Madeley - 23-24 May 1970

The Hollywood Festival and music at Keele

Music is important to many students - but few know that Keele was the location of one of the earliest and most important open-air music festivals.

hollywood-music-festival-1970 "The highlight of summer 1970 for me was the Hollywood Music Festival at Madeley in May 1970 - it was quite extraordinary to have such a landmark rock festival right on our doorstep. The impressive line-up included Grateful Dead, Colosseum, Free, Mungo Jerry (about to reach #1 in the charts with "In the Summertime"), Jose Feliciano and Ginger Baker's Airforce."

Bob Smith (1974)

"I have been beginning to wonder whether I was ever actually at Keele since I don't remember a lot that others do! But the festival at Madeley – yes! Topping the bill was Jose Feliciano, with Mungo Jerry and Jefferson Airplane and a host of other acts, including Keele's own student DJs of whom one was Richard Hames (1972). Keele students were heavily involved in running it, including Paul Hodgson (1972), who was a genius with stage lighting."

Sheila Binns (1972)

"The lead singer of 'Free' - Paul Rodgers - is my brother. There is very little contemporary footage of him so to see him in the Keele "A Coming of Age" DVD during the Golden Graduates' Reunion was fantastic."

Christina Driver (1964)

Poster above: by permission Brian Plews/Alan Taylor at Circa Design

"I went to the free rock festival at Hollywood, but I'm a bit hazy about the line-up. I remember the band Mungo Jerry taking the stage by storm with their exuberant act featuring their hit 'In the Summertime'. They became firm Keele favourites. I have the feeling that our own legendary Keele student rock band 'Milk Train' was on the bill too."

Ilze Mason (Ulmanis) (1972)

"This was the first weekend festival and still the only one I've ever been to – I've led a very sheltered life since Keele! The performers I remember were the Grateful Dead (who seemed to play forever - I fell asleep and only became a fan later), Ginger Baker, Mungo Jerry and Jose Feliciano. I have several sentimental photos of friends shrouded in smoke."

Gill Burgess (Hindle) (1973)

"The Hollywood Music Festival had the star of Mungo Jerry with his hit In the Summertime, and Jose Feliciano, who I remember, made a joke about reading Penthouse in Braille. I got in for free, late on a Sunday night with my girlfriend, Susan Hamlett (1971). I remember, buying her some earrings and I remember that the Sneyd Arms ran out of beer."

Richard Kunc (1971)

"I believe it was Mungo Jerry who headlined and broke out their hit "In the Summer Time" there, and John Peel who DJ'd and hosted/announced. As for the rest, it was all a bit hazy, so to speak."

Simon Glynn (1971)

"I remember seeing Traffic, Mungo Jerry and Jose Feliciano at the Hollywood Festival in 1970. I think the Grateful Dead topped the bill. John Peel compèred."

Carol Birch (Fidler) (1972)

"The Hollywood Music Festival was blessed with great weather as well as great bands. I think it was the first time the Grateful Dead appeared in this country, with other major acts like Ginger Baker's Airforce, Free, Screaming Lord Sutch. For me best of all was Traffic, led by an inspirational Stevie Winwood."

Ron Graham (1971)

"I was there, along with my sister and a school friend who came to stay in Hawthorns K block for the event. I recall Mungo Jerry, Ginger Baker and Jose Feliciano."

Sheila Thomas (1973)

"I remember that Mungo Jerry was the big hit act and that their career was really jump-started by their performance at the festival and that they also had a hit record with the song "In the Summertime," which they first played to a large audience at the festival. I didn't know that the Grateful Dead also appeared there. Hollywood was not the first outdoor rock concert weekend in the UK. The first Isle of Wight festival, held at Ford Farm near Godshill, occurred in 1968 (I was there!) and featured Jefferson Airplane (or Aeroplane, as they then were), T-Rex, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, and the performance I liked best, which took place at about 9 am on a Sunday morning with about 20 people still hanging on, by Aynsley Dunbar's Retaliation. The 1969 Isle of Wight Festival featured Bob Dylan and is often remembered as the first Isle of Wight Festival. The really big one, though, was the 1970 event with Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Joni Mitchell and scores of others and it is still considered the largest festival to have been held in the UK with 600,000 in attendance. Too big for me - I got out of town."

