebbeek. Jimi Hendrix: Electric Gypsy. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1990.

     Presents a biographical account on the life of Jimi Hendrix. Describes the disorganization surrounding the Woodstock Music and Art Fair and the resulting reluctance of Hendrix to honor his commitment. States Hendrix’s performance at the festival was “loose and sprawling” mixed with “some very fine moments” of solo improvisations. Discusses his rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, noting the performance sent shock waves throughout the audience. Delves into Hendrix’s political leanings, suggesting he had a fatalistic viewpoint which influenced his set in front of thousands of comfortably middle-class white Americans. Includes an extensive discography with notes, a technical file describing the instruments and equipment used by Hendrix throughout his career, a lengthy chronology of key events, the Hendrix family tree, and a bibliography/filmography.

295. Shapiro, Marc. Carlos Santana: Back on Top. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2000.

     Presents a biography of Carlos Santana. Tells the story of how Bill Graham managed to get Santana booked to play the Woodstock Music and Art Fair even though they were not well known and had not yet released their first album. Mentions Carlos Santana’s excitement and fear of playing before such a large audience. States Carlos Santana took the stage in a drug-induced haze which increased his fear. Claims he doesn’t remember much of the set until the end when they started to play Soul Sacrifice. Includes a discography.

296. Sheehy, Gail. Daring: My Passages. New York: HarperCollins, 2014.

     Presents an autobiography of author Gail Sheeny. Includes a brief description of her trip to the Woodstock Music and Art Fair with her sister and a friend. Claims they were the only attendees not high on drugs. States the festival brought her and her sister closer together.

297. Sloman, Larry. Steal this Dream: Abbie Hoffman and the Countercultural Revolution in America. New York: Doubleday, 1998.

     Offers a biography on Abbie Hoffman using excerpted quotes from individuals associated with him throughout his life. Describes Hoffman’s attempts to shape the Woodstock Music and Art Fair as early as the planning stages and his efforts to extract $65,000 from the promoters. Shares stories from the festival about how Hoffman and his associates interacted with the event’s staff and the filmmakers. Provides an alternative version of how Hoffman came to be knocked of the stage by Pete Townshend during the performance by The Who. Claims there was a misunderstanding between Hoffman and The Who regarding whether Hoffman had three minutes to make a political statement from the stage. Foreword by Howard Stern. Includes a “Where are They Now?” section.

298. Sounes, Howard. Down the Highway: The Life of Bob Dylan. New York: Grove Press, 2001.

     Constructs a discerning biography of Bob Dylan built extensively on interviews with more than 250 individuals. States sketchily the impact of the Woodstock Music and Art Fair on the town of Woodstock, New York, some sixty miles from the concert. Quotes Bob Dylan’s disparaging remarks about the festival. Provides some insight into Dylan’s performance at Woodstock ’94, suggesting he showed a lack of confidence before taking the stage, but the reaction to his performance indicated “his music had transcended its time.” Claims Dylan was paid $600,000 to appear at the 1994 event.

299. Taylor, Dallas. Prisoner of Woodstock. New York: Thunder’s Mouth Press, 1994.

     Presents the author’s autobiography as a Los Angeles-based musician and drummer for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Describes the aerial view and first impressions of arriving to the Woodstock Music and Art Fair in a helicopter. Provides a detailed personalized account of the festival from both a backstage and onstage perspective. Discusses his drug induced anxieties about the event. Introductions by David Crosby and Graham Nash.

300. Tiber, Elliot. Knock on Woodstock: The Uproarious, Uncensored Story of the Woodstock Festival, the Gay Man Who made it Happen, and how He Earned His Ticket to Freedom. New York: Festival Books, 1994.

     Publishes the author’s first of three books to date on the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. Intends to be a humorous and satirical account of Tiber’s role in helping the event come into existence. Includes the disclaimer “that fact and fiction, according to the absurd, twisted, world of the author, are often unclear and any offence or implied derogatory statements about any person, living, dead, or in suspended animation, is purely coincidental.” Foreword by Richie Havens.

