Thursday 1 July 2010

Provo Park, Berkeley Concerts 1967-69


(this is a substantial update of an earlier post about Provo Park concerts in the late 1960s)

Provo Park in Berkeley, originally named Constitution Park, lies in the center of town, near City Hall and Berkeley High School. It is bounded by Allston Way, Martin Luther King Junior Way (called Grove Street in the 1960s) and Center Street. In the mid-1960s, Berkeleyites started calling Constitution Park "Provo Park" in support of the Dutch Provos (I had thought it was the IRA, but I was mistaken), and the name stuck. This is typical Berkeley politics, and almost no one living there later recalled why the park was called Provo Park.

When free concerts in the Golden Gate Park Panhandle became commonplace, many Berkeley rock bands looked to extend the idea to Provo Park. It was fun, it was cool and anyway it was good publicity for the bands. The first Panhandle show was October 6, 1966, the day LSD was declared illegal, and when The Grateful Dead, Big Brother, Wildlower and Orkustra played an unauthorized event there. By Spring 1967 the idea had spread to Berkeley, and there were apparently almost weekly shows, mostly during weekend afternoons. While many of the performers were simply aspiring local folk musicians or Berkeley High School rock bands, many larger events took place there too.

Provo Park remains fairly similar to how it looked in the day, although the buildings around have changed considerably. I took the top photos on August 11, 2009. Its vantage point is from near Center Street (Stage Right), looking across towards Allston. The Berkeley Community Theatre looms in the background, on the grounds of the High School.
The 60s musical history of Provo Park is considerably less celebrated than that of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, but in fact Provo played a key role in expanding the Berkeley music scene, because local fans had a chance to see groups for free, so a good group didn't have to be well known to become popular in the San Pablo Avenue clubs. This sort of promotion is a microcosm of modern Internet style marketing, but without the Internet, just one of the many ways in which Berkeley was ahead of its time.
It would be impossible to compile a complete list of Provo Park shows in the 1960s, as many of the performances were casual. Nonetheless, I am making an effort here to make a list of scheduled performances at Provo Park, that were publicized in the newspaper or with local flyers, an effort that has been considerably improved by Ross. Anyone with additional memories, additions, insights or corrections is encouraged to Comment.


January 15, 1967 Loading Zone, Ulysses S. Crockett, Drongos
Bands like the Loading Zone were playing for free in Sproul Plaza at anti-war protests, so the idea was extended to the stage at Constitution Park. While this event wasn't exactly sanctioned, it was mentioned in Ralph Gleason's San Francisco Chronicle column of January 13, 1967 (above). Note that Gleason still calls it "Berkeley City Park."

The Oakland-based Loading Zone were one of Berkeley's popular hippie bands, one of the first groups to mix psychedelic rock with R&B. They were well connected to the Underground, having played many seminal events like the Trips Festival. This was a portentous weekend in the Bay Area, as among many other events the Human Be-In had taken place in Golden Gate Park the day before.

Ulysses Crockett and The Afro-Blue Persuasion were a funky modern jazz group who were regular performers in the East Bay and San Francisco. Law student Crockett played vibes and flute, and the bassist at this time was probably Phil Marsh of The Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band. The Drongos were a Berkeley High School band.

January 29, 1967  Loading Zone, New Delhi River Band
The New Delhi River Band were Palo Alto’s leading psychedelic blues band, and featured David Nelson and Dave Torbert, both future members of The New Riders Of The Purple Sage. NDRB were popular in the South Bay, due mainly to having been the house band at The Barn in Scotts Valley, near Santa Cruz. They were looking to expand their horizons, and a free concert in Berkeley was the perfect opportunity to introduce themselves to a different audience.

March 5, 1967  Loading Zone, New Delhi River Band, Motor
The group Motor, while familiar from many handbills, is unknown to me.

March 11, 1967 Mineral Springs, Tilden Park, Berkeley
The Reversal of Planet Earthquake Picnic
After the Human Be-In in San Francisco (Jan 14), similar events were held all over the West Coast and the rest of the country. Ralph Gleason described the peculiar Berkeley landscape in his Friday column (March 10):
Tomorrow, the Berkeley Provos, who are modeled on the Dutch Provos and are similar to the Haight Ashbury Diggers, The Los Angeles Diggers and a new group in Cleveland called the Cleveland Prunes, are having a Berkeley Be-In.
The affair will begin at noon in Tilden Park at the Mineral Springs area. The Provos are organizing a car pool for those without wheels which will leave Constitution Park at 11am. There will be free food and lots of music.
Among the groups which will appear at the Berkeley event--which is being officially called the Reversal Of The Earthquake Picnic--are:
The Loading Zone, The New Delhi River Band, The Junior Teachers Band, Soul Purpose, Motor and Blue Cheer.
Given the basic political orientation of Berkeley, as opposed to the basic non-political orientation of the Haight/Ashbury, this affair ought to be different and even more interesting. It might even achieve the Yellow Submarine (remember, Mellow Yellow!) community envisioned by some who hope to see the two merge.
As it happened, the event was rained out, and re-scheduled for the following Sunday at Constitution (Provo) Park.

