📺 American Bandstand: Where Rock Music Learned to Dance
Long before music videos, MTV, or TikTok dances, there was one place where America’s teens turned to learn the latest moves and see their favorite stars perform live: American Bandstand.
With its slick sound, clean-cut image, and irresistible beat, Bandstand became a cornerstone of the rock era and a cultural touchstone for generations of fans. For over three decades, it brought music, dance, and teen culture to television—and made a household name out of a young host named Dick Clark.
🎙️ From Bob Horn to Dick Clark: A New Era Begins
American Bandstand actually started small—as a local Philadelphia program called Bob Horn’s Bandstand, which first aired in 1952. Bob Horn was the original host, but in July 1956, a drunk driving conviction cut his run short.
Enter a young, well-dressed radio announcer named Dick Clark, who stepped in as host. It turned out to be a perfect match.
Within a year, ABC picked up the show for national syndication, gave it a streamlined name—American Bandstand—and broadcast it across the country starting in August 1957. First airing daily, and then weekly from 1963 to 1989, it became the longest-running music performance show of its kind.
🕺 Clean Cuts, Fresh Moves, and Good Behavior
American Bandstand
Unlike the chaotic energy of later rock shows, American Bandstand was neat, well-mannered, and camera-ready. Teenagers came dressed in semi-formal attire—the boys in sports coats and dress shoes, the girls in modest dresses or skirts, ponytails bouncing.
There was no profanity, no on-stage antics, and performers were expected to be on their best behavior. Yet for all its wholesome presentation, the show pulsed with teen energy—and just enough edge to feel exciting.
💃 Dancing Into the Spotlight
The show’s biggest stars weren’t always the singers. Often, it was the dancers.
Each episode featured a studio full of local teens, unpaid but passionate, who showed off the latest dance crazes to the rest of America. Some of them even created the steps themselves—and the next day, high schools across the country would be buzzing with who did what on Bandstand.
Dancing on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand
And it wasn’t just about the moves. Viewers tuned in for the fashions, flirtations, and high school-style drama. Though the dress code was buttoned-up, the dancing was as sexy as TV allowed at the time.
🌀 The Twist Heard ’Round the Nation
Dance culture exploded in the early ’60s, and Bandstand was right in the middle of it.
One of the most iconic dance moments came courtesy of Chubby Checker, whose performance of “The Twist”introduced a brand new idea: dancing apart to the beat. Gone were the ballroom-style slow dances—now teens could twist, jerk, pony, and mash potato their way across the dance floor, no partner required.
From that point on, American Bandstand became the place to learn the latest steps, whether it was the Watusi, the Swim, or the Freddie.
🖤 Integrated Audiences and Early TV Milestones
One often-overlooked legacy of American Bandstand is that it was likely the first nationally televised program to regularly feature Black and white teenagers dancing together—and to show them sharing space on camera.
In an era of segregation, that was a quiet but powerful statement. It helped normalize integration for millions of viewers and gave Black artists and dancers a national platform.
🎵 Dick Clark and the Payola Scrutiny
As the show grew in influence, so did Dick Clark’s personal fame. By the early ’60s, he wasn’t just a host—he was one of the most powerful tastemakers in music. A song played on Bandstand could see a huge bump in sales overnight.
That influence brought scrutiny. During the Senate payola investigations, it came to light that Clark had financial interests in music publishing companies whose songs were featured on the show. While nothing illegal was found, ABC insisted that he divest his interests to stay on the air.
He did. And Bandstand kept dancing.
🎶 Final Thought: A Mirrorball for a Generation
From sock hops to slow dances, doo-wop to disco, American Bandstand moved with the times but never lost its place as a trusted mirror of teen culture. It helped launch the careers of countless artists, introduced America to new styles, and made dancing part of the national language.
And through it all, Dick Clark stood at the center—cool, composed, and always on the beat.
Long live the rhythm. Long live the floor. Long live Bandstand.