301. Tiber, Elliot. Taking Woodstock. Garden City Park, NY: Square One, 2007.

     Describes the author’s efforts to save his family’s motel and consequently his participation in placing the Woodstock Music and Art Fair on Max Yasgur’s farm. Tells the story through the lens of Tiber’s homosexuality. Includes an epilogue, bringing his life and the events of the book up to the present. Dedicated to Michael Lang and Andre Ernotte. This memoir was made into a motion picture, Taking Woodstock (2009), directed by Ang Lee.

302. Weinstein, Norman. Carlos Santana: A Biography. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood Press, 2009.

     Discusses the instrumental role Bill Graham played in getting Santana onto the stage at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair despite the band not being known outside of the San Francisco area. Comments on the way in which the motion picture Woodstock captured the “highpoint of the band’s shining debut” in their performance of Soul Sacrifice. Reveals the monumental influence of the performance on Carlos Santana’s career and his acknowledgement of it. Includes a selected discography.

303. Weller, Sheila. Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon' — 'and the Journey of a Generation. New York: Atria, 2008.

     Examines the careers of Carole King, Joni Mitchell, and Carly Simon. Explains why Joni Mitchell did not perform at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair although she was touring at the time with Crosby, Stills & Nash. Provides an overview of the festival and Mitchell’s perspective. Describes how she came to write the song Woodstock.

304. Yasgur, Sam. Max B. Yasgur: The Woodstock Festival’s Famous Farmer. Woodbury, NY: Katrina Woodstock, 2009.

     Presents an admittedly subjective biography of Max Yasgur, the farmer who leased his land for the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair, written by Max’s son. Reconstructs from memory the life of Max Yasgur and, in particular, his introduction and involvement with the festival. Desires to clarify “misleading statements, the half-truths, and the made up junk” and to circumvent those who would use the Yasgur name to profit on the Woodstock festival. Observes Max had little in common with Woodstock attendees, including politics, music, and culture, but he did hold a strong belief in their right to express themselves. Suggests his life may have been shortened as a result of Woodstock.

305. Zimmer, Dave. Crosby, Stills, & Nash: The Authorized Biography. New York: Da Capo Press, 2000.

     Chronicles the history of Crosby, Stills & Nash. Claims no other group performing at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair represented the cultural ethos of the time more than Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Mentions how Joni Mitchell, who was touring with the band at the time, was denied the opportunity to perform at the festival. States famous self-proclaimed remark from the stage about the group being “scared shitless” was about the scrutiny of all the music industry personnel watching them perform from immediately off stage. Notes Neil Young’s refusal to be filmed during the event. Quotes Joni Mitchell describing her motivation for writing the song Woodstock. Includes a foreword by Graham Nash and a discography.

Chapters

306. Glausser, Wayne. “Wavy Gravy.” Cultural Encyclopedia of LSD. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011. 163.

Summarizes in brief the biography of Wavy Gravy. Notes Wavy Gravy referred to his security team at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair as the “Please Force.”

307. Kisseloff, Jeff. “Barry Melton: The Guitarist.” Generation on Fire: Voices of Protest from the 1960s. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2006. 194–209.

     Continues the author’s work in the field of oral history. Profiles “those Americans who stood up and said no to war, greed, racism, sexism, homophobia, pollution, censorship, lame music, and bad haircuts.” Serves as a biographical profile of Barry Melton. Provides a brief first person account of the Country Joe & the Fish performance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair from an on-stage perspective. Offers personal insight into a range of the late 1960s counterculture events, personalities, and experiences.

308. McDonald, Country Joe, and Dave Allen. “Afterword: Country Joe McDonald Remembering Woodstock.” Remembering Woodstock. Ed. Andy Bennett. Aldershot, U.K.: Ashgate, 2004. 146–153.

     Uses the Woodstock Music and Art Fair as a life-altering milestone to provide a brief autobiographical account on the life of Country Joe McDonald leading up to the festival, during the event itself, and living with the resulting post-event effects. Reflects on the impact of the Vietnam War on his generation. Includes a discography.

http://dx.doi.org/10.11647/OBP.0105.03

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