March 19, 1967  Loading Zone, New Delhi River Band, Motor, Blue Cheer, Soul Purpose, Haymarket Riot, Ulysses S. Crockett and The Afro-Blues Persuasion
The Reversal of Planet Earthquake Picnic
This event had been planned for the Mineral Springs area of Tilden Park the previous Saturday (March 11), but the event was rained out. The event was held eight days later, with a slightly different set of groups scheduled.

Blue Cheer had formed only recently, and had rarely ventured beyond The Matrix at this point.

April 9, 1967 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley Loading Zone/others
An unscheduled "Happening" on Telegraph Avenue drew several thousand participants. Telegraph Avenue led straight into the Berkeley Campus, and the street was blocked off, which did not make the City comfortable.

April 30, 1967  Loading Zone, New Delhi River Band, Motor, Notes From The Underground
As a result of the friendly but unscheduled “happening” on Telegraph Avenue (a few blocks from the Park) on 9 April, the city agreed with Loading Zone manager Ron Barnett (quoted in an April 21 Tribune article) that the band just wanted a place to play. As a result, the city agreed to regular concerts in Provo Park, thus sanctioning what was already occurring. The first show was scheduled for Sunday April 23.
   
However, there was extensive rain on Sunday the 23rd, and the show was rescheduled for the next Sunday (Apr 30).

May 7, 1967    Loading Zone, SF Mime Troupe

May 28, 1967  Loading Zone, Steve Miller Blues Band, Mad River, Purple Earthquake

May 30, 1967 New Delhi River Band, Motor, Purple Earthquake 
Purple Earthquake were a Berkeley High School band, regular performers in Provo Park, who would later evolve into the band Earthquake, who had a number of albums on A&M and Berserkely in the 1970s (h/t Ross for all the Provo scans).

This was a Tuesday event, probably related to Memorial Day.

June 25, 1967   Loading Zone, Steve Miller Blues Band, Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band, Motor
Although the Steve Miller Blues Band were some ways away from their first album, they were a popular group locally. Later in the week they would appear second on the bill to Chuck Berry at the Fillmore, and they backed him on stage (part of it was released on the 1967 Chuck Berry album Live At The Fillmore on Mercury).

[update] a correspondent writes
at one of the Provo Park concerts I attended, the Steve Miller Blues Band was supposed to play, but they didn't show. I'm guessing that it was June 25, 1967, because I would have gone to see Dynamite Annie perform, and it stayed light well into the evening. After the other bands had finished playing, everyone (hundreds were there) went home. The only people left were myself and three other guys playing Frisbee. After a while, a van pulled up and Steve and his band emerged and began to unload their equipment. We went over and told them that since there were only four of us, they didn't need to perform. Steve responded, "We're going to play." And play they did. Eventually, passers-by heard the music and a decent crowd developed, but for 15 minutes or so, the four of us had a free personal concert from Steve Miller. Only in Berkeley in the 60's could stuff like this happen.
July 9, 1967 Country Joe and The Fish, Notes From The Underground, Second Coming, Haymarket Riot
Country Joe and The Fish were established rock stars by this time, regular Fillmore and Avalon headliners with a popular debut album (Electric Music For The Mind And Body). Nonetheless, they played Provo Park for free, too, just as the Dead played in Golden Gate Park as a statement of purpose.

September 17, 1967  Mad River, Notes From The Underground, Savage Resurrection, Hades Blues Works
Savage Resurrection were from Richmond.

September 24, 1967 Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band, New Delhi River Band, Strawberry Window
Strawberry Window were from San Leandro.

September 24, 1967 Initial Shock
Initial Shock was newly arrived from Montana. Guitarist Bill ‘Mojo’ Collins had been assigned to an Air Force base there, and had stayed to play lucrative bar gigs for a while. The band eventually left Montana for warmer weather and a chance to make it bigger.

October 8, 1967 Second Coming, Zuckerman Clavichord, Liquid Blues Band
The photo was taken on August 11, 2009, about half way back on the lawn from the Martin Luther King Jr Way side (Grove Street), looking at the whole stage

April 14, 1968 Country Joe and The Fish, Mad River, Loading Zone, SF Mime Troupe
This would have been a fairly substantial event. Country Joe and The Fish were huge, relatively speaking, and Mad River, Loading Zone and the Mime Troupe all had local followings as well.

