Woodstock 1969 Photos

By | February 12, 2018

Portrait of American musician Jerry Garcia (1942 - 1995) of the Grateful Dead backstage at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair, August 16, 1969. 

Woodstock, the iconic festival that rocked New York, took place the weekend of August 15-18, 1969. Unsurprisingly, it remains the most famous music festival in rock 'n' roll history. It was marketed as "three days of peace and music" from 32 of the most influential artists in American music. It was the embodiment of the free spirit of the 1960s.  It was the largest festival in music history and a cultural landmark for an entire generation. Despite the absurd amount of people that descended on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm, it was still a very peaceful event. That’s not to say it was all peace, love, and rock and roll.

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(Photo by Barry Z Levine/Getty Images)

Check out Jerry Garcia just leaning over a dolly labeled "for rent" while backstage at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair on August 16, 1969.  The music icon is best known for his work as the lead guitarist and as a vocalist with the band the Grateful Dead, which came to prominence during the counterculture era in the 1960s. 

The Grateful Dead Garcia toured almost constantly from the time of their formation in 1965 until Garcia's death in 1995. There were periodically some breaks of course, due to health issues and such but for the most part, they just kept on trucking. During their three-decade span, the Grateful Dead played 2,314 shows

Janis Joplin singing on stage during her performance at Woodstock, 1969

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(Photo by Henry Diltz/Corbis via Getty Images)

Here's a great shot of Janis Joplin singing on stage during her performance at the Woodstock Music and Art Fair. One of the major concerning social issues at the time of Woodstock were regarding human sexuality and women's rights. 

This was a time when women were screaming for equality and Janis Joplin stepped on the scene and became the biggest female rock star of the era. She was this powerful voice breaking new ground for women in the rock music industry. She was the embodiment of a wild child, leaving the confining community she grew up in to do things her way.