Ed Sullivan and The Beatles all started in October 1963 when Ed Sullivan and his wife were in London where they were delayed at Heathrow Airport by the crowds greeting them on their return from Sweden. As the story goes, Sullivan took note of the interest that they drew, and later, met with Brian Epstein, their manager. The Ed Sullivan show was the top-rated variety show on US television and was known for presenting first looks at up-and-coming acts.
The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Stage
The rest is television history. Fifty thousand ticket requests came in for the 728 available seats, and on February 9, 1964 Nielsen estimated the audience at 73+ million viewers, something like 45% of the country. Everything stood still while America watched the Ed Sullivan and The Beatles.
The impact of the performance on American audiences was immediate and profound. The Beatles’ appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show marked the beginning of the British Invasion, a period of time when British rock bands dominated the American music charts. The performance also served as a cultural touchstone for the baby boomer generation, who were coming of age during a time of great social and political change.
The Music Scene
The state of popular music in the early 1960s was largely dominated by the music of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, and other crooners of the time. However, The Beatles and their unique brand of rock and roll quickly began to take the world by storm. The impact of Beatlemania on American culture was significant, with young people all over the country dressing like the band members and imitating their music. The cultural significance of The Ed Sullivan Show cannot be understated, as it was a hugely popular variety show that showcased some of the biggest names in entertainment at the time.
The Beatles’ Rise to Fame
The Beatles’ early years in Liverpool are well-documented, with the band playing countless gigs in local clubs and venues. They released their first single, “Love Me Do,” in 1962 and quickly followed it up with a string of hits, including “Please Please Me” and “She Loves You.” The band’s growing popularity in the UK and Europe eventually caught the attention of American audiences, leading to their eventual arrival in the United States.
The Beatles Arrive in America
The story of The Beatles’ arrival in America is the stuff of legend, with fans lining the streets and screaming at the sight of the band members. Their reception by American fans and the media was equally frenzied, with news outlets reporting on the band’s every move. The cultural significance of The Beatles’ American debut cannot be overstated, as it marked the beginning of their domination of the American music scene.
Booking The Beatles for The Ed Sullivan Show was a monumental task, with the band’s management negotiating a deal that would see them appear on three separate episodes of the show. The logistics of planning the performance were also significant, with the band rehearsing for weeks to ensure that their performance would be flawless. The anticipation and excitement surrounding the event were palpable, with fans and the media eagerly awaiting their appearance.
February 9, 1964
The Beatles’ performance on The Ed Sullivan Show was a historic moment in television and music history. The band played a set of five songs, including “All My Loving,” “Till There Was You,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” The impact of the performance on American audiences was immense, with millions tuning in to watch the show. The significance of The Beatles’ appearance in the context of the civil rights movement and other social issues of the time cannot be ignored, as their music and message resonated with young people all over the country.
Ed Sullivan and The Beatles Song List
Ed Sullivan with The Beatles
The Beatles sang 5 songs: All My Loving, Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. From the very first note, girls in the audience were screaming while a closeup of John Lennon had carried a message “sorry girls, he’s married”.
Although the Beatles appeared on the show 8 more times, this was the only performance that was live in the studio.
The Beatles were on again for the next 2 weeks. For February 16, 1964, they broadcast a live performance from their hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. The Beatles played to a live audience during the afternoon at the hotel, then at 8 p.m., broadcast a live performance on The Ed Sullivan Show by satellite. The Beatles sang six songs; She Loves You, This Boy, All My Loving, I Saw Her Standing There, From Me To You, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. On the following week, the performance was by a tape that was recorded when they were in the studio on the 9th. They played three songs, Twist and Shout, Please Please Me, and I Want To Hold Your Hand. During the performance, Ed Sullivan thanked The Beatles for “being four of the nicest youngsters”.
On September 9th, 1956, Elvis Presley appeared on the Ed Sullivan show with 60 million people watching, an amazing 82.6% of the audience and a record that hasn’t been beat to this day. Elvis performed 4 songs: Don’t be Cruel, Hound Dog, Reddy Teddy, and Love Me Tender, and was shown on the screen with the now famous “waist up” crop. It was a historic TV event and marks the unofficial start of The Golden Age of Rock.