April 28, 1968 Charlie Musselwhite, Frumious Bandersnatch, Crome Syrcus
Charlie Musselwhite was a blues harmonica player who had relocated from Chicago to San Francisco in 1967. Frumious Bandersnatch were from Lafayette. Crome Syrcus were from Seattle, although they spent a fair amount of time in the Bay Area

May 5, 1968 Steve Miller Band, Ace Of Cups, Indian Headband
Steve Miller had relocated from Chicago in late 1966. After some scuffling, he became a hit at the Avalon and Fillmore and signed with Capitol. He hadn't forgotten his Berkeley cred, however, and still played this free show. Ace Of Cups were a popular all-women band based in Marin. Indian Headband was an interesting improvisational band that featured guitarist Hal Wagenet, later in Its A Beautiful Day. 

May 12, 1968 Phoenix, Martha’s Laundry, Creative Arts Guild Improvisational Ensemble
Phoenix and Martha's Laundry were both San Francisco based groups. The fact that they were playing for free in Berkeley meant that bands recognized the adage that playing for free was a good way to get known.

May 19, 1968 Mad River, The Circus, Crystal Syphon
Crystal Syphon were from Merced. The Circus may have been The Flying Circus, from Mill Valley.

June 8, 1968 35th Annual Berkeley Old-Time Fiddlers Convention
The Finger of Scorn, The Golden Toad, Jose’s Appliances, Dr. Humbead’s New Tranquility String Band and Medicine Show, Styx River Ferry, Stayton Family, Diesel Ducks, others, Fiddle Contest, Banjo Contest 
Back when Berkeley was actually subversive, the idea was fairly inspired. In the liner notes to the Berkeley Farms lp on Folkways, Rita Weill explains the genesis of the event, which was:
Conceived in the back of a Volkswagen bus, on the way to a party in Marin County, by a group of people who wanted to retain the good music and interplay they’d witnessed at Southern fiddle-banjo contests, without the competition and corruption extant there.
In true deconstructionist Berkeley style, bribes and drunkenness were encouraged, and performers were judged on unfair criteria that were never explained. Since first prize was 3 pounds of rutabagas (second prize was 6 pounds of rutabagas), no one cared. Second prize was awarded to someone who wasn’t there, so the rutabagas were thrown into the crowd. A hilarious eyewitness description is provided by banjoist Winnie Winston, newly arrived from the East Coast, startled to see Berkeley hippies smoking joints while the policemen watched placidly.
The local enthusiasm for this event was instrumental--so to speak--in the foundation of The Freight And Salvage, Berkeley's long-running club for traditional folk music (and other cool stuff).

June 9, 1968 Charlie Musselwhite, Linn County, Lazarus
Linn County were a blues band who had relocated from Cedar Rapids, IA. Lazarus was a Berkeley band.

July 10, 1968 Big Brother and The Holding Company, Phoenix, Lazarus
This was a Benefit for Balloon, who provided free food in Provo Park (similar to The Diggers). How a free concert functioned as a Benefit isn't quite clear--I assume they asked for donations.

Big Brother and The Holding Company were already a popular Bay Area headliner, but when Cheap Thrills was released shortly after this, they promptly went global, and free concerts in Berkeley would have overwhelmed the park.

July 21, 1968 Sky Blue, Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band, Crome Syrcus
Crome Syrcus were from Seattle, and had an album. The fact that they played for free meant that at least the hipper parts of the industry recognized that Provo Park was a valuable place to get known.

July 28, 1968 Silver Apples

August 10, 1968 All Men Joy, Mad River, Immaculate Contraption 
"GI Teach-In"
All Men Joy was a San Francisco band (Duane and Gregg Allman had been in a different group in Los Angeles, called The Hour Glasss).

October 6, 1968 Youngbloods, Santana, Sons of Champlin, Frumious Bandersnatch
This too must have been a major event. The Youngbloods had moved to the Bay Area the previous year, and they were a headline act by this time. Santana was still a year away from their debut album, but they were a popular local band, as were The Sons of Champlin and Lafayette's Frumious Bandersnatch.

November 4, 1968 Notes From The Underground, Mad River, Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band, Sky Blue, Country Weather
Rain is almost never a threat in the Bay Area, and the temperatures are always mild, so outdoor concerts in November were a perfectly reasonable proposition.

March 2, 1969 LeConte School, Berkeley Loading Zone, Lazarus, Purple Earthquake, Dementia
An article in the Berkeley Barb (Feb 28 1969) says that this show was an effort to move the “Provo Park” scene indoors, and suggests that this was the first of five shows. However, I've never been able to identify any of the other events, if there were any.

March 23, 1969 MC5

April 6, 1969 Sons of Champlin, Lamb, Frumious Bandersnatch, Ace of Cups, All Spice Rhythm Band
This may have been the show when Berkeley guitarist Charlie Cockey (ex Melvyn Q Watchpocket) sat in as an Ace because one member of Ace Of Cups was late.

April 13, 1969 Crabs, Lazarus, Mungo's Forest

April 20, 1969 Joy of Cooking/Clover/Flying Circus/Metropolitan Sound Company
Joy Of Cooking were a newly-formed Berkeley band, holding down a popular weeknight residency at Mandrake's (at 10th and University near San Pablo Ave). Clover and Flying Circus were popular Marin bands, and Metropolitan Sound Company was a Hendrix-style "soul rock" band from Oakland.

