Rocking the Holidays

1969

By Dave White, About.com Guide

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Janis Joplin ran afoul of the law at a holiday concert in 1969. (Sony Music)

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1969 was a watershed year. We put men on the moon for the first time. The number of U.S. troops in Vietnam reached its peak: 550,000. Charles Manson’s cult went on its murderous spree in California. Violence and protest were becoming common in the world at large, and in rock music.

Unhappy Endings

In December, the Rolling Stones, in the midst of their 6th U.S. tour, staged a free concert at Altamont Speedway near San Francisco. Also on the roster were Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, and The Flying Burrito Brothers. All hell broke loose when members of the Hell’s Angels, who had been hired to handle security, shot and killed a man in the audience who, they said, was waving a gun. By the time it was all over, two more people were killed by a hit and run driver, another drowned, and hundreds more, including Jefferson Airplane’s Marty Balin, were injured.

The holidays offered no break in legal troubles for several rock stars. Janis Joplin was arrested when she cussed out a cop and refused to help control the crowd at a Tampa concert. Jimi Hendrix convinced a Toronto jury that he had "outgrown" drugs, and was acquitted of drug possession charges. Mick Jagger was fined for marijuana possession, and Jim Morrison (The Doors) – while en route to a Stones concert – was charged with being drunk and disorderly on an airplane.

Turning Points

The 1969 holiday season marked turning points in a couple of rock careers. Rod Stewart left the Jeff Beck Group and released his first solo album. Led Zeppelin’s second album went to #1 and stayed there for seven weeks. "Whole Lotta Love" broke on the singles charts and eventually became Led Zeppelin’s highest charting single, reaching #4.

As usual, the holiday season was full of ups and downs for The Beatles and various of the group’s members. John Lennon and Yoko Ono sent their holiday greetings by way of billboards in cities throughout the world that said, “War Is Over! If You Want It!” A Detroit radio station started a rumor that Paul McCartney was dead. He was, in fact, in seclusion, from which he finally emerged long enough to suggest (a la Mark Twain) that rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated. The holidays saw Abbey Road become the group’s 13th #1 album on the U.S. charts. "Come Together" went to #1 on the singles charts.

Words of Wisdom

The quote of the year came during a December interview with Mick Jagger. "I don’t really like singing very much. I enjoy playing the guitar more than I enjoy singing, and I can’t play the guitar either."