1969 Palm Beach Pop Festival Poster
Thanksgiving weekend 40 years ago Ken Davidoff was the official photographer for the Palm Beach Pop Festival www.palmbeachpopfestival.com , which happened 40 years ago this Thanksgiving. It was called Woodstock South by the local press because it rained in torrents, then it got muddy, and then turned to freezing cold weather. Some of the acts were, Jefferson Airplane, Spirit, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, plus the historical Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter jam with Vanilla Fudge, we also had Rotary Connection, with Minnie Riperton, Sly and the Family Stone, Pacific Gas and Electric, Chambers Brothers, The Byrds, Grand Funk Railroad, King Crimson,Chicago Transit Authority, plus many more. The Rolling Stones were booked as the closing act just 2 weeks before the concert. 50,000 people gathered in Palm Beach County to attend the biggest music event of their lives. In his 2004 Rolling Stone interview, Tom Petty said that he went to the Palm Beach festival to see The Byrds, and The Stones, because he wanted to pattern his new band after them. The sheriff was quoted in the local paper saying “nobody in Palm Beach County will have any fun.” 10,000 Natl. Guardsman camped across the street from the festival site, this happened just six months before Kent State .The first Rep. Gov. in Fl. in 100 years came to the festival to see a hippie, and here is the zinger, a guest at the Governors wedding was none other than “tricky” Richard Nixon. The Rolling Stones were to be the closing act .50,000 people dwindled down to a mere 3.000,because of weather and delays .The Stones were late. In an interview with Ron Schneider, the tour mgr. of the Stones, we were told that the reason they were late was because their plane was delayed on the tarmac for six hours, President Nixon’s plane was landing there. This was a very important time for the Stones, they released “Let It Bleed” Nov. 29th and finished recording “Get Your Ya ya’s out” at Madison Square Garden on the same day that they arrived at our festival, played that night/morning, and left for Muscle Sholes, Alabama . On Dec.2-4th to record “Brown Sugar,” Wild Horses,” and” You Gotta Move,”. Dec. 6th was Altamont ! Sam Cutler, the former band mgr. of the Rolling Stones has licensed one of the backstage photos from Palm Beach pop to be on the cover of his new book ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want”.
Davidoff and his partner Jack Connell have been collecting history and doing interviews with, Musicians, Festival Goers, Crews, Vendors for a their documentaries on Florida's Forgotten Festivals. This also includes The 1968 Miami Pop Festival http://www.oldrockphoto.com/
which was Michael Langs first festival and led to " The Road To Woodstock"