May 4, 1969 Loading Zone, All Spice Rhythm Band, This Ole World, Gentle Dance

June 21, 1969 17th Annual Old Time Fiddler's Convention
The 17th Annual Old Time Fiddlers Convention, held that day in Provo Park downtown (several blocks away from the Freight) was actually Berkeley’s second. The first, held the previous year, was the 35th Annual Old Time Fiddler’s Convention (see June 6, 1968 above).

The second event was named the 17th Annual contest, and similar lunacy ensued, with a sort of after-party that night at the Freight And Salvage. Note that the proceedings were broadcast live on KPFA--I wonder if anyone thought to tape it?

The contest lasted one more year, and then became too formal and successful, thus defeating its purpose. However, after a brief 34-year hiatus the Festival and Contest were reactivated in 2004 as a multi day event.

September 7, 1969 Lazarus, Syriatuscan, Hades Bluesworks, Eddie's Blues Group, Backwater Rising
"Bahai Fiath Gathering"

September 21, 1969 Maximum Speed Limit, Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band, The Crabs
This event was organized by Judy Jackson as a showcase for the local group Maximum Speed Limit.

September 28, 1969 The Tunnel, Sunny Street Blues Band, Purple Earthquake, Brother Brown's Band, Syndicate
"Celebration Of The Solstice"

October 12, 1969 Septentrionalis, Purple Earthquake, Lazarus, Floating Bridge
Floating Bridge were from Seattle, and their twin-guitar act is fondly remembered by those lucky enough to see them. The group had just finished a week at Berkeley's New Orleans House

November 23, 1969 KiddAfrica, Lazarus, Scrapple

Berkeley continued to have free concerts at Provo Park, and to my knowledge continues to have them to this day, albeit on a somewhat smaller scale and much more occasionally. However, the taste for free concerts waned over the years, as the crowds got potentially bigger and the expectations higher. We do know of a few additional dates:
  • April 11 1970-Festival of Toads
  • April 18, 1970-Kentucky Suckers, Rhythm Aces, Artichoke Jones, Emily
  • May 19, 1970-Youngbloods (partially released on their album Rock Festival)
  • July 5, 1970-Osceola
  • August 8, 1971-Mike Finnegan, Pendergrass, Dry Creek, Your Own Backyard
  • April 2, 1972-Country Joe McDonald, Joy of Cooking, Commander Cody
  • July 30, 1972-Country Joe McDonald, Banana and The Bunch, Asleep At The Wheel
For Berkeley's 100th Anniversary in April 2, 1978, Country Joe McDonald headlined at Provo Park over reformed-for-the-day Joy Of Cooking and Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen, and all the acts mentioned from the stage that it was good to be back in Provo Park. Provo Park is quieter now, and a significant free concert would cause a major parking problem, but it remains largely unchanged from its days as a concert venue. Its easy to stand on the field and stare at the modest stage, thinking about weekend afternoons long ago.


57 comments:

  1. Fabulous as ever. I compared with my list and have the following comments/additions:
    15-Jan-67 Drongos also played
    19-Mar-67 The full line up was Loading Zone, Motor, New Delhi River Band, Ulysses S Crockett and the Afro Blues Persuasion, Mad River, Frumious Bandersnatch, Blue Cheer, Soul Purpose, Haymarket Riot
    28-May-67 [Additional Show]: Loading Zone, Steve Miller Blues Band, Mad River, Purple Earthquake
    14-Apr-68 The SF Mime Troupe were performing "Ruzzante - or The Verteran"
    19-May-68 [Additional Show]: Mad River, The Circus, Crystal Syphon
    08-Jun-68 Notable additional players are the Quarter Dozen String Band and our old friends Jose's Appliances. The Fiddle, Band and Banjo contests were judged by Jon Lundberg, John Campbell and Campbell Coe.
    10-Jul-68 [Additional Show]: Big Brother and The Holding Company, Phoenix, Lazarus (Benefit for Balloon - who provide free food in Provo Park)
    28-Jul-68 [Additional Show]: Silver Apples
    10-Aug-68 [Additional Show]: Allman Joy, Immaculate Contraption, Mad River (GI Teach In)
    04-Nov-68 [Additional Show]: Notes from the Underground, Mad River, Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band, Sky Blue, Country Weather
    02-Mar-69 I have never put concerted effort in to the Leconte shows but there were quite a few and they were generally well advertised. I will add it to the to-do list.
    07-Sep-69 [Additional Show]: Lazarus, Syriatuscan, Hades Bluesworks, Eddie's Blues Group, Backwater Rising [Baha'I Faith Gathering]
    28-Sep-69 [Additional Show]: The Tunnel, Sunny Street Blues Band, Purple Earthquake, Brother Brown's Band, Syndicate [Celebration of the Solstice]
    29-Sep-69 I am pretty sure this should be dated September 21. It was a Judy Jackson organised showpiece for The Maximim Speed Limit.
    23-Nov-69 [Additional Show]: KiddAfrika, Lazarus, Scrapple

    I have quite a few dates in 1970 as well. Additionally, there are quite a lot of reviews and photographs in the Berkeley Barb. We probably now have enough for a Provo Park page.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I updated the post. Its much more complete now, and gives a much clearer picture. Its interesting to see the number of bands playing from out of town (eg Crystal Syphon from Merced, and so on).

