News

7 ways 1967 totally rocked

In conjunction with the GRAMMY Museum's Jim Marshall's 1967 exhibit launch, here are seven reasons 1967 was one of the most pivotal years in music

Brian Haack

GRAMMYs

May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

GRAMMY.com

Organized by the San Francisco Arts Commission in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of San Francisco's Summer of Love, the GRAMMY Museum's new Jim Marshall's 1967 exhibit features 60 curated images from thousands Marshall took while he documented history in the making. Displayed in chronological order, the exhibition collects a trove of Marshall's photographs that capture the essence of the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, including artists such as Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead.

The exhibition will be on display now through May 14. To celebrate the exhibit's opening, here's a look back at seven unforgettable ways 1967 was a year of musical high points.

**The Beatles drop Sgt. Pepper's …**

The year 1967 saw the release of some of the most iconic albums in modern music history. On June 1, 1967, the Beatles unveiled Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, a feat of masterful production and a quantum leap forward for the album format. That year also introduced the public to artists who would go on to have lasting legacies, with Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, the Doors, David Bowie, Velvet Underground, and Leonard Cohen all releasing debut albums that year.

Fleetwood Mac's green debut

Fleetwood Mac's original lineup, fronted by Peter Green, made their first live performance in 1967, laying the groundwork for the later successful incarnation featuring Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. They would go on to release "Black Magic Woman" in early 1968, which would later become a massive hit for Santana, who played their first show in 1967. Although blues and rock were certainly at the forefront of the musical scene that year, 1967 also saw the formation of funk/soul powerhouse Sly And The Family Stone, as well as synth experimentalists Tangerine Dream. In August 1967, the power trio Cream, featuring Eric Clapton, made their U.S. live performance debut at the Fillmore in San Francisco.

The Queen of Soul wins big

Recognizing music released in 1967, at the 10th GRAMMY Awards Aretha Franklin took home her first two GRAMMYs, both for her now-classic "Respect." She has gone on to win another 16 awards over the course of her career, making her one of the top GRAMMY winners in history. Other notable wins for 1967 went to "Soul Man" by Sam & Dave, "Jackson" by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, and the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which netted three GRAMMYs, including Album Of The Year.

9 times women made GRAMMY history

The birth of the festival

From tiny bars, clubs and ballrooms to large theaters, stadiums and outdoor festivals, live music was everywhere in 1967. The Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967 became a watershed moment, and is considered by many to be the first true pop music festival. (Although some argue that title belongs to the KFRC Fantasy Fair and Mountain Music Festival held two weeks prior.) Regarded as the starting point for the Summer of Love, the festival featured performances by Big Brother And The Holding Company (featuring Janis Joplin), the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, and Ravi Shankar, among others.

Big TV moments with the Doors and the Who

The Doors frontman Jim Morrison made a splash on "The Ed Sullivan Show" by defying censors who'd instructed him to change the lyrics to the band's hit song "Light My Fire." On live television that same night, the Who punctuated a performance of "My Generation" by destroying their instruments and blowing up Keith Moon's drum set with gunpowder on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour." Pete Townsend attributes the partial deafness he now suffers in one ear to that explosive incident.

Watch: The Doors' Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech

Hendrix's wah-wah

Speaking of Hendrix, the incendiary sound of his 1967 single "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp" featured his first recorded usage of the wah-wah pedal, which was first released to the public that same year. Hendrix helped popularize the effect at 1969's Woodstock festival, with his iconic instrumental performance of "A Star-Spangled Banner" considered to be a milestone wah-wah moment. The pedal went on to become synonymous with the sounds of '70s psychedelic rock and funk. Also that year: Kustom sold the first solid-state transistor amplifiers, which became popularized by early-adopters Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the first prototype 16-track recorder was tested out by Mirasound Studios in New York City.

The Summer of Love

The Summer of Love, the primary focus of the GRAMMY Museum's Jim Marshall's 1967 exhibit, drew its namesake from a magnetic cultural gathering of hippies and young people in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. As many as 100,000 people relocated to the area, brought together by shared countercultural values, interest in emerging music and avant-garde art, and opposition to the Vietnam War.

Want to see Jim Marshall's 1967 as a VIP? Learn more about Museum membership!

Polls

Which of these 1967 albums best exemplifies the Summer of Love?