Roland Goodbody (1975)

"A great gig! My two abiding memories: the occasional policemen at the side of the road as we strolled up to the site, friendly as could be and grinning as if they'd been at the smokes and 'In the Summertime' seemingly over and over again because Mungo Jerry and his group obviously hadn't rehearsed any of their other numbers enough yet."

Colin Lester (1973)

"I was employed as part of the stage crew along with Phil Bastian, also at Keele. This involved setting up Ginger Baker's drum-kit, making Steve Winwood a cup of tea and generally humping equipment around. The high spots were The Grateful Dead, Traffic, Family and Ginger Baker's Airforce. Jose Felciano, Black Sabbath, Free, Colosseum and Screaming Lord Sutch also played. Mungo Jerry launched their hit single 'In the Summertime' there. I had to nail Ginger Baker's drum kit to the stage (6 inch nails). When I'd finished, the stage manager advised me to make myself scarce in case I'd done it wrong. Mr Baker had a reputation for having a rather volatile temperament. We never got paid - the Red Bus Company that organised it (registered in Sicily) mysteriously went bust - but we had a great weekend."

Geof Branch (1970)

"It was wonderful apart from the tin can throwing during Mungo Jerry's set which was the first time I'd witnessed it and felt that perhaps this wasn't another Summer of Love and was society really going to get that violent? Bands certainly there were Ginger Baker's Airforce, Jose Feliciano, Grateful Dead incredibly – and was that a 4 or 5 hour set in the end - Mungo Jerry, Family, Screaming Lord Sutch, Black Sabbath, Mike Cooper, Free, Traffic, The Flaming Groovies, but why go on – you can find it all at www.ukrockfestivals.com/hollyhype.html "

Hugh Coolican (1972)

"Good to hear that someone remembers Hollywood UK style! The line up acts were as follows: Special Guest - Jose Feliciano. May 23: Family, Radha Krishna Temple, Demon Fuzz, The James Gang, Ginger Baker's Airforce, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Mike Cooper, Mungo Jerry. May 24: Grateful Dead, Colosseum, Free, Wildmouth, Black Sabbath, Traffic, Trader Horne, Quintessence, Black Widow, Shag Rat. And what a lineup that was! Tickets were 50 shillings (that's £2.50 for younger people) although I'm not sure many paid the full whack!"

Steve Gillham (1973)

"Have a look here too: www.ukrockfestivals.com/Hollywoodpress.html"

Rob Hirons (1973)

How it all started

"In 1970 I was on the SU Social Committee and went to meet various band managers in London. One of them was the Red Bus Company and I booked Mungo Jerry for £100 in the Christmas term 1970. They explained to me that they wanted to run a Woodstock-style festival in the Midlands and asked whether I could find a site for them. They would give me an E-Type Jaguar if I could help. Tim Biddulph (1971) (?) drove me around the countryside until I found a local farmer willing to host it and so the Hollywood Festival was born. I arranged for members of the SU to provide security for the Festival. I remember Roger Quy (1973) drove me through the whole festival site and we parked by the main stage. Mungo Jerry was managed by the organisers and they played a second set on the second day. Needless to say, the farmer was never paid and I never got the Jag! Mungo Jerry failed to turn up for their booking in the Christmas term. I went to see them during the Christmas holidays at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon and met them backstage. They said their managers had cancelled all their cheap bookings and they were upset about that. They agreed to come to Keele for the agreed £100 and the Social Committee later put on a free evening with them for the students. A great evening." 

Richard Hames (1972)

"Richard Hames (1972) was a popular DJ at the SU and for parties at Lindsay etc. I once jumped up to join him on stage wearing a pair of red velvet trousers that a new girlfriend from Madeley College had just made for me, and they split completely down the crotch in front of the SU audience! Richard booked Mungo Jerry before they topped the charts with " In the Summertime". I remember driving Richard around the Hollywood festival site in my convertible Sunbeam Alpine. We met with some of the Hell's Angels who offered to provide "security". I think they were looking forward to beating up some hippies! Richard and I had breakfast with Black Sabbath in a booth at the Keele motorway services. It was very strained trying to make conversation with monosyllabic answers! I live in Marin now where the Grateful Dead hail from - the remaining band members operate a music venue and restaurant here called Terrapin Crossing, the locals are surprised to hear that my university buddies were responsible for the Dead's first trip to perform in the UK."