Much has been written about the way Ed Sullivan controlled performers on his show. As a family variety show, his standards were conservative, even for the 50s. The idea of having an act that was already nicknamed “Elvis the Pelvis” led him to initially turn down Elvis’ offer to do the show for $5,000. By this time, though, Elvis had already scored 3 #1 hits, and eventually the deal was signed for $50,000 for 3 shows, an enormous amount for the time.
During the first segment, Elvis was photographed from the waist up only, avoiding shots of his hips and what was labeled as “suggestive movements”. Of course, this form of censorship only increased Elvis’ appeal and the reaction of the studio audience gave the home viewers a hint of what they were missing. It wasn’t until later that we saw Elvis on screen from head to toe.
Ed Sullivan and Elvis
As luck would have it, neither Ed Sullivan or Elvis were actually in the studio for the famous first appearance. Ed Sullivan was recuperating from an automobile accident and Charles Laughton filled in for him. Elvis was in Hollywood, filming his first movie, and performed from the CBS studio there. Even so, this event was so big, that it was included in the History Channel special “10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America”.
If the Woodstock Concert in August of 69 was the height of the concert scene, then the Altamont Festival in December of 69 was the bottom.
The Altamont Festival was planned as the final stop of the Rolling Stones Tour of America, although only Santana, the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, and the Flying Buritto Brothers were advertised. The Stones appearance was supposed to be kept secret to prevent unmanageable crowds. Originally scheduled for Golden Gate Park, they were unable to obtain the necessary permits, and the event was moved to Sears Point Raceway. Then, after a breakdown in contract negotiations and just a day before it’s start, the festival was moved to the Altamont Raceway.
Stones Gimme Shelter poster with scenes from the Altamont Festival.
In the meantime, Mick Jagger announced at a press conference that the Rolling Stones would make a surprise appearance. It is speculated that this was done to increase attendance for the filming of a documentary, and it did just that. An estimated 300,000 attended the free concert and a bunch of problems arose. There weren’t enough bathrooms or medical help, the sound system wasn’t sufficient, and the stage wasn’t high enough for security or for anyone to see.
Hell’s Angels Security
On top of all, the Rolling Stones manager had hired the Hell’s Angels for security. The result was predictable, fights broke out right from the start. The Angels became more violent as the day went on, probably because they were consuming as much beer and drugs as the rest of the crowd. One of the Angels motorcycles was knocked over, and they became even more belligerent,
The fighting resulted in Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane being knocked unconscious (reportedly by one of the security guard Angels), and The Grateful Dead refused to play and left the area. This resulted in a span of several hours without entertainment until the Rolling Stones could start, which didn’t make the crowd any friendlier.
As the Stones were playing, a concert goer, Meredith Hunter scuffled with the security Hells Angels and reportedly drew a gun. His death was recorded by several film crews as he was stabbed and kicked to death. One person was arrested but was eventually acquitted when a court ruled that it was in self-defense. The Stones, unaware that Hunter’s beating was fatal, and maybe also in fear of what would happen if they left early, kept on playing. Three others also died at the Altamont concert. Two people were run over in their sleeping bags, and one person drowned.
The Altamont Festival turned out to be one of the most violent times in Rock History, The Grateful Dead went on to write half a dozen songs about it, and several documentaries were released.
-[Jeanne Rose] Altamont was a very very– it was very exciting to go to the beginning of, it was very interesting, it was in– at Altamont, it was cold. [sighs] When we drove there, we had this funny car and people recognized me at the time, which is interesting, and we drove to the top of this hill and to get to the stage, we had to drive down through thousands of people to get to where we were parked.
And people, the motorcycle guys, once they knew who I was they moved the crowd aside. To– and we drove this vehicle down this hill through this entire crowd. I had my hand out the window because it was hot, it was afternoon ish, and [laughs] People would drop drugs into my hand. Well, I was not gonna take strange drugs, you know that’s the rule, don’t do that.