Mick Jagger

Photo: Michael Putland/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Poll

Mick Jagger, Stevie Nicks, Axl Rose, Kurt Cobain: Most Iconic Classic Rock Singer | Poll

Mirror, mirror on the wall, who has the most iconic classic rock voice of them all? Cast your vote in our poll

Tim McPhate

GRAMMYs

May 4, 2018 - 5:36 pm

Jimi Hendrix

Photo Walter Loos Jr./Getty Images

List

'Band Of Gypsys': 5 Facts About Jimi Hendrix's Final Living Release | GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

A live album comprising a heart-wrenching look into the untapped potential still to be explored, Jimi Hendrix's 'Band Of Gypsys' gives just a small glance into the iconic guitarist's limitless well of talent

Brian Haack

GRAMMYs

Apr 23, 2018 - 10:46 am

Released just months before the legendary pioneer's passing at the age of just 27, Jimi Hendrix's Band Of Gypsys gave the world a heart-wrenching look the iconic guitarist's limitless well of talent still to be explored.

Clocking in at over 45 minutes with a tracklist just six entries long, Band Of Gypsys marked a departure of sorts from Hendrix's traditional brash, psychedelic hard-rock sound and a transition toward the more blues-oriented improvisational sounds that were both the foundation of the guitarist's roots and the new direction of his musical goals. Ultimately, the album would lay the groundwork for the elements of proto-funk fusion that would come to define the next decade of popular rock.

In honor of the album's inclusion with the 2018 class of GRAMMY Hall Of Fame inductees, here are five intriguing details about Band Of Gypsys that you may find surprising.

1. First Recording Without The Experience

Prior to Band Of Gypsys, all of Hendrix's studio releases were recorded with the same core musicians. Together with bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell, Hendrix introduced himself and his band to the world as the Jimi Hendrix Experience. The trio released all three of the albums — 1967's Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold As Love, and 1968's Electric Ladyland — that made them icons of psychedelic rock over a period of less than 16 months. But by late 1969, Hendrix was still under pressure to come up with a follow-up to Electric Ladyland, as well as to satisfy a contract dispute with a former manager that stipulated another LP of material be released. As Redding had departed the group for personal reasons in late 1969, effectively disbanding the Experience, Hendrix sought out frequent jam partners Billy Cox (bass) and Buddy Miles (drums), and the Band Of Gypsys was born. The band's 1970 live recording at the Filmore East in New York that became Band Of Gypsys was Hendrix's first-ever recording released without the Experience as his backing band.

2. The Woodstock Connection

As well as serving as a frequent jamming partner when Hendrix was in the mood to explore his more blues and R&B-leaning tendencies, bassist Cox also played in the interim backing band that took the stage with Hendrix at Woodstock in 1969, loosely known as Gypsy Sun And Rainbows. Following his rejoining with Hendrix to help form Band Of Gypsys for a series of shows in 1970, Cox would continue to play with Hendrix as a member of the Cry Of Love band. With original Experience drummer Mitchell rounding out the lineup for the Cry Of Love trio, the group would eventually be known unofficially as the New Experience, leading later fans of the band to incorrectly believe that Cox was an original member of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. As of today, Cox remains the only surviving member of Hendrix's three main backing bands (the Experience, Band Of Gypsys, Cry Of Love).

3. Miles Ahead Of His Time

Drummer George Allen Miles was given the nickname "Buddy" by his aunt at a young age, after the famously temperamental jazz drummer Buddy Rich. His father had made a career playing upright bass with a variety of famous jazz players, including Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker — the latter a frequent collaborator of Miles' namesake Rich. Miles first jammed with Hendrix at an impromptu practice session held at a home owned by Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills And Nash) sometime in 1967. He would encounter Hendrix for similar one-off sessions on both U.S. coasts over the next year, but it wasn't until early 1970, just after his own band Buddy Miles Express had dissolved that Miles go the call to come join the new project Band Of Gypsys. While his time with the Gypsys remains some his most-known efforts, Miles would go on to build a truly impressive résumé, playing with artists as varied as Carlos Santana, Mike Bloomfield, jazz guitarist John McLaughlin, Neal Schon of Journey, and even Phish. Fun Fact: Miles also sang the lead vocals for the famous "California Raisins" claymation commercials in the late '80s and early '90s.

4. The Way Of The Gun

The crown jewel of Band Of Gypsys is, of course, "Machine Gun." The 12-plus-minute spacey, experimental track served as a lengthy sonic commentary on the Vietnam War — and perhaps also all conflict, whether internal and external, if one takes into account the short dedication speeches Hendrix would typically recite prior to launching into nearly every recorded live performance of the song.

