This interesting Wikipedia entry says that Sweetwater was scheduled to be the first act at Woodstock but “problems within the band” — use your imagination — occurred and Richie Havens opened the historical festival. The LA-based jazz/rock fusion group followed. Thus, the item points out, Sweetwater was the first band to play. It’s a distinction.
This is Take it From the Splice, Boys. I’ve loved the first two minutes and the end of this song since I got the album in the early 1970s.
Here are some books to check out.
Duke Ellington brought class, sophistication and style to jazz which, until that point, was proudly unpolished and raucous. His story is profound. The author, Terry Teachout, also wrote "Pops," the acclaimed bio of Louis Armstrong. Click here or on the image.
What else is there to say? Here is the story behind every song written by The Beatles. Click here or on the image.
The Grateful Dead don't get enough credit for the profound nature of its lyrics. Many of the band's songs are driven by a deep and literate Americana ("I'm Uncle Sam/That's who I am/Been hidin' out/In a rock and roll band" and "Majordomo Billy Bojangles/Sit down and have a drink with me/What's this about Alabama/Keeps comin' back to me?").
David Dodd's exhaustive study tells the story, song by song. Click here or on the image.
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