And I’d leave the hand out there and the next person would take that and put something else in there, so it was– that was interesting and the concert started out very well. And we were in a flatbed truck sort of behind the stage so we had a high view of what was going on from sort of a high part behind the stage.
So we saw all of the things that happened and I personally know, I personally feel that there would have been no violence or less violence if the Rolling Stones had started their concert on time. But they, but by the time they decided to you know, walk on the stage, people were crazy. They’d been waiting and waiting.
The Jefferson Airplane had played and there was some sort of violence with them. And– Then another hour, a long time, passed very, very long time before the Rolling Stones came on stage. And by the time they came on stage, people were mad with being high and stupid and crazy and cold and– [coughs] excuse me– and crowded [coughs] and– that was it.
So the concert started out on a really nice high note and ended out– ended on a really low note and that was kind of the end of rock and roll, really. The kind of rock and roll where we had access to the musicians and could talk to them and then they became just too fearful and famous or maybe they weren’t fearful, just too famous.
I don’t know, but to me that was the end of it, the end of- end of 1969.
The Monterey Pop Festival, officially known as the Monterey International Pop Music Festival, ran from June 16 to June 18, 1967. It was the first major rock festival in the world and became the model for future festivals.
The Monterey Pop Festival was held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey on June 16 to June 18, 1967. It was the kickoff to the summer season of the Summer of Love. Big pop festivals were new and each was an unpredictable adventure. This one turned out great.
The festival was planned by producer Lou Adler, John Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas, producer Alan Pariser, and publicist Derek Taylor. The festival board also included members of The Beatles and The Beach Boys.
With the exception of Ravi Shankar, the artists all performed for free, and all revenue is donated to charity (live recordings are still generating royalties). Attendance was over 200,000 and Monterey Pop is generally regarded as the model used for planning Woodstock 2 years later.
The Monterey Pop Festival included several groundbreaking performances. It was the first US appearances for Jimi Hendrix who was booked on the insistence of board member Paul McCartney, and The Who, and was the first major public performance for Janis Joplin and Otis Redding.
Monterey Pop Festival Performers
The schedule of performers included most of the top acts of the time, but there were 2 big acts that were noticeably absent. Even though they were among the organizers, The Beach Boys had to cancel because of problems with Brian Wilson’s draft status, and Donovan couldn’t get a visa due to drug problems.
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
The Association
The Paupers
Lou Rawls
Beverly
Johnny Rivers
The Animals
Simon and Garfunkel
Canned Heat
Big Brother & The Holding Company
Country Joe and The Fish
Al Kooper
The Butterfield Blues Band
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Steve Miller Band
The Electric Flag
Moby Grape
Hugh Masekela
The Byrds
Laura Nyro
Jefferson Airplane
Booker T and The MG’s
Otis Redding
Ravi Shankar
The Blues Project
Big Brother & The Holding Co
The Group With No Name
Buffalo Springfield
The Who
Grateful Dead
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Scott McKenzie
The Mamas & The Papas
Monterey Pop: The Documentary
Here’s a great documentary video:
– Just like I’ve heard a lot of them, but all at the same time, it’s just gonna be too much. The vibrations are just gonna be flowing everywhere. (“If You’re Going to San Francisco” by Scott McKenzie) The performances that came out of Monterey that really changed careers, but also were so influential they actually changed kind of popular music culture in the late 1960’s over the course of that weekend, would have to have been Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, and Jimi Hendrix.
Those are also the sort of three most generously recorded performances in the film itself and in the case of both the Otis Redding set and the Hendrix set, by that point of the weekend, it was later in the weekend, Pennebaker was recording entire sets. So those two sets exist in their entirety. What is amazing about the Janis Joplin performance and if you watch that, watch very closely, the way that Pennebaker is cutting between the performance and the reaction of the audience and there’s one amazing shot of Cass Elliot of the Mamas and the Papas, watching Janis Joplin perform and she’s slack-jawed.