    ReplyDelete
  3. And March 23, 1969 saw the MC5 at Provo Park.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I also think the park was named Provo Park after the Amsterdam (white bicycle provos.

    ReplyDelete
  5. These photos of the park are unrecognizable from when I was there most every Sunday in the 60's. There was a non-working fountain in front of the "stage" which was just two steps up to a dirt landing with standing blocks on either side of the steps... Not much to it but it was so cool. We burned draftcards with General Wastemoreland one time. Most times we sat on the fountain and listened or danced happily in what was a wonderous time..........

    ReplyDelete
  6. September 24, 1967: Frumious Bandersnatch also played using Initial Shock's PA system.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I remember Frumious Bandersnatch at the Straight Theater or at the Carousel or Avalon. I lived in the Haight between August-September of 1967 until 1968. I use to work at the Straight Theater each day from about 10am until 2 pm. I had a shop at 1764 Haight Street. My shop, a co-op was open from noon until 11 pm every day. So because of my love of music, I would clean up the theater each morning till noon for a free ticket to each nights show. I was also allowed back stage so I was able to mingle freely with many of the bands that played and the best part of the shows where between sets when musicians from other bands would pop up between sets and jam with whomever was playing at the Straight Theater. An example would be, one night John John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service failed to arrive on time for a concert at the Carousel Ballroom so Carlos Santana went on stage and played with Quicksilver for 20 minutes and he was able to play along with their music as if he had been with the band for years. Most bands played for 2 hours than 4 hours off and then a 2nd set. musicians from groups playing the Avalon or Fillmore would go to another club after their sets were over and jam for a while. I only went to the Berkeley Community theater one time to see the Doors, in 1968. Andy Frain Ushers were rude and attempted to take strobe candles from fans in the audience. They passed them around when the ushers came to take them away. the manager walked out on the stage and threatened to close the concert if the canldes were not put out. Morrison in anger picked up a pile of Light My Fire posters I laid on the front of the stage before they came out and began to rip some up. Eventually he continued the concert but I remember it as if it were only yesterday. Nice site.

      Delete
  7. thanks for the info and pics. i belong to a FB group known as Berserkleyans 1960s-70s-ish Tales Of Brave Ulysses. i would like to make a correction to the listing of the April 18th 1970 concert. it was The Kenturney Sucker's Rhythm Aces, not two different bands as shown. i know, because i was living with the people who started that band, Bill and Priscilla. also, i would like to say that my remembrance that we named it Provo Park not because of solidarity with the IRA, but because people who called themselves Provos started ladling out free soup in the park. i believe they said they were affiliated with Emmet Grogan's Diggers, who were doing the same in S.F.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're right about where the name Provo Park came from. A group of anarchist activists named themselves the Berkeley Provos after the Amsterdam Provos, but I don't remember any white bicycles. I think it was mostly free soup, like you said, rather like Emmett's thing in SF's Panhandle.

      Delete
  8. Replayray - thanks for the input. My understanding was that the park was named Provo Park after the Amsterdam (white bicycle) provos.

    ReplyDelete
  9. here's an ad in Berkeley Tribe for a show featuring a number of these bands. not in provo park but thought you'd dig it nonetheless.

    http://babylonfalling.tumblr.com/post/6036993662/gary-grimshaw-artwork-for-a-show-featuring-a

    ReplyDelete
  10. I played there a couple of times before I was drafted with our group the Liquid blues Band with Country Joe the player lineup was me Roger Heath> Larry Rose> Biff Silva> Lex Silva> Clay Cotten> Those were the greatest of times

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Roger! It's me, Brian Goddard.
      I also played there a few times (69?) with The Loveship. We had Paul Hudson & Larry Rose -(also of Liquid Blues). I remember a scragly looking bass player asking me if he could use my bass amp (Standel). His band was following ours that day. The bass player - Rocco Prestia. The band - Tower of Power. I'll never forget it. Sometime, maybe late 1969? Good times!

      Delete
    2. Loved Provo.....especially remember The Sons,Mad River,Country Weather.....hi Brian.....you may remember me from Trinidad Bean and Elevator......Russ

      Delete
  11. How would people have called Provo Park after the IRA in the mid-1960s - as this says - when the Provisional IRA (the Provos) was not set up till 1969? The cutting under the 5 March 1967 entry shows the reality - the Berkeley Provos, named after the Dutch Provos.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Herbert, thanks for the information. I corrected the post.

