The players: Where are they now? [Woodstock]

The players: Where are they now?

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09207/985955-51.stm

Sunday, July 26, 2009
By Scott Mervis, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Joan Baez: The 69-year-old folk siren is still touring -- she played
the Byham in March -- and last year released the Steve Earle-produced
"The Day After Tomorrow."

The Band: The Band played its celebrated "Last Waltz" in 1976 and was
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Levon Helm is
still touring (just played here) and making records, as is Garth
Hudson. Robbie Robertson remains fairly reclusive but did appear with
Eric Clapton in 2007. Rick Danko and Richard Manuel are deceased.

Blood, Sweat & Tears: A version of the group still tours, but without
frontman David Clayton-Thomas.

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Butterfield died of a heart attack in 1987.

Canned Heat: The two principal members -- Bob Hite and Alan Wilson --
are both deceased, but the band still tours, with three Woodstock alums.

Joe Cocker: The 65-year-old can still wail and toured earlier this year.

Country Joe McDonald and The Fish: The 67-year-old protest singer
stood with Cindy Sheehan against the Iraq War and will perform in
Bethel next month.

Creedence Clearwater Revival: After a period of internal strife,
frontman John Fogerty left and disbanded the group in 1972, going on
to a successful solo career. His brother, Tom, died of AIDS in 1990.
At the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1993, John would not
perform with surviving rhythm section Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, who
still tour as Creedence Clearwater Revisited.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: You need a flow chart to follow the
post-Woodstock career of this quartet, which played only its second
gig at the festival, as an acoustic trio and with Young (mostly
electric). CSN and CNSY have split up and reunited numerous times.
CSN is touring this summer and about to release an album of covers.
Young is about to release "Archives Vol. 1."

The Grateful Dead: Despite its awful showing at Woodstock, the GD
went on to become not just a band but a lifestyle up until Jerry
Garcia's death in 1995. Bob Weir is active with Ratdog, Phil Lesh
with Phil Lesh and Friends, and Mickey Hart with The Mickey Hart
Band. The three also join together, with Bill Kreutzmann, as The Dead
and recently headlined Rothbury.

Arlo Guthrie: Guthrie, who went on to have one hit (1972's "The City
of New Orleans") and success with the song "Alice's Restaurant,"
recently performed in Pittsburgh and occasionally pops up with symphonies.

Tim Hardin: Folk singer and composer died of drug overdose in 1980.

The Keef Hartley Band: The jazz-rock band broke up in 1972.

Richie Havens: The folk singer returns to Bethel on Aug. 14 and is
slated to perform as part of the Calliope season in Pittsburgh in January.

Jimi Hendrix: Died of mysterious causes in 1970, but his icon status
is enormous.

Incredible String Band: Three members of the Scottish folk band last
performed together in 2006.

Jefferson Airplane: The band split in 1972, played a reunion in 1989,
and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. Paul
Kantner still leads (and Marty Balin still makes occasional
appearances in) the spinoff band Jefferson Starship. Grace Slick,
saying that rockers look ridiculous after 50, retired from the
Starship around 1988. Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady are still
touring as Hot Tuna.

Janis Joplin: Died of a drug overdose in October 1970. Young singers
today are still described as Joplin-esque.

Melanie: The folksinger, who lives in Nashville, released an album in
2004 and still tours.

Mountain: Leslie West and the band went on to have one monstrous hit,
"Mississippi Queen," and are now touring with HippieFest and will
play Bethel on Aug. 15.

Quill: The eclectic band split shortly after playing Woodstock.

Santana: The fiery Bay Area band got its break at Woodstock and went
on to massive success, with platinum records, Grammys and a 1998
induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It is touring this
summer in Europe.

John Sebastian: The folk-rock singer was inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame with the Lovin' Spoonful in 2000. He collaborated
for an album in 2007 with David Grisman, with whom he is touring late
this summer.

Sha Na Na: After Woodstock, the '50s revival act had a surprising
four-year run with a network TV show. A version of the band, with two
original members, is still on the road.

Ravi Shankar: After Woodstock, the Indian sitarist moved on to
another big performance, The Concert for Bangladesh. He is still
active, at 89, as is his Grammy-winning daughter, Norah Jones.

Sly & The Family Stone: The psychedelic funk band split in 1975.
After a solo run, the reclusive Sly Stone went into semi-retirement
around 1987. He re-emerged at the Grammy Awards in 2006 and has made
some scattered appearances since then with the New Family Stone Band.
Hall of Fame inductee 1993.

Bert Sommer: The folk singer, who went on to star in the Broadway
production of "Hair," died in 1990 of a respiratory illness.

Sweetwater: The first band to play the Woodstock stage came to a halt
after singer Nancy Nevins was severely injured in a car accident in
1969. There was a reunion at Woodstock '94 with three original
members, including Nevins.

Ten Years After: The British blues-rock band split in 1974, with
frontman Alvin Lee moving on to Ten Years Later. Lee now performs
under his own name, while the other three founding members are on the
Heroes of Woodstock tour as Ten Years After, fronted by young
guitarist Joe Gooch.

The Who: Obviously, The Who went on to a Hall of Fame career
(inducted in 1990). Even after various farewell tours and the deaths
of Keith Moon and John Entwistle, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend
still work as The Who.

Johnny Winter: The bluesman is still busy touring and just released
"The Johnny Winter Anthology," along with a CD of his complete
Woodstock performance.

Finally, performers who declined the invitation: Bob Dylan, Led
Zeppelin, Simon & Garfunkel, The Doors, Jethro Tull, the Moody Blues.
John Lennon was invited but was denied a visa because of drug
charges. And Iron Butterfly was booked but was left stranded in New
York waiting for a helicopter.

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