Haight Ashbury is, of course, the unremarkable intersection of Haight St. and Ashbury St. in the Fillmore district of San Francisco. It designates something of a ground zero for the multiplicities of scenes active in the surrounding environment in the mid-late 60's. It was the epicenter of the American psychedelic rock movement, as well as an emblem of the counterculture itself. The music of the typical Haight Ashbury group was usually folk-based, with varying degrees of blues influence (from none to a whole lot), hints of surf riffs in places, with or without an organ, with long, spacy guitar playing and varying degrees of improvisation onstage. Some groups branched out towards acid rock, some toward country-rock, some towards blues-rock, some towards nostalgia, some towards heavy metal. The roster of well-known players of the era is long and impressive: Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Sly & The Family Stone, Big Brother & The Holding Co. (Janis Joplin), Santana, Steve Miller Band, Hot Tuna, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Moby Grape, New Riders of the Purple Sage. There were also many also-rans, some so loosely knit they survive only as a name on one of the famously beautiful concert posters of the day. The Charlatans, whom history has largely forgotten, were the first Haight Ashbury band to secure a recording contract; Jefferson Airplane was the first to have a hit and gain national exposure.
Books have been written on San Francisco's history in the 1960's, so a brief summary of the place and times will suffice.
As those who were there at the time claim, the real summers of love were 1965-1966, before LSD had been criminalized, and before anyone outside of San Francisco knew what was going on.
When the mainstream media finally got wind, late as usual, they dubbed 1967 "Summer of Love" and dubbed San Francisco's inhabitants "hippies" and "flower children"; catchall terms that really referred to nothing specific that actually existed, but sounded really groovy to bored kids stuck with oppressive parents in the suburbs of America. However, it wasn't just the media; Scott MacKenzie's smash 1967 hit "San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)" written by Los Angeleno John Phillips, also put a groovy spin on the city.
Thus, what was good about the original scene; a variety of cultures cohabiting peacefully, an optimistic and exhuberant bent for experimentation, experience, and art, a live-and-let-live philosophy and tolerance, was brutally overrun when the word got out, touching off a migration of teenage runaways, twenty-something drifters, and thirty-something dope dealers, bikers, and ex-cons who grew their hair long to get in on drugs and free love. 33-year-old Charles Manson and a couple of girl-followers were "flower children" on The Haight for a few months in 1967. 1967 rendered the district filthy, overcrowded, crime ridden, STD infested, and full of abused runaways, burnouts, and the mentally unstable. The original inhabitants moved out as the riffraff moved in, for a few years the area was fairly slummy until gentrification set in. A sense of traditional counterculture (an oxymoron in the mid-60's) still exists, although there's very little continuity left. The street remains part of the tourist bus route throughout the city.
![Grateful Dead [concert poster] (1966)](http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/1825/gdposter662kp.jpg)
Article comments
1 - Don
Does anyone know what's going on with Sly? The last I heard is his showing up in costume (bikers helmet) at his sisters concert there in Cali.
2 - uao
No idea; the last two decades are pretty fuzzy. He recorded a flop single in 1987, "Eek-a-Bo-Static", but was jailed for drug possession that year.
He also managed a duet with Martha Davis (of the Motels) "Love & Affection" at about the same time.
He showed up at the Hall of Fame induction in 1993, by all accounts to the surprise of his bandmates.
In 2003, the original Family Stone (without Sly) entered the studio; I don't know if the session amounted to anything.
Freddie Stone is a minister with a website.
Here's the article about Sly showing up at his sister's concert in August 2005, the only news I could find for him for the last decade. He came by 4-wheel Harley wearing a motorcycle helmet, which he kept on all night, and wasn't recognized in the VIP room because most of the VIP's were blind (!)
Al Barger posted this article on Sly's 60th birthday; I was moved by the very personal nature of the comments from fans, friends, and well-wishers that appeared on the thread.
