WOODSTOCK Peace Music & Memories

Visions of Aquarius
"For most of America's youth of the 1960s, the search for personal identity that varied from the traditional values and aspirations of our parents was the priority of the day," recalls Don Aters, famed rock music photographer and historian from New Albany, Indiana.

"The sixties saw the golden age of rock and roll, the advent of psychedelica, and the turmoil of the most violent times in American history. The migration to Woodstock was a gathering of 'Rainbow Warriors.' We were communal, culturally diverse, and in search of universal peace through the music that defined our generation. With Vietnam raging and shown daily on television as well as the front page of every newspaper, it seemed to us that cultural acceptance was imminent, and that music would be the universal elixir."

While so many others had to deal with traffic, Greg and Bob

had their own set of problems to contend with. "We were

stopped by a State Trooper on the New York thruway, who

didn't seem to like us much or the fact that we were going to

Woodstock. He made us empty our backpacks, which held a

bunch of oranges, cheese, and a butter knife. I guess he wanted

to be really thorough in his search and make sure we didn't

have anything illegal in those oranges, so he proceeded to stomp

on every one. He confiscated our butter knife, told us to be

careful, and sent us on our way.

About 2 a.m. Tuesday morning, Elliott Tiber recalls, "I didn't sleep

well. I woke up and I heard horns and

guitars. I look out, and there are five lanes of headlights all the way back. They'd started coming already."

Christopher Cole, 20, of Tarrytown, New York, left for Bethel

with Maria, the girl he'd met the day before, and a duffle bag

strapped to the sissy bar of his motorcycle. "As we approached

the rim of the natural amphitheater, the hillside was filled with

spectators, and I gazed on the stage down below. Just then the

the sun peaked from behind the clouds and the moment crystallized

as I stood there with this beautiful young girl, a bottle of wine,

and my motorcycle, in the midst of hundreds of thousands of

young unsupervised kids my age. It just didn't get any better than

that! I looked up toward heaven and said, "Thank you, God.'"

Stephen Teso, 16, of Worcester, Massachusetts, remembers learning of the Hog Farm. "They were set up and shoveling out large quantities of what may or may not have been oatmeal. But it was hot and it was good."

WOODSTOCK Peace, Music & Memories

By: Brad Littleproud & Joanne Hague

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Greg Henry remembers, "During "I Want to Take You Higher', every single person was on their feet, clapping and stomping. I remember standing still; I could feel the ground beneath me rumble. I told my friend to try it, and we just stood there with these huge smiles on our faces. It was amazing."

Tommy Hayes wanted a good seat for Canned Heat. He tried to get down to the stage, but that didn't happen, so he decided to climb the tower. "A lot of guys were doing it," he says. "When I started climbing, there were people above me. I remember this one guy had to pee - and proceeded to do so, on everyone below. I thought to myself, 'Oh God, this is horrible.' I watched as this was happening and tried to keep out of the way. I guess he had to be really messed up to do something like that. It was crazy!"

Twelve-year-old Chuck Early of Huntington Beach, California, remembers that his mom was sitting with a group of people playing guitar and just having fun. "She called me over to hug some lady, but I was a little embarrassed; she wasn't wearing a shirt. Mom said it was ok, so I did. Much to my surprise, I had her muddy breast prints on my t-shirt, and all I knew was that I didn't like the way it looked. I went straight to the first mud puddle I could find to get dirtier and cover it up. I really wasn't much into girls yet, so that's why I reacted the way I did. I wish I knew what I had. Janis Joplin's boobs on my chest!"

"They were dropping flowers. That was a 'spirit of Woodstock' high point. You're worn out after three days of staying on your feet and keeping awake, and you're just spent - when flowers fall from the sky."

Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 1- Visions of Aquarius

The Creation of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Arts Fair . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 2 Please Walk on the Grass

Day One - Friday, Aug. 15, 1969 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 3 "What we have in mind is breakfast inbed for 400,000." - Wavy Gravy

Day Two - Saturday, Aug. 16, 1969 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 4 "I'm a farmer." - Max Yasgur

Day Three - Sunday, Aug. 17, 1969 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 5 "I see we meet again." - Jimi Hendrix

Day Four - Monday, Aug. 18, 1969 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 6 The Woodstock Legacy

The days, months, and years following Woodstock . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 7 Woodstock Collectibles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Chapter 8 Then and Now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

About the authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

WOODSTOCK Peace, Music & Memories

By: Brad Littleproud & Joanne Hague

Paperback - 256 Pages

With over 100 contributors, this book has a natural look and scrapbook-of-memories character, and celebrates the 40th anniversary of this legendary event with a mix of 350 color, sepia-tone and black and white photos; interviews with performers including Carlos Santana and Mountain, as well as attendees, a special section of Woodstock collectibles with current values, and a foreword written by Woodstock co-organizer Artie Kornfeld and epilogue by Woodstock MC Wavy Gravy.