Woodstock Sound-Outs

Last updated

Woodstock Sound-Outs or soundouts were mini-festivals held outside Woodstock, New York from 1967 to 1970. They were the brainchild of John "Jocko" Moffitt, a roofer and drummer. He had heard about a number of folk festivals in his native California, and he wanted to stage a rock festival in a country setting. Planning for the event began in 1966 and by the early spring of 1967 performers like Richie Havens were being tentatively booked.

Contents

The first festival was sited at Pan Copeland's farm outside Woodstock—just south of NY Route 212 on Glasco Turnpike. The festival featured over twenty music acts including Richie Havens, Tim Hardin, Billy Batson, Kenny Rankin and Phil Ochs. Two thousand people attended the three-day event and the outdoor concert itself came together so quickly that the greater community was largely unaware that it had taken place. Moffitt co-promoted the event with Steve Bishop.1,2

1968

Copeland and Moffitt soon had a falling out. However, Moffitt promoted one final Sound-Out at the Woodstock Playhouse in March 1968. Richie Havens was once again on the bill and such other performers as Jerry Moore, Don Preston, Major Wiley and Bunky and Jake also performed.3 Pan Copeland resurrected the festival on her farm that summer and called it the Woodstock Sound Festival. She brought in people including Julius Bruggeman, James Matteson, Jackson C. Frank and others to help promote and run the festivals.4

Sound festivals occurred over the July 4th weekend in 1968, with Tim Hardin, Major Wiley, the Blues Magoos, Chrysalis and Happy & Artie Traum appearing.5 Later that month another mini-festival happened on July 19 and 20. Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys headlined, joined by such other performers as Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Batson, Happy & Artie Traum, Lothar and the Hand People, Raven, and Soft Machine. In August two more shows were staged. On August 16 and 17 the Colwell-Winfield Blues Band, Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys, Fear Itself, Don McLean, Rebecca & Sunny Brook Farmers, The Sanjac of Novipazar and Tim Hardin were on the bill.6 By this time Bob Fass, host of WBAI's Radio Unnameable, was emceeing and promoting the festivals via the Pacifica airwaves. Over the weekend of August 30, 31 and September 1 the Colwell-Winfield Blues Band, Frank Wakefield, Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys, Peter Walker, Procol Harum, Scott Fagan and others performed. The Pablo Light Show was present at the July 19 and 20 show, the Pentacle Light Show was scheduled for August 16 and 17 and the Rose Window Light Show for the late August event. Each of these concerts drew from 500 to 1,000 attendees.

1969

According to Michael Lang, legendary promoter of the Woodstock Festival of 1969, "the Sound-Outs were kind of the spark for the Woodstock festival. The Sound-Outs just had a great feel, and it was in the country and it provided all the guidelines that I needed, and I was sort of thinking of a broader event but with the same kind of emotional impact."7

By 1969, the Woodstock Sound Festivals were under the direction of Cyril Caster. An ambitious schedule of eight events was planned, but due to inclement weather only one was successfully staged. Performers like Paul Butterfield, Tim Hardin, Happy & Artie Traum, Van Morrison, Children of God, and the Colwell-Winfield Blues Band played at the event that summer.8

1970

The following year Ian Hain became president of Woodstock Sound Festival Inc. Working with Pan Copeland, he prepared a schedule of weekly concerts beginning on July 4. After the Woodstock Music & Art Fair at Bethel, the town of Saugerties (within whose boundaries the Sound-Outs had been held) placed on the books a set of laws that prevented promoters from organizing an assemblage of more than 200 without a permit. The acts in 1970 included The Flying Burrito Brothers, Ian & Sylvia and the Great Speckled Bird, Larry Coryell, Ellen McIlwaine, Procol Harum and Holy Moses.

Hain was successful in staging a three-day event over the July 4th weekend. However, due to legal pressure the concert for the July 25 weekend was reduced to one day. Hain was arrested on July 25 when attendees surpassed the allowed limit and reached 210.9 He fought his case through the courts, and by September 9 the case was dismissed, but the season was over.10

2008

The Sound-Outs at Pan Copeland's fields ended, but the idea lived on and was resurrected in 2008. In that year on August 9 a contemporary Sound-Out was held—in conjunction with Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival Backstory Panel Discussion—at the Colony Café in Woodstock, NY. The following acts performed: Hair of the Dog, Peter Walker, Spiv, Jeremy Bernstein, Steve Knight, Joey Eppard, Frankie and his Fingers, Norman Wennet, Mighty Xee, Marian Tortorella, Paul McMahon, Dharma Bums, Tim Moore, Justin Love, Lynn Miller and Sredni Vollmer, Naked and Nathaniel.11

