(click on image to enlarge)Just in case people tell you that there isn’t much history in the San Fernando Valley, you might wish to remind them about a few “minor” performances on three days at Devonshire Downs in Northridge
Friday June 20th, 1969
Jimi Hendrix --- Spirit --- Joe Cocker --- Southwind --- Taj Mahal --- Albert King --- Edwin Hawkins Singas --- Ike and Tina Turner ---
Jerry Lauderdale
Saturday June 21, 1969
Creedence Crearwater --- Steppenwolf --- Jethro Tull --- Erik Burden
Buffe St. Marie --- Friends of Distinction ---Charity --- Sweetwater --- Lee Michaels --- Albert Collins --- Love --- Brenton Wood
Sunday June 22, 1969
Chambers Brothers --- Marvin Gaye --- Grass Roots --- Three Dog Night --- Johnny Winter --- Byaos --- Poco --- Mother Earth --- Flock
--- The Rascals
In reality the San Fernando Valley’s “fair grounds”, historic Devonshire Downs was home all sorts of outdoor activities. Once a track for horse racing, (remember, Northridge and Granada Hills had some of the finest horse breeding ranches in California) Devonshire Downs was host to The San Fernando Valley Fair, oversized graduations, classic car shows and yes.......... one of the most famous rock and roll weekends of all time.
3 comments:
Wow, what a great show it must have been?
LOve this blog. I would like to know ahead of time more events and activits connected with the Northridge 100 anniversary this year. Hear about the Jack Oakie house ideas. Would like to hear more....Back on topic. I grew up only miles from this event and never heard a thing. I am well aware of the Downs due to being a Boy Scout and their having many Scoutcraft Fairs there along with the venerable SFV livestock fair. I wish those events were still around, but are NOT.
I got a job there with my cousin (who was visiting) in the hot dog and hamburger stand and got to see all three days (we went home and got cleaned up Saturday after work and used our passes to get back in to enjoy the concert)! It was one week before schools in L.A. County let out. And really the beginning of what people now think of as the 60s--We had seen The Doors in the Hollywood Bowl a year earlier, and went to lots of American Bandstand tapings, but they had just cancelled dress codes in school and things were only starting to loosen up. It was the first time anyone offered me pot--I was that straight. Two months later, when Woodstock was on all the TV news stations, we were amazed, because we had had our own Woodstock out West (and kinda felt it was ignored)... CSN even showed up and invited everyone to come to Woodstock to see their first performance. My cousin and I had never seen anything about the concert for decades--we had only each other to confirm that we were indeed there! (And seeing the Woodstock movie in a drive-in a year or so later, when she visited again, confused our memories about who was there and who wasn't--were we dreaming?) Altho the LAPD was marching like an army unit outside when we got back to DD on Saturday night, it was all cool inside, and Creedence was probably the coolest act, still in my memory, just because it was so wonderful hearing them roaring in the dark night, under the stars, everyone dancing, the air thick with pot...but Hendrix was amazing both shows he played (Friday night might not have impressed critics, but to high school kids, it was insane! And Sunday was one of the best concerts you could imagine--he was so into the music and jamming!) Thanks for documenting SoCal's Woodstock!
Post a Comment