    ReplyDelete
  13. What a great time...Berkeley in the 60's!

    ReplyDelete
  14. They called ut Provo Park because the Berkeley Provos used to hand out free food there (like the Diggers did at the Panhandle in SF). I saw Steve Miller Blues Band, Mendlebaum (future Doobie Bros. Keith Knudsen and Van Morrison guitarist Chris Michie) and Country Joe and the Fish there. Boston Red Sox star Pumpsie Green used to work at BHS as truant officer, could often be found watching the black kids play a card game called Tonk during school hours at the park.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Joel, thanks for chiming in! What a great detail about Pumpsie Green as a truant officer at Berkeley High. My recollection about Pumpsie Green was not that he was so much of a star with the Red Sox, but that he was the team's first African American player.

    ReplyDelete
  16. How funny, I'd totally forgotten about Tonk! I saw many groups there, at the moment the most memorable show was Charlie Musselwhite with Tim Kaihatsu on lead guitar. Although General Wastemoreland was always a notable figure ...

    ReplyDelete
  17. I swear I saw Leslie West there c. summer 1968 but can't find his name or a group he was with anywhere on the roster ...

    ReplyDelete
  18. Barbara, I just noticed your comment. Leslie West and his band The Vagrants opened for The Who at Winterland and the Fillmore February 22-24, 1968. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out they had played Provo that weekend. Since The Vagrants were from Queens, they wouldn't have had many opportunities to be in Berkeley.

    Mountain formed in mid-69, and they were a big deal from the beginning, so it was a lot less likely that they would play for free in a park in Berkeley. The Vagrants, however, would have been happy for the opportunity, not least because it was probably about 19 degrees back home and Berkeley probably seemed very warm to them.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Thanks, Corry, That fact and detail might solve the mystery ... Vagrants in a Berkeley park were almost a natural occurrence back then ...

    ReplyDelete
  20. I went to many of these shows, most of which were in late spring to Fall but generally every Sunday during the summer. Besides the shows listed there was a band from Marin (I think) called Haze who were extremely hip, the Bauls of India were there on a tour funded by George Harrison, The Dead played there and one band (I'd really like to know their name) were three young black men from Oakland playing an incredible mix of rock and soul (bass player played a fretless electric Rickenbacker bass). One of the most amazing musical experiences I've ever had was sitting at Linda Tillery's feet while she sang Cold Sweat with The Loading Zone. Another great time was the Mother's Day concert by Country Joe & The Fish (with their new equipment!), my mom did actually dig it. There was a folk festival of some kind promoted by Lundberg's Music and, I think, Mike Bloomfield where Doc Watson and many other standard bearers of the folk scene played. After some of these shows I'd go down into the BART tunnels and unfinished stations that were being built at that time before hitch-hiking home to Oakland.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks for the sweet reminder of a simpler time. I attended Berkeley 70-72 and remember many gatherings at Provo Park. Most outstanding was a concert by the Youngbloods, must have been '71. Keep up the archive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Band from oakland sounds like oquisha paradox

      Delete
  22. I would like more info on the free food. I participated in a free-food-and-bread giveaway that got overrun by hungry/greedy people. We baked bread the night before at the Free Bakery (?). Anyone know about this - I am pretty sure it was at Provo Park. Not sure about what if any music was there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I was there, too, and it was like you describe. We baked bread the night before at the Free Bakery on Ashby Street (?), the flour was donated by Whole Foods. We also made stew. At the show, which I think was set up to encourage people to vote in the next elections, the stage where we were giving out the bread and stew was overrun by thugs, who stole the bread and jumped over people in line. Very discouraging, and of course we had nobody to help us. Not sure what year, exactly, but it was between the autumn of 1968 and late spring of 1969.

      Delete
  23. One of the bands which played on April 9, 1967 was Bill Miller's group. He was also a bartender at the Steppenwolf.

    David McCullough

    ReplyDelete
  24. Do you recall the name of Bill Miller's band David? Miller would later open a store called Graven Image with Barry Melton.

