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Photo By Robert Altman ©
Cover Story: Crosby Stills Nash and Young
October 18th, 1969 No 44
BIG SUR
By Jerry Hopkins
Big Sur, Calif. - Some of the finest folk singers and musicians
in the world positioned themselves on the edge of some of America's
most glorious scenery for a farewell to summer and a celebration
of nonviolence in mid-September. It was the sixth annual Big Sur
Folk Festival, one of the season's smallest (in attendance) and
loveliest (in mood).
In contrast to many other festivals held this past summer, perhaps
only 10,000 or 15,000 attended the two-day event and unlike what
happened at last year's Big Sur gathering, there was no police
rousting of festival celebrants as they camped along the shoulder
of California's magnificent State Highway 1.
Most people know that Big Sur, besides the Esalen Institute and the beautiful weather and ocean, offers a couple of shops
that just don't cater to long hairs. "If you are unkempt, unclean
and shoeless, your business is not wanted here." Or, more directly,
"No Hippies Allowed." But the festival has always been kept a
compact event, usually held in midweek days, and it was compatible
then, even with the most inhospitable of residents.
The festival, held on the tree-shaded lawns of Esalen, also differed
from other recent celebrations in that here the "scene" did not
eclipse the music, but merely served as a complement. According
to its producers, Nancy Carlen and Paula Kates, Big Sur was designed
as a "performers festival," an opportunity for artists to come
together after a hectic summer on the festival circuit for some
peace and solitude. For the performers it was that. For those
out front, even more.
Joan Baez opened the Saturday program singing "I Shall Be Released" a song
which along with "Get Together" and "Oh Happy Day" seemed to represent
the mood and style of the fete. Proceeds (tickets cost $4.00 a
day) went to her Institute for the Study of nonviolence and the
hope and joy of these melodies were what the festival, and the
Baez sponsored institute, traditionally have offered.
The Incredible String Band followed, appearing in a vast assembly
of instruments, singing their tales of troubadours, one of them
about a pig, dedicated to "the Hog Farm people" who've done alot for us and for the country."
A half hour later Sal Valentino, late of the Beau Brummels, accompanied
himself in a too-brief set of three songs, then quickly he was
supplanted by Carol Cisneros, a 17 year old from Texas, who as
quickly brought the audience to it's feet following her own three-tune
set.
Dorothy Morrison's portion was interrupted by a boy's leaping
into the Esalen pool - situated in front of the performers, who
sang, their backs to the sea - but noone seems to care very much.
Then Joni Mitchell sat at the piano and offered a song she said she had written
about Woodstock: "We are stardust, we are golden, and we've got
to get ourselves back to the garden".
And so it went - with John Sebastian, Mimi Farina, (who was married to Milan Melvin here last year), and Julie
Payne next, then Joan Baez again, singing, among others, "Swing
Low, Sweet Chariot", and "As Tears Go By," being joined by Dorothy
Morrison in a long, joyous sing-along version of "Oh Happy Day".
Somehow the closing act topped even that, as Crosby Stills Nash
and Young played and sang every song in it's repertoire. "This
is the last one we know", Crosby said at 7pm, and half an hour
later, for miles north and south along the coast, the swell of
voices still soared.
Along the coast highway, it looked like the Volkswagen company
had recalled all its campers, perhaps to have the banner, bumper
stickers ("Yea God, There's a Dick in the Whitehouse") and paintings
adjusted. Local sheriff's deputies and highway patrolmen ticketed
some, but so few, really, it seemed as if the only way to earn
a citation was to park with the wheels touching the whiteline
down the middle of the two-land highway.
Saturday night the sleeping bags and tents stretched three miles
each way, under the pine and eucalyptus trees. Strangers stopped
being strangers, gathering around Coleman stoves to smoke and
listen to guitars and dulcimers.
Sunday's program was similar to Saturday's, beginning with Dorothy
Morrison and next a 20-voice Big Sur Folk Choir. The sky was overcast
and the choir leader said, "We'll begin with a moment of silence.
For those of you with God in your vocabulary; think about Him
for a moment. For the others, if you'll think about love, well,
maybe we can make the sun come out and we'll all have a great
time." By the time they'd sung their final song, the sun had broken
through.
Sebastian returned, sang "Goin' Fishin", "She's a Lady", "You're
a Big Boy Now", "Daydream", then dedicated another of his songs
to the memory of Woodstock and the mood of Big Sur: "I had a dream
last night what a lovely dream it was.....".
When Mimi Farina and Julie Payne appeared, the Festival had become
a folk "jam". Backing them were Stephen Stills and Dallas Taylor,
both of Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and Chris Etheridge, formerly
of the Flying Burrito Brothers. This same "backup band", next
supported folksinger James Hendricks and later when Joni Mitchell
returned, Sebastian joined the band.
Out front, the thousands sprawled on blankets, drinking beer and
wine, drawing on joints passed from hand to hand, or carefully
and slowly picked their way, stepping over bodies and belongings,
to visit the refreshment stands to buy hot rice, yogurt, fresh
melon, and broth. While thousands provided colorful subject matter
for the hundreds of amateur photographers.
Carol Cisneros provided her second short set of the weekend, Dorothy
Morrison and the Comb Sisters sang "If I Had a Hammer", and a
lively but almost interminable "All God's Children Got Soul",
and one of the truly fine but sadly unrecognized singer songwriters,
Ruthann Friedman, spun three superb musical poems, that nearly
topped everything that had come before.
Sal Valentino came out and then Joan Baez, who talked about how
her husband David was doing in jail. "It's a kind of general rehabilitation
place, but he hasn't rehabilitated one iota." Cheers. She also
sang "I Shall Be Released" again, this time changing the last
line to "We shall be released," then sang, "Love Is Just a Four
Letter Word." The high point of her set was a song sung acapella,
displaying in mind-whistling clarity another of the region's natural
gifts - the crystal clear echo that returned from a mountain a
quarter of a mile away.
Crosby Stills Nash and Young played the final set, as on Saturday,
repeatedly bringing the thinning crowd to it's feet. For a finale
- with the audience pushed forward around the pool, closer to
the performers now - everyone at the festival reprised "Oh Happy
Day".
Everyone performed without charge. Some of the best batiks ever
made decorated the soggy, Esalen lawn. Children danced. Conga
drummers gathered around the earth. A flower bed was destroyed,
but the audience cleaned the trash from the grounds. The hundreds
who hadn't money to get in lined the highway on top of the hill,
and didn't crash the gates- even though there were no gates.
"I finally figured out the difference between this and a love-in,"
someone said Sunday. "Four dollars."
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