Where were you 40 years ago? Sugar & Junior @ Woodstock

Is There Blues at Woodstock?

original stage is between Sugar & Junior (Photo: Jessica Mackey)

Junior was in boot camp hiking up a mountain hearing the crowds chants & drums from Woodstock. "It was the only time in my life I fainted after a 25 mile forced hike up "MotherF...." hill with full gear-guns & boots in Fort Knox, KY, I could hear Santana (and Sly & The Family Stone) in my head," remembers Junior.

"I had just turned 14 years old starting my freshman year at St. Teresa's Academy and the only hippies I saw were down at Volker Fountain in front of the Nelson Art Gallery," says Sugar.
On New Year's Day 2009 after Levon's Midnight Ramble we found Woodstock together and down by the orginal stage there's a monumentthere is a memoriial listing all the performers and at that moment we made a pacg to come back for its 40th Annniversary.
Working photographers Bill Epridge (scotch) & John Dominis (whiskey)--Life Magazine were in a trailer behind the stage 40 years ago and Bill is here today reminscing about that the special Woodstock issue that was filled with his photos because the writers were out smoking herb and told him they couldn't remember a thing.

Bill Bleyer--Newsday is another alumni thanks his mom for giving him & his friends a ride to Woodstock (his mom also even let his rock band practice at home in the basement).
Canned Heat Band members Larry "The Mole" Taylor greeted us in the press tent as well other Woodstock alumuni, ShaNaNa, Ten Years After - Leo Lyons, Country Joe McDonald. Grateful Dead- Tom Constantin, Ten Years After keyboardist Chick Churchill have all stopped by the press tent while sound check is going on and people are beginning to sit in their seats while the grassy hill ($20 seats) filled quickly with tie-dye t-shirts and blankets. Up above the hill behind the museum and ampitheatre we are escorted with our cameras and requestedt to shoot from above the originnal site that held over 300, 000 from above the stage, the pond and memorial.

Woodstock has begun--17,000 strong and The Heroes are taking the stage.
Bruce Hornsby, executive director of Bethel Woods brought on Conrad Oberg, a young blind guitarist black leather pants clad cranked up his Marshall amp as he did the Star Spangled Banner just like his idol--Jimi Hendrix had done before him and his dream only a few years ago was to be on the Woodstock stage. Then Max Yasgar's son Sam came on stage reading the speech his father spoke 40 years ago.
Next Country Joe came out and had everyone say "F" and then did a handclapping solo number followed by Big Brother & The Holding Company and two singers one from Japan--
Superfly finely dressed in black and white stripe jumsuit with flowing strips for sleeves beautfifully conjuring up Janis' vocals. And the other singer Sopia dressed in almost painted on pyscheldelic halter string long peacock blue dress & afro.

1700 thousand folks are reliving a dream time gone by when "My Generation" was rebellinng against the establishment, nuclear war, Vietnam, the draft and hopas Richie Havens came out and just began singing what first came to his mind, "Freedom."

Be Back In A FLASH!

Conrad Oberg

Crowd as StarSpangled Banner is played

Big Brother & The Holding Company, Sam Andrews, Superfly(From Japan) James Gurley