    ReplyDelete
  25. can you show the children's playground area

    ReplyDelete
  26. Interesting sight. Berkeley had a wonderful director of Parks at the time who allowed the concerts. I was a member of the Provos who provided the food. Many thanks to a lot of generous parties who donated it. We also had a free store on San Pablo. Long time ago. I was known as Provo Mary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES, THE FREE STORE AT 2228 SAN PABLO AVE. HENRY SOUZA, A RETIRED MERCHANT SEAMAN, OWNED THE BUILDING. THE FREE STORE CAUSED SOME NEAR RIOTS ON SATURDAY MORNINGS. THERE WERE LOCAL PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTOOD "FREE" BUT NOT "SHARE". WHAT MEMORIES. I ENDED UP RENTING THE UPSTAIRS APT BEHIND HENRYS APT. HENRY (LONG GONE NOW) HAD PHOTOS OF THE ORIGINAL PROVO BUS, WHICH WAS PAINTED ON THE PROPERTY. ODDLY, I RODE THE BUS IN 67 ON ITS RETURN TRIP TO CA FROM DC (IT ONLY MADE IT AS FAR AS OHIO). HITCHED THE REST OF THE WAY IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN AT THE WINTERLAND. WOW! WELCOME TO CA! ANYWAY, YES, MUCH OF THE FOOD FOR PROVO PARK WAS PROCESSED THROUGH THE FREE STORE. A LOT WAS DONATED BY THE CLAREMONT AND OTHER BANQUET SITES. I REMEMBER A WHOLE LOT OF LEFT OVER THANKSGIVING TURKEYS(1967). NO ONE WAS HUNGRY. I DON'T REMEMBER YOU, MARY, BUT THAT ONLY MEANS THAT I WAS THERE TOO! THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES. SOON THE REST OF US WILL BE GONE, ALONG WITH OUR FADING MEMORIES.

      Delete
    2. mary- did you ever see the photos of the Berkeley provo bus taken by the owner of the "provo building"? he showed them to me in 1970. I hope the photos did not end up in the Berkeley land fill when henry died.

      Delete
  27. Thanks for putting this site together. I recently found some 16mm film that my dad took of a Provo Park concert in 1969 which I posted on YouTube.

    http://youtu.be/6FfLmAtEr0I

    ReplyDelete
  28. I was a hippie kid in Berkeley in '69. My whole family were hippies. Our house was right on Telegraph Ave. in between Ashby and Dwight Way, an old sort of Victorian Berkeley style house that was scheduled for demolition. I went to most if not all the Provo Park gigs in those days. We always heard about them while hanging out on the Ave every day. The word would spread quickly up and down the street and everyone would head down to Provo. There was nearly always free food and drink being given out and that attracted the Ave people as much as the music. It was late Aug. or early Sept. that someone there gave me and my little brother our first psychedelic trip. It wasn't LSD, it was called Hawaiian Woodrose. It was a chopped up brown organic substance in a large clear capsule. My brother and I poured it out into a glass of the free Apple juice being handed out and drank it. About 45 minutes later I was laying flat on the grass feeling very extended and mellow. The stage was going from one hue or tint of color to another. It was the only time I ever experienced HW, or ever even saw it again. Shortly after that it was all about Orange Sunshine, Lime Barrel, Blue Flat, Purple Haze, and a hundred other different names for all the LSD we took. Or acid we dropped, as we termed it. I was 12 yo. All my friends were the hippie kids on the Ave.
    I see the label Ragtime Theatre bunch, but I never thought of that then. Our group was kids like David and Vanessa Delacore. David was my little brother's best friend, and Vannessa and my sister were good friends. There father, Mark, was a big Berkeley political activist, and one of my best connections for quantities of high grade pot in the late '70's. My brother and David went to the Stones Altamont concert together with a hundred others from the Ave. My sister and I got on the wrong bus and didn't make it. Didn't miss much as we later heard. I went to most if not all the free gigs at Provo Park. Always had a really fun time. Of course, everything was a really fun time in those super incredible days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whoops....meant to say Micheal Delacour....not Mark Delacore. He was a guy I knew decades later. Always mix them in my mind. Mark B. and Joe C. were some of the other mini-mob as some called us. In the early 80's Frank Crossman and his wife Lynn, and my wife and I were two of the largest Persian distributors in the East Bay. We both made a lot of money but never did anything sensible with it. When it comes so easy, it goes just as easy. I'm not proud of being a drug dealer, it was just natural progression. All we ever knew was drugs from the time we were kids. We just ran with what we knew.

      Delete
    2. I went to Bay High School a few blocks down University from Provo Park ‘68, ‘69. Went to lots of shows over the summers. I think Michael Delacour may have been at Bay High too. I recognize his name. The Bay High School band was for us The Rubinoos, played all over Berkeley and other venues in NorCal. Big Brother, Santana, CJ&F, Youngblood’s, whooee! Them were the days!

      Delete
  29. pederasts, miscreants, holier-than-thou liberals, commies, kooks, and jaywalkers, Berzerkeley 'twas ever thus

    ReplyDelete
  30. I was in Charlie Musselwhite's band in 1968. Charlie and the band members all lived in Berkeley. All of us looked somewhat askance at the hippie-good-vibes milieu around us, and it didn't get much more good-vibey than those Provo Park shows. But as time went on, things got darker. There had been meth freaks in the Berkeley scene for a while, but that drug seemed to be getting more action. Also, word was that on weekends people would come to Berkeley from San Leandro, Hayward, wherever, to cop or to deal, and I thought I could see that reflected in the audiences at Provo Park.

    I do remember the exact moment when I knew that it was over, though.