She can’t believe what she is watching and the only word and you don’t have to hear it, I can’t remember if we do or not, but you can certainly see it, is she says, “Wow!” over Joplin’s performance. – [Otis] Am I right? – The interesting thing about Otis Redding was, Otis Redding was a, more or less, pretty classical soul belter for the time, an enormously gifted one, but the kind of music he was playing was certainly, would seem to be, inconsistent with a lot of the more kinda psychedelic, or pop, or rock music, largely white, that was being performed over the context of the weekend.
So what he brought to it was a vocal performance that was absolutely astounding. (“You Were Tired” by Otis Redding) ♪ You were tired ♪ – But also, it was an indication of the extent to which there seemed to be, at certain points, an attempt to kind of integrate American popular music and it’s a form of integration that unfortunately, by the time a few years later, was much less obvious and you were much less likely to see it in sort of stadium shows.
(audience applauding) But at this point in time, it’s part of the optimism. It is a great performance and of course, Hendrix. Hendrix, what can you say? I mean, Hendrix at Monterey was already a star in England because he’d given up, not getting much of a response for his work in the United States, he’d gone to England.
In England the country went crazy for Jimi Hendrix, yet he was still a largely unknown quantity in America. When he was brought back and he performed at Monterey, describing the performance will never be up to actually just watching the performance, but I would say those three performances were not just great performances, but they were performances that actually changed the way that popular music was being thought about in the United States in the late 1960’s.
🎶 American Bandstand: The Dance Floor That Rocked America
Before YouTube, TikTok, or even MTV, there was American Bandstand—the teen dance show that brought rock and roll into American living rooms, one twist and one pompadour at a time.
Running for over three decades, Bandstand became one of the most iconic music programs in television history. And at the center of it all? Dick Clark, a man so squeaky clean he made rock and roll look downright respectable.
📺 The Early Days: From Bob Horn to Dick Clark
Dick Clark on American Bandstand
American Bandstand didn’t start as a national sensation—it began as a local show in Philadelphia in 1952, originally called Bob Horn’s Bandstand. Hosted by (you guessed it) Bob Horn, the show featured local teens dancing to the day’s hottest tunes.
But in July 1956, Horn’s career came to a screeching halt after a drunk driving conviction, and the show needed a new face. Enter Dick Clark—a young, polished radio personality with great hair, a steady hand, and a clear vision.
Clark took over hosting duties, and the very next year, ABC picked up the show for national syndication, giving it a new name: American Bandstand. The rest, as they say, is history.
🕺 Dancing, Ratings, and Clean-Cut Cool
From its national debut in August 1957, American Bandstand quickly became a cultural force. It aired daily at first, then switched to weekly broadcasts in 1963, continuing all the way until 1989.
But this wasn’t a rowdy rock circus. Bandstand offered a vision of rock and roll with its shirt tucked in:
No profanity
No wild antics
No wardrobe malfunctions
Just kids in smart clothes doing the latest dances on polished floors
Each show typically featured:
A live performance by a major act or hot up-and-comer
A “Rate-a-Record” segment where teens scored new songs
A studio audience of dancers who stole the spotlight week after week
Dancing on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand
The dancers weren’t paid. They were just regular local teens from Philly (and later LA), but they were trendsetters. They knew the Twist, the Stroll, the Mashed Potato, and more. And let’s be honest—they probably made up a few steps of their own.
🎤 Where Stars Were Born
If you were a new artist in the ’50s, ’60s, or ’70s, getting on American Bandstand was like winning the lottery. One performance could send your record soaring up the charts.
Everyone from Elvis Presley to The Jackson 5, from Madonna to Prince, made their mark on the Bandstand stage.
Even more important, Bandstand was one of the first national shows to regularly feature Black performers—and to show Black and white teens dancing together on the same stage. That might not sound radical now, but in 1957, it absolutely was.