Roger Quy (1973)

And a final word on Mungo Jerry

"I was at the Isle of Wight in 1969 and 1970 to see Dylan and the Band, Joe Cocker, Moody Blues etc. 1970 was the classic event (albeit later in the year than Hollywood) with Hendrix, The Doors, The Who and ELP. The aforementioned Mungo Jerry (who I knew quite well as they come from my home town) withdrew late - too famous as a result of "In the Summertime!" More fool them."

Gordon Mousinho (1972)

Another ground-breaking Keele moment in music history

andy-quin-first-cd "In 2015 we will celebrate the 30th anniversary of our groundbreaking Fairlight album 'Mirage' recorded by myself and music technician Cliff Bradbury at the Clockhouse, Keele. It was the first CD of the Worlds first music library released digitally and went on to be a major international success. In the UK, this album featured on numerous productions at the time but probably most significantly on some of the first adverts for ITV Oracle in 1985. This album was to set the scene for the future of music production for film and tv with the move away from analogue recording to digital, computer sequencing and sampling which now completely dominates the industry."

Andy Quin (1982)

An excerpt from Andy Quin's "Mirage" on ITV Oracle:

The Jimi Hendrix connection

He hasn't had too much sleep lately

"I'm pretty sure it was in the winter of 1968, as it was incredibly cold and there was thick fog on the M1 as Steve and I headed home from London to Keele at about 2 am in the morning. We pulled into the Blue Boar Motorway Cafe on the M6 at Keele - does it still exist? As per normal, we slummed it in the truckers' cafe. As we were getting our sausages and chips, Steve points out three colourfully dressed guys over by the window. "That's Hendrix and his band, isn't it?" Adrenaline shot up my spine. What was the protocol now? Pretend they weren't there, ask them for autographs, or sit as close to them as was reasonably possible. We chose the latter. Jimi was leaning up against the glass nearest the motorway looking much the worse for wear, like he was on something or other. I ask Mitch Mitchell for the tomato sauce which he hands nonchalantly to me. I ask him where they're off to. He says they're due to play a gig at Birmingham Uni. Being closely associated with the Keele entertainments committee I confirm that like Led Zeppelin they are now worth £1000 a gig and out of our league. Imagine if we could have raised the money? Noel Redding hands me their manager's card. I'm desperately wanting to attract Jimi's attention. "He hasn't had too much sleep lately" says Mitch. Jimi suddenly asked me, "Where's Keele?" A magic moment that I will relate to my grandchildren. I kept it brief, "We'd love to have you play". "Ask the manager, it's up to him". Noel Redding meanwhile is obviously rolling a joint and then they get up to leave. Jimi isn't that steady on his feet. Steve and I follow them down to the car park where they head for a pink Cadillac, fins and all. Noel Redding is passing around the joint. Noel Redding meanwhile opens the boot of the Cadillac, pulls out what looks like a pair of mattress springs, ties them to his feet and then proceeds to bounce around the car park. "He's crazy, man", says Hendrix. Mitchell agrees. Into the car they get. Steve and I head quickly for my TR4A. They head down the slipway onto the M6 with us in close pursuit."

David Harris (1970)

I stage-managed the last Jimi Hendrix concert before he died

"I was at Keele from 1968 to 1972, a wonderful period for music of course. I was Social Secretary in about 1971. In the autumn of 1970, a fellow Keelite and I travelled to Germany on holiday and one of our adventures was landing up at the rather infamously called 'Love and Peace Festival', a three day affair in Germany on a little island in the Baltic called Fehmarn. It was a 3-day festival and Jimi Hendrix was top of the bill. It was an amazing adventure about which I could talk for hours about but suffice to say that our adventure culminated in my becoming stage manager and meeting Hendrix. Hendrix was top of the bill and there was a host of top bands from the US and UK. I became Stage Manager for the last day. In the course of talking to Hendrix, I asked him if he would come and play at Keele (that would have been my crowning achievement!) and he said yes just go and see my agent in London. So Dave Philp (1972) and I did just that a few days later and it was when we were there in the agent's office that the news came in that Hendrix had died. Fehmarn was his last gig; a week later he died. The Pink Floyd gig was legendary at the time but it was my predecessor who booked them for £250. I also did a lot of events organising at Keele and throughout the Potteries for 'Rag week' one year (1971 I think) and that was in addition to all the Keele events."

