Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Byrds – Monterey Pop Festival Press Release

As unique a Monterey Pop Festival item as you're ever likely to see–a 5 page press release, dated May 22, 1967 (the festival was June 16-18) detailing preliminary plans for the Festival. Written by Festival PR director Derek Taylor (press rep. for The Beatles, Beach Boys, etc, and PR head for Apple Records, ) this is filled with preliminary information, some of which changed dramatically before festival.(br)It begins by detailing some of the non-music plans for the festival–booths selling all manner of Hippy items–"posters, pottery, sculpture, sealing wax, buttons, beads and belts" and how a "booth and workshop" department has been set up at the Festival's Sunset Strip offices.(br)It then goes on to detail the seminars and workshops that will take place (experts in everything from copyrights to light shows and "recording patterns" (??) will be available.) Then the lineup is announced, for the first time–and it isn't exactly as the actual lineup came off a month later. Jimi Hendrix is listed as appearing the opening show, where he actually appeared during the last of 5 shows. Big Brother are only listed as having one set, but they went over so well, they were slotted again so they could be filmed (their manager, Albert Grossman, wouldn't allow their first set to be filmed.) The Impressions, The Beach Boys, and Dionne Warwick are all listed, but none of them actually appeared at the festival.(br)The fourth page promises that members of the groups appearing at various times during the festival will be "jamming as sidemen" during the Saturday afternoon concert–"establishing the point that there need be no barriers to co-operation between artists providing their amis are the same." Of course, this never happened either. The fifth page is the lineup once again, with the promise "other names will be added"–which was, in fact, the case.(br)This extremely rare artifact came from the estate of the legendary music critic, Ralph J. Gleason, who helped to organize and recruit acts for the festival (he and Bill Graham were critical in convincing the San Francisco bands to appear.) Gleason later went on to co-found ROLLING STONE magazine.(br)We know of only one other of these to exist, also from the Gleason collection. In overall excellent condition, with a small stain on the first page.(br)A truly rare, and virtually unique, historical document.

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