All about the Monterey Music Festival: history, bands and significance

In the '60s, when people were still not fully accepting modifications in the world and in music, there were important cultural events that started the popularisation of the rock movement and the cults for the present day groups. Everyone knows Woodstock with a large number of the most popular participants who gave the musical current a new direction, but before this epochal event there was another, no less significant for the development of music.

Small town festival Monterey in California was the first ever event to bring together well-known musicians and promote newcomers. What it was like holiday the world and music, which teams and musicians took part in it and what kind of impact The article will discuss the impact of the festival on the history of music.

Preparing for the show and not taking rockers seriously

A precursor to a festival that celebrates the values counterculturesThe Human Be-In, which promoted the principles of the hippie movement and later influenced not only the Monterey event, but the entire "Summer of Love." 1967.

Main The festival's founders' idea was to expose rock music to a wider audience and to try to put this genre on the same level with jazzwhich at the time was immensely popular and considered decent music, which was not the case with rock. Producer Lou Adler, musician from The Mama's & the Papa's John Phillips, and publicist Derek Taylor seized the opportunity to host the first big rock fest in a place known for jazz concerts and shows.

The preparation took about six weeks, and in those years not everyone could believe the successful festival completion. Michelle Phillips, lead singer of The Mama's & the Papa's, was sceptical about the project's realisation, as putting together, delivering and hosting the all musicians, many of whom are successful and busy performers, have been problematically. However, her husband and his colleagues decided to take matters into their own hands, agreeing with the authorities that there would be no illegal substances and with the participants to promote the event. Despite the fact that access to the festival was by paid tickets only, the musicians performed without a fee, with the proceeds going to charity. Only a sitar player Ravi Shankaroo organisers paid the money as his arrival had been agreed with the original producers of the show.

The most striking speeches

Although some bands such as The Mama's & the Papa's, The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel and Jefferson Airplane were already recognised The Monterey festival also gave bands new to the American scene a chance to gain a following and enter в story.

The second day of the Monterey event featured a big band debut Big Brother and the Holding CompanyThe lead singer was the talented Janis Joplin. The vocalist became a true breakthrough for the blues, considered the music of black people. Joplin was recognised for her sensitivity in her music, as well as for her raw, painful and hard-hitting performance style, to which incredibly intricately even some professional blues singers. Critics later called Janis "the queen of the festival", and the singer became instantly popular outside the Bay Area of San Francisco.

By the end of the day, the audience had seen on stage Otis ReddingHe became an icon of soul and rhythm and blues. The musician managed to mesmerise the audience with his voice timbre and unexpected performance on stage with Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Redding owed his emergence to Jerry Wexler, the festival promoter who insisted on promoting his career in this way. It is noteworthy that the Monterey show has become last of the musician's big performances: six months later he died in a plane crash.

One of the memorable teams was the Brits The Who. In America, they quickly became mainstream, and that didn't stop them from seriously shock audience. For hippies celebrating peace and love, Pete Townsend's guitar smashed in a musical outburst and Keith Moon's overturned rig were not familiar and went against the creativity of the worldview. Other musicians were dumbfounded at the time, and the band Jimi Hendrix wanted most of all to replay such a colourful performance The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

https://youtu.be/WbjBsgFXToE

The guitarist decided to impress listeners not only with his innovative approach to sound extraction, but also his delivery, which, combined with the frontman's extraordinary appearance, became the jewel of the show. Continuing the tradition of The Who's "explosive" performance, the musician conceived a "light it up" not only his fans, but also his instrument. Hendrix set his guitar on fire right on stage, causing a big frenzy and attracted the attention of the press.

A worthy closing of the festival in the evening of the third day was the performance of a well-known by then band The Mama's & the Papa's. Their iconic "Monday, Monday" and "California Dreamin'" sounded like . logical the end of a celebration of rock music that was taking shape at the very beginning of its popularity. They also performed the single "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" along with Scott Mackenzie.

Why did The Beatles, who everyone expected to show up, never showed up?

In addition to the line-up of producers, the festival was worked on by members of the large bands such as Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys and Paul McCartney of The Beatles. They contributed particular contribution to the Monterey show, while not becoming one of the speakers for various reasons.

The most expected The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. Despite the great desire of listeners to see them as the pioneers of British rock music, both bands were unable to attend. The Stones were in trouble with the law because of their substance use, so entry to the United States was restricted, although guitarist Brian Jones still managed to attend the festival, announcing Hendrix's band. The Liverpool foursome, on the other hand, went headfirst into the studio work and couldn't spare the time to perform.

Significance

The Monterey show has become one of the most large events that went against the established culture. It was it that gave a start to young musicians who now have a status of worldsand also led to the emergence of similar peace and music festivals such as the one that became Woodstock in a couple of years.

The documentary, directed by Donn Pennebaker, also made history as a prototype subsequent films about musicians and bands: "Woodstock" and "Gimme Shelter", which deliberately used all the techniques from the film "Monterey Pop.". After a time, the Monterey Festival film was included in the register of culturally important phenomena and creatures.

The festival was also of great importance as the basis for the whole festival programme. movementsreflecting the true spirit of the time. Despite this, its popularity waned with the penetration of the commerce into rock music. It is now impossible to imagine where all the important discoveries for rock music could have taken place if the festival had not been held, and that is why it is so valuable a milestone in the history of music that today's musicians turn to for inspiration.