David Butcher (1972)

You can read full accounts of David Butcher's encounters with Jimi Hendrix in Classic Rock magazine, August 2007 and Festivals Special 2008.

Not forgetting Bob Dylan

For the aficionado of Sixties music, 'the most famous rock and roll concert in history' has been the subject of entire books. This episode has gone down in rock history and was captured on the inappropriately-titled 'Bob Dylan Live at the Albert Hall' album. It was reported in "Newsnight" on 29 January 1999) that the person who shouted "Judas" at Bob Dylan's celebrated concert - actually recorded at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1966 - was Keith Butler (1968), a student from Keele:

"During a break between songs, the cry of 'Judas' was clearly heard from the audience. 'I don't believe you', came the reply from the great man, 'You're a liar'. He then turned to his band (the Hawks, later to become the legendary Band) and exhorted them to 'Play ******** loud as they launched into a blistering version of 'Like a Rolling Stone'."

"Regarding the story about Keith Butler and the 'Judas' incident at Bob Dylan's Manchester Free Trade Hall concert in 1966, I too was there that night and remember it all vividly. I was 15 years old at the time, and became a Keele student two years later in 1968. I had a seat on the front row in a box overhanging the left of the stage and clearly remember the nervous sweat that coated Dylan, his equal measures of fear and bravado, very obvious at close quarters (and believe me I was studying him closely) and the expression on the face of Robbie Robertson of the Hawks (later The Band) who was facing me the whole time. Amused and not sure what to do. History in the making. Wouldn't have missed it for the world. If anyone wants to read an account of the Dylan concert 1966 Free Trade Hall, you can find it in my novel 'Turn Again Home,' (Virago 2003)."

Carol Birch (Fidler) (1972)

According to Wikipedia: "The polarised responses of Dylan's fans were exacerbated by the structure of his concerts in late 1965 and 1966; the first half would be 'folk,' Dylan solo accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica; with the second half 'rock,' Dylan and the Hawks with electric guitars and a full rock and roll combo. The rock segment was often greeted with hostility, as seen in shows in Sheffield and Newcastle upon Tyne in No Direction Home. Footage from the Manchester concert, at the end of that film, includes the infamous "Judas" heckling incident. During a quiet moment in between songs an audience member shouts loudly: "Judas!" (Keith Butler) Dylan replies: "I don't believe you, you're a liar" before telling his band to "Play it f****** loud!" as they launch into "Like a Rolling Stone". This incident was recorded, and the full concert was eventually released in 1998 as Live 1966: The "Royal Albert Hall" Concert in Dylan's Bootleg Series. One fan who claimed to have shouted "Judas!" was John Cordwell; when interviewed by Andy Kershaw he explained: "I think most of all I was angry that Dylan - not that he'd played electric, but that he'd played electric with a really poor sound system. It was not like it is on the record [the official album]. It was a wall of mush. That, and it seemed like a cavalier performance, a throwaway performance compared with the intensity of the acoustic set earlier on. There were rumblings all around me and the people I was with were making noises and looking at each other. It was a build-up." Another claimant to the "Judas!" shout was Keith Butler, a then-student at Keele University. Butler's presence was documented in the film Eat the Document, when the then 21-year-old was filmed leaving the Manchester Free Trade Hall, saying "Any pop group could produce better rubbish than that! It was a b***** disgrace! He's a traitor!" In 1999, he took part in a BBC Radio documentary about Live 1966, and asked about his reaction at the time, he replied, "I kind of think: 'You silly young b*****.'"

Regrettably Keith Butler - the alleged originator of "the most famous heckle in rock history" - passed away in October 2002.