⚖️ The Payola Scare: Dick Clark Under the Microscope
As the host of the most influential music show in the country, Dick Clark held serious power. A song featured on Bandstand could go from unknown to hit in a week.
This caught the attention of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Payola, which launched a sweeping investigation into DJs and producers accepting money or favors in exchange for airplay.
Clark, it turned out, had investments in several small music publishing companies—companies whose songs got a lot of screen time on his show. Suspicious? Maybe. Illegal? Apparently not.
The Senate found no criminal wrongdoing, but ABC wasn’t comfortable with the optics. They made Clark divest all his music-related holdings to stay on the air. He did. And his reputation survived intact.
🏁 The End of an Era (But Not the Legacy)
American Bandstand finally went off the air in 1989, marking the end of a 32-year run that shaped the face of youth culture and music television.
By then, MTV had taken over, and kids were watching music videos instead of live dance floors. But the blueprint for modern music shows? That was pure Bandstand.
From its pioneering integration of artists and audiences to its unmatched catalog of performances, American Bandstandwasn’t just a TV show—it was a cultural institution.
And through it all, Dick Clark remained the “World’s Oldest Teenager,” proving that even in the rebellious world of rock, a little polish could still go a long way.
🎶 Final Thought
Whether you tuned in for the music, the dancing, or just to see what people were wearing, American Bandstand was the place where music met movement—and where generations of teens saw themselves reflected on screen.
And let’s face it: without Bandstand, we probably wouldn’t have Soul Train, TRL, or even Dancing with the Stars.
The Newport Folk Festival started in 1959 as a spinoff of the Newport Jazz Festival, a long running fixture at Newport Rhode Island. There are 4 stages at Fort Adams State Park with the seating area ovelooking the water and Jamestown Bridge. It’s a beautiful place for a concert.
The Festival has a history of introducing new artists and launching careers. Bob Gibson introduced then-unknown Joan Baez in 1959. Baez in turn introduced then-unknown Bob Dylan at the 1963 festival. Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Johnny Cash (who later introduced Kris Kristofferson in 1969), and many others also got their first big exposure at Newport.
It was the 1965 Newport Folk Festival that will be remembered as the day of change or maybe the beginning of the end for Folk Music. Bob Dylan was by then the one of the biggest folk stars and a Festival headliner. On July 25th Bob Dylan performed 3 of his hit traditional folk songs with acoustic instruments. Then he strapped on a Fender Stratocaster and ripped through a high energy set of electric amplified rock accompanied by Mike Bloomfield and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band.
The Newport Folk Festival 1963 album
Dylan played 3 electric numbers, “Maggie’s Farm”, “Like a Rolling Stone”, and “Phantom Engineer”. The folk crowd was shocked and the boos may have outnumbered the cheers, but all together they were reported to be louder than the sound of the electric guitars. Dylan left the stage for a while and later came back to perform a few more acoustic numbers.
It was later debated whether the boos were from the shock of electric at the traditional acoustic festival, or that the quality of the electric sound was lousy. Others believe that it was because Dylan was held to a tight time allotment and they wanted more.
Whatever the reason, it was a watershed moment in the evolution of rock. Dylan got a similar reaction at his next concert at at Forest Hills Stadium. The crowd was split, half loved it, half wanted the old Bob Dylan back. They weren’t going to get him back.
As a side note, in 2005 The Pixies, a heavy duty alternative rock band best known for punk rock, played an acoustic set at Newport. Sort of like a reverse Dylan.
The Newport Folk Festival is still running. The format has changed a few times, but every summer, the world’s greatest folk artists meet, play, introduce new artistst and show off new works at Newport.
🎉 The Moondog Coronation Ball: Rock and Roll’s Very First Night
Moondog Coronation Ball poste
It’s always tough to pinpoint the exact birth of a cultural movement—but for rock and roll, we’ve got a pretty good guess: March 21, 1952.