3 - Steve
Visit the John Cipollina website here
4 - uao
That's a beautiful website, Steve. A fine tribute that really gets into all aspects of his career and musicianship. I know you've done him proud.
I'm still preachin' the Quicksilver and San Fran word to the young squirts. Cipollina is a name worthy of remembrance and discovery.
5 - Joanie
Thankfully, we have some great realitvely unknown bands who are carrying on the tradition established during the big Haight era.
6 - Tom Weller
Nice reminiscense on the San Francisco sound. Actually, Country Joe has put out half a dozen albums since 1996. Check out his site (I'm the webmaster).
7 - uao
My apologies for the error, Tom. I've corrected the sentence; I was looking at an outdated discography. Joe deserves his due.
Nice website too!
8 - Dave
FYI, "Loosen Up Naturally" (1968) was the first release from the Sons of Champlin. "The Sons" (1969) is their second release. In addition, they've reformed and have been performing and recording since 1997, with a new release, "Hip L'il Dreams", on August 23rd of this year.
Check out their website at www.sonsofchamplin.com for more info...
9 - uao
Doh!
Sorry Dave. Should have looked for your website first. I can't fix the error here anymore, it has been archived. But I'll fix it on the original blog entry at my blog.
I very much appreciate the webmasters checking in here, though. You've alerted me to the fact you guys are out there, which will help me keep better informed of these musicians (for whom latter-day info is sometimes hard to find or cross-reference for facts). As penance, I think for future playlists of this nature, I'll post links to official websites, when I can find them.
I'm kind of expecting to hear from Joy of Cooking or Dan Hicks next...
It's all meant in loving tribute, though, as well as an introduction for listeners who have never even heard of some of these names.
10 - Hammond Guthrie
Dave - These are excellent album reviews and commentaries. If by chance you also review 60s memoirs please contact me and I would be pleased to send you a copy of my book "AsEverWas" released in 2002 by SAF publishing in London. If you visit their website you can find the pr blip for my book near the bottom of the book index page. In the listing I think you will find books about some of your favored musicians as well - Thanks for taking the time - best of the moment to you and your readers.... Hammond Guthrie
11 - Hammond Guthrie
Sorry for the inadvertant omission - here is the SAF publishing url
http://www.safpublishing.com/
asever - Hammond
12 - uao
I don't review memoirs as a rule, but I do read them on occasion; memoirs of a "Beat Survivor" is germaine as San Fran was beat city before it was psychedelicized. Thanks for the comment Hammond.
13 - Dennis Newhall
The Sons of Champlin's Loosen Up Naturally was their first album. THEN, The Sons (The Sons of Champlin Have Changed Their Name to The Sons)
14 - Temple A. Stark
We can fix the link if you ask uao. Just e-mail the link that gors with this comment.
15 - Temple A. Stark
Late notice but,
This post was chosen by the section editor as a BC pick of the week. Go HERE (link) to find out why.
And thank you
- Temple
16 - Hammond Guthrie
Thanks for your reply - SF takes up a rather small part of the tale - and largely set in Europe late 60s vs. SF. Best to you and your projects.
17 - Blake
great album reviews. I wish i could have lived during the rock/blues and psychedelic era. I agree that blue cheer's lesser known album OutsideInside is better than their debut album, although i love both albums, especially the songs out of focus and babylon.. I also agree with that one guy that the guitarist of quicksilver is amazing and should be remembered next to hendrix, page, clapton... oh man actually there were so many amazing got guitarists that never got the recognition they deserved... like guitarist from tons of garage rock/ garage punk bands.. also from old psychedelic bands.
Mick Abrahms from Bloodwyn Pig and Jethro Tull was great for example.
18 - GoHah
good to hear Dan Hicks, with or without the Hot Licks, still kicking around. I had their LP--might've been called "Stikin' It Rich" or to that effect. All pretty much good-timey music like "The Laughing Song" and I believe "Canned Music was on there too. Then there was the exception--an extended scary number with wigged-out violin titled, appropriately, " I Scare Myself." Truth in advertising, indeed.