Opening with sparse, blues-influenced playing that many still call the best work of Hendrix's career, the track melts slowly into a series of restrained, effects-driven improvisations that seem aimed to simulate the dissonant battlefield overtures of helicopters and gunfire, while Hendrix himself breaks down his central plea, "Machine gun/tearing my family apart/…/Don't you shoot him down/he's about to leave here." Now considered one of the guitarist's crowning achievements and painful reminders of the creativity that still was to come had he survived, the opus of radical improvisation was recorded live numerous times at various performances, but never officially tracked in the studio. It stands now as a testament to the strength of Hendrix's musical expressivity

5. A Legacy Of Funk

In the face of the huge anticipation for a follow-up record to the critically acclaimed Electric Ladyland, Band Of Gypsys initially received somewhat mixed reviews from the public over the inconsistency of some of the recordings, as well as the lengthy departures from the trademark sound that had made Hedrix and the Experience famous in the first place. But in retrospect, it seems clear that the record, as the final creative output of an artist forever known for pushing boundaries and seeking the distant edge of the state of his craft, served instead as one of the earliest blueprints of the coming decade of popular rock music. The effects-heavy yet expertly restrained musical abstractions formed the influential basis of much of the 1970s' best-known blues-rock, while also informing the earliest experimentations in uptempo funk fusion that would later make acts like Parliament famous. Throughout the '70s, and even into the over-produced sheen of the '80s, and the eventual alt-rock revival of the '90s, the story of the sonic legacy of Band Of Gypsys is a book that is still being written to this day.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Cheech & Chong

News

Cheech & Chong Set To Celebrate 40 Years Of 'Up In Smoke' At GRAMMY Museum

New exhibit will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the duo's classic stoner comedy 'Up In Smoke'

Brian Haack

GRAMMYs

Apr 10, 2018 - 6:00 am

GRAMMY-winning stoner comedy pioneers Cheech & Chong have a brand-new exhibit opening this month at the GRAMMY Museum At L.A. Live.

Set to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the pair's first theatrical film, 1978's Up In Smoke, Cheech & Chong: Still Rollin' — Celebrating 40 Years Of Up In Smoke will explore what made the world fall in love with the slow-moving, bleary-eyed and often hungry, but always sharp-witted, antics of Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong — who are considered among the first-ever purely countercultural standup comics.

"Cheech & Chong are arguably the quintessential comedy duo of the hippie generation," said GRAMMY Museum Executive Director Scott Goldman in a statement announcing the new exhibit. "Individually, they've achieved great success, with Cheech becoming one of the most well-known and respected Chicano entertainers, and Tommy making his mark as an actor, writer, musician, and cannabis rights activist. Together, they became a voice for the counterculture, and to this day their hit film, Up In Smoke, is considered one of the best comedies of all time."

The exhibit is being curated by GRAMMY-winning producer Lou Adler, who helped discover the duo, produced many of their albums and directed Up In Smoke. Items on display will include the original marked-up script from the film, the master tape for the soundtrack album, comedy sketches, an assortment of limited-edition 40th-anniversary smoking devices, and selections from Marin's "Blazing Chicano Guitars" guitar-art collection, and more.

Cheech & Chong: Still Rollin' — Celebrating 40 Years Of Up In Smoke will open on (surprise!) April 20, and will remain on display through 2019. Several days prior to the event opening, Marin and Chong will join Goldman on April 17 for an intimate sold-out Q&A session. The exhibit is the fourth in the Museum's comedy series, which has previously honored the careers of GRAMMY-winning entertainers George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, and Joan Rivers.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

David Bowie

Photo: Terry O'Neil/Getty Images

List

"Space Oddity": 7 Facts About David Bowie's Cosmic Ballad | GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

Investigate these seven intriguing facts about Bowie's spacey first hit single

Brian Haack

GRAMMYs

Mar 9, 2018 - 6:26 pm

Earlier this year, the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame officially announced its 2018 class of inductees. The list includes classic recordings such as Public Enemy's "Fight The Power," Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," and the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black," among others.

Also among the class of new inductees is David Bowie's singularly spacey early hit, "Space Oddity."

Originally released in 1969, right around the time of the momentous Apollo 11 moon landing, the song captured the sentiment of our global fascination with humanity's strange journey to reach the stars. Paired with a profound arrangement of orchestral backing tracks and touches of classic '60s British whimsy, the song also cemented the beginnings of what would become Bowie's trademark "far out" persona and career-spanning incorporation of cosmic motifs.

In celebration of the song's induction into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame, let's dive a bit deeper into the history of "Space Oddity." So take your protein pills and put your helmet on, because here are seven intriguing facts about Bowie's spacey, psychedelic first big single.

