The History of Woodstock

The History of Woodstock

The History of Woodstock

Woodstock was an iconic music festival which occurred over three days August15-17, 1969; the event is considered the festival of the decade and one that helped shape American music history and culture. Today it is a part of the history of Rock and Roll.

The event was conceptualized, planned and financed by 4 individuals. These four had experience in the music promoting business and had financial capital. Woodstock Ventures was formed to promote and finance the festival. The posters billed the event as "An Aquarian Exposition"

The promoters then booked music stars CCR (Clearance Clearwater Revival) for $10,000 and that spurred other musical acts to join in on the music festival.

Originally the concert was to have been located in a 300 acre industrial park but was denied the proper zoning permits by the Waskill, NY zoning board. So the event took place on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, NY. The location is about 40 miles from the town of Woodstock, NY. The location was perfect for what the organizers wanted. They insisted the event would draw no more than 50,000 people.

The location had a natural hill setting and the stage would be located at the bottom of the hill. Near the hill was a pond which tuned out to be quite popular during the event for nude bathers or skinny dippers. Originally a fence was erected to ensure that the concert would generate some revenue for paying patrons. The fence wasn't entirely completed and neither was the stage. So on the night before the festival started, the fence was cut.

The event turned out is take place on a rainy weekend on the 600 acre farm but the event drew an astounding 500,000 people. Some of the notable musical acts which performed were Joan Baez, Grateful Dead, Canned Heat, Joe Cocker, Crosby Stills, Nash & Young, CCR, Janis Joplin, The Who, and Jimi Hendrix. The festival spilled over into the 4th day but was relatively peaceful and non violent. From historical records, it appears there were three deaths associated with the event. One individual was run over by tractor in a field where he was passed out. The others were from drug overdoses.

The history lesson and historical significance of this event was the message to the world that individuals from all walks of life could come together peacefully to celebrate peace and music. Woodstock is one of the defining moments in American music history and culture.

Today, many musicians like Tom Petty look back with fond memories of that historic weekend andmany music festivals still take place in various locations around the USA. Some of the more prominant music festivals are Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Rothbury.

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