That’s the night of the Moondog Coronation Ball in Cleveland, Ohio—a wild, overcrowded, one-song concert that’s widely regarded as the first rock and roll show ever held.
Sure, the music itself wasn’t brand new. It had been thriving in Black communities for years under the name rhythm and blues. But what was new was the name, the packaging, and the man helping bring it to the mainstream: Alan Freed.
🎙️ Alan Freed: The DJ Who Named the Sound
Alan Freed was a radio DJ who had recently started calling this electrifying blend of blues, boogie, and backbeat “rock and roll” on his show, Moondog’s Rock ’n’ Roll Party. The name stuck. So did his on-air persona, “Moondog.”
Local promoter Lew Pratt knew Freed had a growing teenage fanbase, so he tapped him to help publicize a live concert featuring some of the top rhythm and blues performers of the day. The event? The Moondog Coronation Ball.
The “coronation” turned out to be for Freed himself—because that chaotic, unforgettable night cemented his reputation as the genre’s unofficial “King of Rock and Roll.”
🎫 Sold Out… and Then Some
Freed’s radio station and sponsors helped promote the show, and 7,000 tickets for the Cleveland Arena went fast. The top price? A mere $1.75. That’s cheaper than your favorite coffee today.
When that batch sold out, another 2,000 tickets were printed—and those vanished just as quickly. Then came the kicker: counterfeit tickets started showing up. Nobody knows how many were in circulation, but the crowd that showed up that night far exceeded capacity.
🧍♂️🧍♀️ Lines Around the Block
As the sun set and the showtime approached, people packed the sidewalks, wrapped around the arena in anticipation. Inside, the place was standing-room only. And outside? Still more trying to squeeze in.
The audience was racially mixed—about two-thirds white, one-third Black—which was almost unheard of at the time. For many, it was their first experience seeing and hearing rhythm and blues music live.
Then the music started.
🎷 One Song… and Chaos
First on stage was Paul “Hucklebuck” Williams, an R&B saxophonist famous for getting crowds on their feet. And he did—almost too well. The energy inside reached a boiling point. Fights broke out. The crowd surged toward the stage.
After one song, the Cleveland Fire Marshals shut the show down due to overcrowding and safety concerns.
Backstage, performers like The Dominoes, Tiny Grimes and the Rockin’ Highlanders, Danny Cobb, and Varietta Dillard never got the chance to perform. Just one song, and it was all over.
The next day, a worried Alan Freed went on the air. He apologized to his listeners, explaining that he was only the emcee, not the promoter, and that he hadn’t anticipated the crowd explosion. He also said he feared he might be arrested.
Then he did something bold: he asked his fans to call the station in support.
They did. In droves.
Instead of facing charges, Freed became a bigger name than ever. The station didn’t punish him—they gave him more airtime. And just like that, the DJ who named the music became its most famous voice.
🎸 The Night That Changed Everything
Crowd outside the Moondog Coronation Ball
The Moondog Coronation Ball may have lasted just one song, but it signaled the arrival of something huge. A genre. A generation. A movement.
It blended audiences, broke norms, and blew the doors open—literally and figuratively—for what would become rock and roll’s golden age.
And while most concerts aim for three encores and a satisfied crowd, the very first rock concert went out with a bang after just one tune.
Because if rock and roll taught us anything, it’s that sometimes one song is all you need.
I didn’t make it to Woodstock, so when Powder Ridge came along just a short distance from my home, I didn’t want to miss it. The 1970 Powder Ridge Rock Festival was scheduled to be held July 30 through August 2, at the Powder Ridge Ski Resort in Middlefield, Connecticut. 30,000 people showed up, some of them even remember being there, but there was very little entertainment, no food, and no bathrooms. There were, though, plenty of drug dealers.
