The Emerging Artists of Woodstock
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
Nonprofit cultural center at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival.
This year, guests may see (and hear) something different as they make their way to the Pavilion Stage. New to the 2022 concert season, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts introduced The Horizon Stage, a pop-up stage dedicated to discovering and showcasing emerging artists.
To celebrate these acts, let’s take a look at some of the acts at Woodstock that got some much-deserved career boosts after the festival.
Richie Havens
Many people can recall the story behind Richie Havens’ performance at Woodstock. Traffic had transformed the nearby highway into a parking lot and the intended opening band Sweetwater was somewhere among the endless lines of busses and cars.
Havens’ act required little setup, as it was composed of himself, another guitarist, and a percussionist. “You’re the only one that can save us, man,” said festival organizer Michael Lang in an effort to get him onstage. He not only saved the festival, he epitomized it.
Havens’ impromptu ballad “Freedom” was immortalized in the 1970 documentary Woodstock. He joked about seeing it in theaters multiple times to relearn the song. Throughout his career, it became one of the most requested songs in his discography.
In the 1970s, he founded his own record label, released his first album on the Billboard Top 30 chart, and made numerous TV appearances. During a live performance on The Tonight Show, he impressed the studio audience so much that Johnny Carson invited him back the following night. Havens continued to perform and tour until 2012.
Following his death in 2013, a ceremony was held on our historic site, where his ashes were later scattered.
Santana
When the six members of Santana got onstage Saturday afternoon, few outside of the San Francisco rock scene had heard of them. But it didn’t take long for the crowd to become mesmerized by their vivacious Latin-infused sounds.
Following their performance, their self-titled debut album rose to #4 on the Billboard Chart. Their next two albums reached #1.
In 1998, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Two years later, they tied with Michael Jackson for the most Grammy’s won in one evening for their album Supernatural. They are one of the best-selling rock groups of all time, selling an estimated 100 million albums worldwide.
Joe Cocker (The Grease Band)
Although he was relatively well known in the England, he only received moderate airplay in the states. Now, many people in the crowds had a face to match the strong, sandpapery voice they heard on the radio.
The Sheffield-based showman took command of the stage with a series of rousing covers of artists like Bob Dylan, The Coasters, and Traffic. Joe Cocker closed his set with a cover of The Beatles’ “With a Little Help from My Friends,” a performance that still remains as an essential part of Woodstock’s legacy.
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Post-Woodstock, Cocker put all of his energy into touring. He parted ways with The Grease Band and later formed a new act called Mad Dogs and Englishman. In 1974, he released “You Are So Beautiful,” a single that reached #11 in the U.S. “Up Where We Belong,” his 1982 duet reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 2008, he received an Order of the British Empire for his contribution to music. He passed away in 2014 after a lengthy battle with lung cancer.
Ten Years After
Blues rock group 10 Years After had embarked on an international tour in 1968. By the following year, they were pretty occupied recording an album, playing the Newport Jazz Festival and the Seattle Pop Festival before their performance at Woodstock in August.
The group performed on Sunday at 8:30 PM, just as it was getting dark, with a shaky start once they got onstage. There were humidity-related tuning issues and electric shocks from equipment. After working these out, the band was able to get back on track. Ten Years After closed out their hour-long set with one of their most popular songs “I’m Going Home.” Despite the rough start, they were able to deliver a career-defining performance and leave the Woodstock audience cheering for an encore they wouldn’t receive.
Their performance and its inclusion in Michael Wadleigh’s Woodstock documentary raised the groups profile. Two years after the festival, Ten Years After released three successful albums, one featuring their biggest hit “I’d Love to Change the World.” The band went their separate ways in 1974.
Sha Na Na
Following the legions of long-haired rockers and acoustic guitar-strumming folk singers, a group of gold lamé-wearing singers belting out '50s tunes certainly seemed out of place. However, that didn’t mean that the crowd didn’t appreciate them.
In 1969, Sha Na Na was performing in New York City clubs. They caught the eye of Woodstock promoter Michael Lang. During the festival, they played through a variety of '50s inspired covers, culminating with their set-closing song “At the Hop,” which was included in the Woodstock documentary.
In years following Woodstock, the group enjoyed a newfound group of fans as movies like American Graffiti and TV shows like Happy Days started to introduce a newfound group of fans to the '50s. From 1977 to 1981, the group had its own syndicated variety series.
Most of the group went their separate ways, becoming highly successful in fields including medicine, business, and academia. Three original members still continue to tour with Sha Na Na.?
The Horizon Stage is located just beyond the main gates as guests make their way down the path to the Pavilion. Performances have included:
To find an upcoming Pavilion show and to support local artists, please click here.
Generous support for The Horizon Stage provided by Peace of Stage.
How interesting! Great work, Lyle!