2009

For the 40th anniversary of the Woodstock Festival, a Roots of Woodstock Live Concert took place at the Bearsville Theater in Woodstock on August 15, 2009. At this concert several of the old Sound-Out bands were re-united for the first time since the 1960s. Performing that night were the Blues Magoos, Hubert Sumlin and band, Ellen McIlwaine, Marc Black, the Robbie Turner Band, and Jerry Moore with the Children of God. Blues hall of famer Hubert Sumlin had been invited to perform in a nod to Sound-Out alumni Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry. Woodstock troubadour Marc Black had been strongly influenced by the music of original Sound-Out performer Tim Hardin. Robbie Turner, who had attended the sixties Sound-Outs, played on stage this time around.12,13

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodstock</span> 1969 music festival in Bethel, New York, US

Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, 40 miles (65 km) southwest of the town of Woodstock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Sebastian</span> American singer-songwriter and musician

John Benson Sebastian (born March 17, 1944) is an American singer, songwriter and musician who founded the rock band the Lovin' Spoonful. He made an impromptu appearance at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and scored a U.S. No. 1 hit in 1976 with "Welcome Back."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Butterfield</span> American blues singer and harmonica player (1942–1987)

Paul Vaughn Butterfield was an American blues harmonica player, singer and bandleader. After early training as a classical flautist, he developed an interest in blues harmonica. He explored the blues scene in his native Chicago, where he met Muddy Waters and other blues greats, who provided encouragement and opportunities for him to join in jam sessions. He soon began performing with fellow blues enthusiasts Nick Gravenites and Elvin Bishop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Woodstock '94</span> 1994 music festival in New York, United States

Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. It was promoted as "2 More Days of Peace and Music". The poster used to promote the first concert was revised to feature two catbirds perched on the neck of an electric guitar, instead of the original one catbird on an acoustic guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Hardin</span> American singer-songwriter (1941–1980)

James Timothy Hardin was an American folk and blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including "If I Were a Carpenter" and "Reason to Believe", became hits for other artists.

Woodstock '89 or "The Forgotten Woodstock" was a rock concert that took place in August 1989 on the site of the original Woodstock concert of 1969 as a spontaneous celebration of the event's 20th anniversary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Lang (producer)</span> American concert promoter and record producer (1944–2022)

Michael Scott Lang was an American concert promoter, producer, and artistic manager who was best known as a co-creator of the Woodstock Music & Art Festival in 1969. Lang served as the organizer of the event, as well as the organizer for its follow-up events, Woodstock '94 and the ill-fated Woodstock '99. He later became a producer of records, films, and other concerts, as well as a manager for performing artists, a critically acclaimed author, and a sculptor.

Arthur Lawrence Kornfeld is an American musician, record producer, and music executive. He is best known as the music promoter for the Woodstock Festival held in 1969. Kornfeld is also known for his collaborations with Artie Kaplan.

<i>Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More</i> 1970 live album by various artists

Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More is a live album of selected performances from the 1969 Woodstock counterculture festival officially known as "The Woodstock Music & Art Fair". The album was compiled & produced by Eric Blackstead. Originally released on Atlantic Records' Cotillion label as a triple album on May 11, 1970, it was re-released as a 4 CD box by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs in 1986 followed by a two-CD set released by Atlantic in 1987. Atlantic re-issued the two-CD set in 1994 correcting a few mastering errors found on their 1987 release. Veteran producer Eddie Kramer along with Lee Osbourne were the sound engineers during the three-day event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Andersen</span> American musician

Eric Andersen is an American folk music singer-songwriter, who has written songs recorded by Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins, Linda Ronstadt, the Grateful Dead and many others. Early in his career, in the 1960s, he was part of the Greenwich Village folk scene. After two decades and sixteen albums of solo performance he became a member of the group Danko/Fjeld/Andersen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artie Traum</span> American musician (1943–2008)

Arthur Roy Traum was an American guitarist, songwriter, and producer. Traum's work appeared on more than 35 albums. He produced and recorded with The Band, Arlen Roth, Warren Bernhardt, Pat Alger, Tony Levin, John Sebastian, Richie Havens, Maria Muldaur, Eric Andersen, Paul Butterfield, Paul Siebel, Rory Block, James Taylor, Pete Seeger, David Grisman, Livingston Taylor, Michael Franks and Happy Traum, among others. Traum's songs were featured on PBS, BBC, ESPN, CBS, and The Weather Channel. He toured in Japan, Europe and the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newport Pop Festival</span> Southern California music festivals in 1968 and 1969

The Newport Pop Festival, held in Costa Mesa, California, on August 3–4, 1968, was the first music concert ever to have more than 100,000 paid attendees. Its sequel, billed as Newport 69, was held in Northridge, California, on June 20–22, 1969, and had a total attendance estimated at 200,000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harlem Cultural Festival</span> Music festival

The Harlem Cultural Festival was a series of events, mainly music concerts, held annually in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, between 1967 and 1969 which celebrated African American music and culture and promoted Black pride. The most successful series of concerts, in 1969, became known informally as Black Woodstock, and is presented in the 2021 documentary film Summer of Soul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikhail Horowitz</span> American poet

Mikhail Horowitz is an American poet, performance poet, parodist, satirist, social commentator, author and editor.