Tickets were sold by mail for $20 each and the schedule looked great:
Day 1: Eric Burdon & War, Sly and the Family Stone, Delaney & Bonnie, Fleetwood Mac, Melanie, Mountain, J.F. Murphy and Free Flowing Salt, Allan Nichols, James Taylor
Day 2: Joe Cocker, Allman Brothers, Cactus, Little Richard, Van Morrison, Rhinoceros, Ten Wheel Drive, Jethro Tull, Tony Williams Lifetime, Zephyr
Day 3: Janis Joplin, Chuck Berry, Bloodrock, Savoy Brown, Chicken Shack, Grand Funk Railroad, Richie Havens, John B. Sebastian, Spirit, Ten Years After
Local residents were concerned with the impact of the crowd on their small town and obtained an injunction against the festival just days before it began. When the ski resort owner tried to contact the promoters to tell of the injunction, they could not be found, so it looked like the event was never going to happen anyway.
It was a disappointment (I was one who never made it all of the way). Police posted warning signs on every highway leading to Middlefield saying: “Festival Prohibited, turn back”. Somewhere around 30,000 people showed up anyway, although most of the performing acts didn’t, with the exception of Melanie and a few local bands.
Here’s what was written in the Wikipedia about the festival scene:
Drugs were openly sold and commonly consumed at the festival. The famed rock doctor William Abruzzi (also at Woodstock) was there to treat bad LSD trips, and said there were more bad trips at Powder Ridge per capita than at any other music festival he’d ever worked. He attributed some of the problems to the barrels of “electric water” that were available for free public consumption; people were invited to drop donations of drugs into these barrels, creating drug cocktails of unknown strength and composition.
The concert, or non-concert, received extensive coverage from the New York Times. The promoters originally promised to reschedule at a different location, but it never happened.
Shindig, Hootenany, and Hullabaloo were early TV rock music programs. Hootenany was first to air on ABC from April 1963 to September 1964. It was a variety show format and featured mostly folk music type acts. Early 1963 shows were 30 minutes, expanding to 60 minutes when the new season started in the Fall.
Hootenany was a big hit and by 1964 it was ABC’s second most popular program. In the TV industry, that’s a sure sign that there will be spin offs and copycats, and there were. Hootenany magazine and ABC-TV Hootenany were soon on store shelves.
As a side note, Hootenany ran into some controversy when it was rumored that they blacklisted Pete Seager and his group The Weavers. At the time, Seaver Seager had been convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to testify at the House Un-American Activities Committee (which was later overturned). This was the same committee that subpoenaed Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman of the Yippies in 1967 and 68.
Hootenany taped many of their episodes at college and university campuses. Frequent guests included The Journeymen, The Limeliters, the Chad Mitchell Trio, The New Christy Minstrels, The Brothers Four, Ian & Sylvia, The Big 3, Hoyt Axton, Judy Collins, Johnny Cash, The Carter Family, Flatt & Scruggs and the Foggy Mountain Boys, The Tarriers, Bud & Travis, and the Smothers Brothers.
Shindig logo
Shindig was next. As the folk music scene faded out, Shindig was brought in as a replacement in 1964. Shindig was more rock oriented. Popular repeat performers included Lesley Gore, Bo Diddley, Sonny and Cher, The Beach Boys, James Brown and The Ronettes. There were several shows at the beginning of the British Invasion taped in Britain that included The Who, The Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
House band and performers included many artists that went on to be stars on their own. Shin-digger dance troupe regulars included Teri Garr and Toni Basil. The house band Shindogs included later to be famous Glen Campbell, Billy Preston, James Burton, Delaney Bramlett, Larry Knechtel, Leon Russell , and Glen D. Hardin. Regular vocalists also included some young talent: Donna Loren, Jackie DeShannon and Bobby Sherman. Darlene Love was one of the back up singers.
Next on TV was Hullabaloo, a NBC musical variety on in prime time. It had a bigger budget and more polished look. There was a different host every week, usually a top name artist, singing a couple of their own songs and acting as MC for the show.
Hullabaloo was a broadcast in color for those lucky few that had color TVs in the 60s, but most of the surviving footage is in Black and White. Many of the Hullabaloo and Shindig shows are still available on DVD and some streaming services.