1. Bowie Initially Had Trouble Finding A Producer

In the two years following the lukewarm reception for his 1967 self-titled debut, Bowie had grown wiser and weirder (in the best way possible) as a songwriter, but still found trouble landing a producer to work on his new batch of songs. Beatles collaborator George Martin turned down working on "Space Oddity" out of hand; meanwhile, Tony Visconti, who would later become a lifelong production partner for Bowie, claimed the song was "a cheap shot" at the impending Apollo 11 mission. Though Visconti did end up contributing some arrangement work to the song, he delegated the project to eventual Elton John collaborator Gus Dudgeon.

2. BBC Delayed Its Release Due To Astronaut Safety Concerns

"Space Oddity" was released on July 11, 1969, just five days before the launch of the Apollo 11 moon mission. Unfortunately, due to concerns over the song's less-than-optimistic lyrics regarding the fate of Major Tom, the BBC actually refused to broadcast the song on-air until the Apollo 11 astronauts had safely returned from their mission. Because of this delay, the song was essentially kneecapped at its outset and had trouble building momentum on the charts. Nevertheless, by September 1969, the song was able to gain traction on the U.K. singles chart — becoming Bowie's first single to do so — eventually climbing to No. 5.

3. Success Upon Re-Release

While "Space Oddity" eventually charted well in the U.K., it initially hit a brick wall in the U.S., failing to climb crack the top 100 following its 1969 release. Oddly enough, despite Bowie's debut album having been released as a self-titled LP, Philips Records (Bowie's label at the time) released his second album in November 1969 also under the title David Bowie. When the album was finally re-released internationally by RCA in 1972, it was renamed Space Oddity to reflect the success of the single. It was with this release that "Space Oddity" hit the mark in the U.S., where it climbed all the way to No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Bowie's first stateside hit.

4. A Stellar Lineup Of Collaborators

As is often the case with anything touched by Bowie, the team of creatives assembled to help launch the rocket that "Space Oddity" was truly cosmic. Playing the distinctive mellotron sections on the track was a then-little known session player named Rick Wakeman, who would eventually find worldwide success with the progressive rock outfit Yes. In charge of the fantastic string arrangements that signal the blastoff of Major Tom's interstellar tin can was the late Paul Buckmaster, a classically-trained arranger and composer who went on to contribute GRAMMY-winning arrangement work to recordings by Elton John, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Nicks, and countless other members of classic rock royalty. Also onboard was the multitalented Visconti, who helped arrange the track's flute and woodwind sections, despite his misgivings about signing on as overall producer.

5. The Continuing Adventures Of Major Tom

The song's protagonist stands tall among the cast of unforgettable character that Bowie brought to life in his songs across his prolific career. And while "Space Oddity" envisions Major Tom's journey as a pseudo hippy-inspired tale of escape from the material shackles of living on the ground, Bowie's later references to the character in 1980's "Ashes To Ashes" and 1995's "Hallo Spaceboy" reframe the narrative in a darker light. To cement this connection, Bowie also reused some notable set pieces from the "Space Oddity" music video as backdrops for "Ashes To Ashes."

6. Teasing The Legacy

Bowie's relationship with "Space Oddity" took turns of its own across the nearly 50 years of his career that would pass between its recording and release in 1969 and the singer's untimely death in 2016. Despite the song's popularity with Bowie's fans, he rarely if ever played it live after the mid-1970s. During his 2004 A Reality Tour, however, he would often tease audiences by strumming the first few chords of the song, before breaking off to ask the crowd with a wry smile. "You remember this one …but we're not playing that one," said Bowie. Clocking in at 112 show dates, Bowie's A Reality Tour was the longest tour run of his entire career, and though he teased the song often, not once during the tour did he ever play it in its entirety.

7. The First Music Video In Space

In 2013, while stationed aboard the International Space Station, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield posted a video of himself performing "Space Oddity" aboard the ISS in orbit around Earth. The video has the distinction of being the first music video ever to be shot and performed in outer space. Upon Hadfield's return to Earth, he revealed to the U.K.'s Telegraph that Bowie exchanged messages of praise with him for making the film (though the two were never able to meet face to face). "For [Bowie] to have [seen] it performed in a place he’d always dreamed of, and in a way that was sensitive to the ideas of the song, gave him great joy," Hadfield explained. "[He] loved the song and that was the best reaction for me."

"Fight The Power": 7 Facts Behind Public Enemy's Anthem | GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

The GRAMMYs

Latin GRAMMYs

GRAMMYs Museum

MusiCares

Advocacy

Membership