It’s a special week in our cultural history – Woodstock turns 50! The legendary music festival was held August 15–18, 1969. Billed as “an Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music” it was held at Max Yasgur’s 600-acre dairy farm in Bethel, New York and attracted an audience of more than 400,000 to hear Jimi Hendrix, Joan Baez, The Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills Nash & Young and The Who, to name a handful. As Joni Mitchell said, “Woodstock was a spark of beauty” where half-a-million kids “saw that they were part of a greater organism.” If you were there, then you have your own story to tell and relive! If you are curious about what all the lore is about… we’ve got some stage-worthy titles you’ll want to read. Then let the music play!
Giftable 50th anniversary commemorative with never-before-seen images and original interviews. Hear from performers and attendees in their own voices! Featuring Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and The Grateful Dead, as well as unsung audience members and folks behind the scenes. This compendium remembers all the people who made the three days of peace and music an impossible success. Longtime music writer Daniel Bukszpan offers insights on how the festival is still making an impact on pop culture, while candid interviews, set lists, and beautiful photographs relive the beautiful chaos and once-in-a-lifetime performances at Yasgur’s farm. With images by renowned photographers, including Amalie R. Rothschild and Elliott Landy, including the cover photo of Janis Joplin.
In Barefoot in Babylon, journalist and New York Times bestselling author Bob Spitz gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Woodstock, from its inception and the incredible musicians that performed to its scandals and the darker side of the peace movement. With a new introduction, as well as maps, set lists, and a breakdown of all the personalities involved, Barefoot in Babylon is a must-read for anyone who was there—or wishes they were.
One of Parade’s Top Ten Rock n’ Roll Reads
As a road manager and filmmaker, John Byrne Cooke helped run the Janis Joplin show—and record it for posterity. Now he reveals the never-before-told story of his years with the young woman from Port Arthur who would become the first female rock-and-roll superstar. This intimate memoir spans the years he spent with Janis, from Monterey to Europe, Woodstock and Festival Express. Cooke tells the whole incredible story as only someone who lived it can.
From the opening salvos of the British Rock Revolution to the last shudders of Woodstock, Graham Nash has rocked and rolled wherever music mattered. Here Graham tells his story: his lower-class childhood in post-war England, his early days in the British Invasion group The Hollies; becoming the lover and muse of Joni Mitchell during the halcyon years, when both produced their most introspective and important work; meeting Stephen Stills and David Crosby and reaching superstardom with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; and his enduring career as a solo musician and political activist.
Robbie Robertson’s singular contributions to popular music have made him one of the most beloved songwriters and guitarists of all time. Aside from being this masterful storyteller’s memoir, it is more broadly the story of a time and place—of change as America tumbled through the ’60s, and of how figures like Dylan and the Band redefined both music and culture. And it’s the story of the profound friendship between five young men who together would create a new kind of popular music, one that still fascinates us.
The complete history of one of the most long-lived and legendary bands in rock history, written by its official historian and publicist–a must-have chronicle for all Dead Heads, and for students of rock and the 1960s’ counterculture.
As a teenager in Willowdale, Ontario, David Clayton-Thomas’ frequent clashes with his authoritarian father led to living on the streets by the time he was 14, then to his spending the rest of his youth bouncing in and out of jails and reformatories. But when a battered old mail-order guitar was left to him by an outgoing inmate, Clayton-Thomas discovered a talent for music that allowed him to believe in a different kind of life. This is the remarkable story of his journey to international stardom as the legendary front man for Blood, Sweat & Tears. In his brutally truthful memoir, Clayton-Thomas reveals what it was like to headline at Woodstock, to tour behind the Iron Curtain, to watch brilliant musicians tear their own band apart with in-fighting, and to make his fortune only to lose it all … and start over again.
FOR YOUNGER READERS
On August 15, 1969, one of the greatest events in rock history took place…Woodstock! Now, simple rhyming words and groovy illustrations combine to create a bright and lively counting board book commemorating the 50th anniversary. Little rockers will love counting everything from peace signs and guitars to bell-bottoms and bands. This out-of-sight adventure is perfect for flower children of all ages. Peace, love, and board books, baby!
At “Woodstock” concert-goers, called “hippies,” traveled from all over the country to see their favorite musicians perform. Famous artists like The Grateful Dead played day and night in a celebration of peace, love, and happiness. Although Woodstock lasted only three days, the spirit of the festival has defined a generation and become a symbol of the “hippie life.”
For more on these and related titles visit Woodstock
To find out more about the commemoration of Woodstock visit the website www.Woodstock.com