    We had just finished playing our set and I had turned around to start unplugging and tearing down. I heard some scuffling and yelling behind the "stage"; there was a fight. I looked over my amp to see one guy on the ground, the other in mid-air, about to land both heels of his engineer boots on the side of the other guy's head.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YES, I WAS THERE FOR THAT "INCIDENT". SADLY, I KNEW WHO WAS WEARING THOSE BOOTS. SELF APPOINTED BAND "SECURITY" CAN BE DANGEROUS. ESPECIALLY MIXED WITH REDS AND WINE. RAYMOND (HIS NAME) THOUGHT HE WAS DEFENDING CHARLIE. THIS BOZO (WHO WAS DRINKING A MAGNUM OF WINE) WAS INTERUPTING CHARLIES PERFORMANCE, AND RAYMOND GOT HIM TO STOP. WHEN THE MUSIC WAS OVER HIS FIST FLEW ACROSS SEVERAL INNOCENTS AND HIT RAY. BAD IDEA. RAY DID PUT BOOTS TO HIM. RAY ALSO BIT HIS EAR OFF. THE SCENE DID GO IN A COMPLETE 180 DEGREES FROM GOOD. YES, IT WAS TIME TO CALL IT QUITS.

      Delete
    2. I recall that we the people of the Ave drove the junk and meth out of the area once, but the waves just kept coming and the scene was fragmenting as they all do eventually. A lot of good shows and high times but a few bummers, too: passing a j around a circle of Berkeley high acquaintances when the guy next to me stood up and clocked this kid who accosted him about a deal gone wrong, and proceeded to get his ass kicked across the park. Or one late afternoon when about 80 black guys started closing their fighting dogs in a tighter and tighter circle on the grass. There were all kinds of magic consciousness moments in those days; very, very light and very dark, too.

      Delete
  31. The band Motor was Paul Wright vocals, Bob Zuckerman vocals and guitar, Stu Feldman bass, Ralph Goodwin drums, Greg Turman guitar. Berkeley based.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Believe it or not, I was just telling my 19 year old son about Motor yesterday. The subject of Lapland came up in conversation, and I was reminded of Motor's song of the same name. "It would be so nice to walk through the ice of Lapland; where nothing can grow through ten feet of snow in Lapland. I long for Lapland, my beautiful Lapland..." Why this song stays in my head I have no idea.

      Delete
    2. Lapland runs in my mind to this day. Also: "How do you tell someone they've got a bad personality?"

      Delete
  32. Zuckermann Clavichord was Jeff Baker et al.

    ReplyDelete
  33. does anyone know where I can find a photograph of the original PROVO BUS? this was a 1940's reo with a really beautiful paint job. it made trips between berkeley and sf, briefly in 1967. it was last seen in ohio in '67 October, where I believe it broke down and was deserted. it was returning from dc to Berkeley. the art work was phenomenal! thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  34. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anyone know the date the GD played Provo Park?
    Two eye witnesses recall it happening:
    “I was in my mid teens when I first saw the Dead at the Human Be-In at Golden Gate Park. Rock'n'roll was the automatic turn-on, I simply couldn't hear enough. I saw them again at Speedway Meadows (talked to Jerry on a call-in at KYA the night before the show!). Again at Provo Park in Berkeley, which was cool 'cuz they were almost a part of the crowd, the gig was so informal.”[1]

    I went to many of these shows, most of which were in late spring to Fall but generally every Sunday during the summer. Besides the shows listed there was a band from Marin (I think) called Haze who were extremely hip, the Bauls of India were there on a tour funded by George Harrison, The Dead played there…”[3]


    1.)^[Unknown User], “The Improvisors,” Grateful Dead Archive Online, accessed October 12, 2016, https://www.gdao.org/items/show/837860.

    3.)^Unknown, comment, 2012-01-30, Provo Park, Berkeley Concerts 1967-69, 2010-07-01, http://berkeleyfolk.blogspot.com/2010/07/provo-park-berkeley-concerts-1967-69.html

    ReplyDelete
  36. I recently found your video from the concert in Provo Park, Summer of '69. Thank you so much for posting it, and thanks to your dad for making the film. I attended most of the concerts there that Summer. I was ten years old; I lived a few blocks away and always walked up Allston to be there. Those shows were a total joy. I always got as close to the band as I possibly could; if you have any shots of a young kid sitting on top of one of the speakers, that's probably me. Nobody kicked me off it - that's how good the vibe was.

    The bands I remember seeing repeatedly were Clover and the Purple Earthquake. There were others of course, but this was a looong time ago. I also remember a performance by the San Francisco Mime Troupe.

    If you're one of the musicians, thank you. I've never known a better time.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Spent many a Sunday @ Provo in the 60's

    ReplyDelete
  38. The band on April 18, 1970 was called the "Kenturney Suckers Rhythm Aces"

    ReplyDelete
  39. The July 9, 1967 performance was a benefit for the Provos to buy a bus. It would start in the park and then the bands would head over to the Steppenwolf to play as well.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Played there in July 1968...thanks for these memories

    ReplyDelete