Monterey at 50: When rock festivals were born
Simon and Garfunkel helped launch the SUMMER OF LOVE at the Monterey International Pop Festival back in 1967. Its vibe is still being felt half a century later. Anthony Mason takes us to Monterey, then and now:
At the fairgrounds in Monterey, California this weekend, just down the coast from San Francisco, the Monterey International Pop Festival is celebrating its rock ancestor -- the festival that gave birth to rock festivals.
Fifty years ago this weekend, the first Monterey Pop, with its slogan of "Music, Love and Flowers," rang the opening bell for the "Summer of Love."
Monterey would be the breakout moment for Jimi Hendrix, playing his first American show with the Experience; for Janis Joplin, then almost unknown outside San Francisco; and for Otis Redding, who'd never played for a white audience.
The festival was organized by John Phillips, leader of The Mamas and The Papas, and his manager and producer, Lou Adler. The shows sold out every day. "Everything was full; there were people standing along the fences," said Adler.
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But to suggest Otis Redding had never played in front of a white audience prior to Monterey is absolute bullshit. Otis had been a part of the Stax Records European Tour in '67 months prior to Monterey. In fact, that Tour and his success was a large part of why he ended up at Monterey. If they had only suggested it was his breakout American concert, that would be absolutely true, but it wasn't the first time he had performed for a predominantly white audience.
Sorry to highjack the thread...
Sincerely,
An Otis lover! 