<i>Woodstock 40 Years On: Back to Yasgurs Farm</i> 2009 live album by Various artists

Woodstock 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur's Farm is a six-CD live box-set album of the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York. Its release marked the 40th Anniversary of the festival.

<i>Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music</i> 1994 live album by Various artists

Woodstock: Three Days of Peace and Music is a 4-CD live box-set album of the 1969 Woodstock Festival in Bethel, New York. Its release marked the 25th anniversary of the festival. The box set contains tracks from Woodstock: Music from the Original Soundtrack and More, Woodstock 2, and numerous additional, previously unreleased performances from the festival as well as the stage announcements and crowd noises. Just prior to the box set's release, Atlantic Records released a much shorter 1-CD version entitled The Best of Woodstock. In 2019, Rhino Records issued a 38-CD box set called Woodstock – Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive which includes every musical performance as well as stage announcements and other ancillary material.

Homespun offers music instruction for many instruments and styles on CD, DVD and streaming media.

The Colwell-Winfield Blues Band was an American blues band formed in 1968.

<i>Woodstock – Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive</i> 2019 live album by various artists

Woodstock – Back to the Garden: The Definitive 50th Anniversary Archive is a live album by various artists, packaged as a box set of 38 CDs. It contains nearly all of the performances from the Woodstock music festival, which took place on August 15–18, 1969, in Bethel, New York. The CDs also include many stage announcements and miscellaneous audio material. The box set also contains bonus material such as a Blu-ray copy of the director's cut of the Woodstock documentary film, a hardcover book written by concert promoter Michael Lang, and a replica of the original concert program. It was released by Rhino Records on August 2, 2019, in a limited edition of 1,969 copies.

<i>Woodstock – Back to the Garden: 50th Anniversary Collection</i> 2019 live album by various artists

Woodstock – Back to the Garden: 50th Anniversary Collection is a live album by various artists. It was recorded at the Woodstock music festival, which took place on August 15–18, 1969, in Bethel, New York. It includes 30 songs by 21 different musical artists, in order of performance, along with a number of stage announcements. It was released as a three-disc CD and as a five-disc LP on June 28, 2019.

References

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

  1. ↑ 1. “Hippy Festival Upstate Is Cool Amid the Bonfires,” The New York Times, (September 3, 1967), 22.
  2. ↑ 2. “Sound-Out,” The Woodstock Week, (September 7, 1967), 1.
  3. ↑ 3. “Ground-Out,” The Woodstock Week, (April 3, 1968), 1.
  4. ↑ 4. Weston Blelock and Julia Blelock, Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival: The Backstory to “Woodstock,” (Woodstock, NY: WoodstockArts, 2009), 126.
  5. ↑ 5. “On the Sound Festival…,” The Woodstock Week, (July 18, 1968).
  6. ↑ 6. “Sound Festival Sounder Than Its Neighbors…,” The Woodstock Week, (August 23, 1968), 1.
  7. ↑ 7. Blelock, Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival: The Backstory to “Woodstock,” 27-8.
  8. ↑ 8. Blelock, Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival: The Backstory to “Woodstock,” 136.
  9. ↑ 9. “Sound Festival Off for This Saturday,” Daily Freeman, (July 31, 1970), 2.
  10. ↑ 10. “Sound Festival Action Dismissed,” Daily Freeman, (September 10, 1970), 8.
  11. ↑ 11. Bonnie Langston, “Spirit of 1969 Returns to Woodstock,” Preview, Daily Freeman, (August 8, 2008), 3, 6.
  12. ↑ 12. Bob Margolis, “Black & Blues: Bearsville Theater Spotlights Blues Magoos, Hubert Sumlin, Ellen McIlwaine and Marc Black This Saturday,” Ulster Publishing’s Alm@nac, (August 13, 2009), 9.
  13. ↑ 13. Tim Malcolm, “40 Years of Peace, Love and Rock Music,” Times Herald-Record, (August 14, 2009), 12B-13B.

Further Reading

Peter Applebome, “50 Miles and 40 Years From Yasgur’s Farm, Woodstock Tries to Move on,” The New York Times, Our Town/NY/Region (August 12, 2009), 1.

Weston Blelock and Julia Blelock, Roots of the 1969 Woodstock Festival: The Backstory to “Woodstock,” (Woodstock, NY: WoodstockArts, 2009).

Michael Lang with Holly George-Warren, The Road to Woodstock, (New York, NY: Ecco, 2009).

Jennifer Leba, “By The Time We Got To Woodstock,” Hudson Valley Magazine, (August 2009), 60–1.

Jean Young and Michael Lang, Woodstock Festival Remembered, (New York, NY: Ballantine Books, 1979).

Catskills Concerts Counterculture New York Rock Festivals Woodstock, NY Ulster County, New York

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.