Post by pledm on Mar 17, 2009 12:09:36 GMT -5
This is from another website
This might be a tad morbid, but that’s the way it goes sometimes…
A friend recently sent me an email containing a link to a news story about the death of a 1960s musician. Well, he was probably a musician later in life as well, but was most famous during the ‘60s.
I cranked off a reply that was something along these lines: “Huh. Wonder how many of the original Woodstock performers are dead now? Forty percent?”
Turns out the musician in the article hadn’t even performed at the festival. I was mistaken, but still curious about the Woodstock Death Count. I did some Google searches, and came up with nothing. Nobody, it seemed, was keeping a running tally.
And so, once again, it’s been left to me to crunch the numbers. First it was Deadwood, and now Woodstock. It’s a heavy burden I carry, my friends.
Here are the results of my exhaustive research:
DAY ONE Friday, August 15, 1969
Richie Havens: alive
Swami Satchidananda: dead
Sweetwater: 4 alive, 3 dead
Nancy Nevins: alive
Alex Del Zoppo: alive
Fred Herrera: alive
August Burns: dead
Alan Malarowitz: dead
Elpidio “Pete” Cobian: alive
Albert Moore: dead
Incredible String Band: 4 alive
Mike Heron: alive
Robin Williamson: alive
Christina “Licorice” McKechnie: alive
Rose Simpson: alive
Bert Sommer: dead
Tim Hardin: dead
Ravi Shankar: alive
Melanie: alive
Arlo Guthrie: alive
Joan Baez: alive
19 performers: 13 alive, 6 dead
Death percentage (Day 1): 32%
The first day has taken the biggest hit, percentage-wise. There were only nineteen performers, since the festival didn’t start until Friday evening, but almost a third of them have passed through the big beaded curtain in the sky. Sweetwater alone has three deceased members, and are tied with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band for the most by any band at Woodstock.
DAY TWO Saturday, August 16, 1969
Quill: 5 alive
Jon Cole: alive
Dan Cole: alive
Roger North: alive
Normman Rogers: alive
Phil Thayer: alive
Keef Hartley Band: 4 alive, 1 dead
Keef Hartley: alive
Miller Anderson: alive
Jimmy Jewell: alive
Henry Lowther: alive
Gary Thain: dead
Country Joe McDonald: alive
John Sebastian: alive
Santana: 5 alive, 1 dead
Carlos Santana: alive
Gregg Rolie: alive
Jose “Chepito” Areas: alive
Mike Carabello: alive
Michael Shrieve: alive
David Brown: dead
Canned Heat: 3 alive, 2 dead
Alan “Blind Owl” Wilson: dead
Bob “The Bear” Hite: dead
Harvey “The Snake” Mandel: alive
Larry “The Mole” Taylor: alive
Adolpho “Fito” de la Parra: alive
Mountain: 3 alive, 1 dead
Leslie West: alive
Felix Pappalardi: dead
Norman D. Smart II: alive
Steve Knight: alive
Janis Joplin: dead
Grateful Dead: 5 alive, 2 dead
Jerry Garcia: dead
Bob Weir: alive
Bill Kreutzmann: alive
Mickey Hart: alive
Ron “Pigpen” McKernan: dead
Tom Constanten: alive
Phil Lesh: alive
Creedence Clearwater Revival: 3 alive, 1 dead
John Fogerty: alive
Tom Fogerty: dead
Doug “Cosmo” Clifford: alive
Stu Cook: alive
Sly and the Family Stone: 7 alive
Sly Stone: alive
Freddie Stone: alive
Greg Errico: alive
Larry Graham: alive
Jerry Martini: alive
Cynthia Robinson: alive
Rosie Stone: alive
The Who: 2 alive, 2 dead
Roger Daltry: alive
Pete Townshend: alive
John Entwistle: dead
Keith Moon: dead
Jefferson Airplane: 5 alive, 2 dead
Marty Balin: alive
Grace Slick: alive
Paul Kantner: alive
Jorma Kaukonen: alive
Jack Casady: alive
Spencer Dryden: dead
Nicky Hopkins: dead
57 performers: 44 alive, 13 dead
Death percentage (Day 2): 23%
Thirteen performers from the second day are now dead, the biggest number by far. However, a whopping fifty-seven people took the stage on Saturday.
The Who have lost 50% of their members, the highest of any band at the festival. Canned Heat, the Grateful Dead, and the Jefferson Airplane are each down two, as well. But all seven members of Sly and the Family Stone are still kicking. And I find that to be fairly amazing, if you want to know the truth.
DAY THREE Sunday, August 17, 1969
Joe cocker: alive
Country Joe & The Fish: 5 alive
Country Joe McDonald: alive
Barry “The Fish” Melton: alive
Greg “Duke” Dewey: alive
Mark Kapner: alive
Doug Metzler: alive
Ten Years After: 4 alive
Alvin Lee: alive
Leo Lyons: alive
Chick Churchill: alive
Ric Lee: alive
The Band: 3 alive, 2 dead
Robbie Robertson: alive
Rick Danko: dead
Levon Helm: alive
Garth Hudson: alive
Richard Manuel: dead
Blood, Sweat, and Tears: 9 alive
David Clayton-Thomas: alive
Bobby Colomby: alive
Jim Fielder: alive
dick Halligan: alive
Jerry Hyman: alive
Steve Katz: alive
Fred Lipsius: alive
Lew Soloff: alive
Chuck Winfield: alive
Johnny Winter: alive
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: 6 alive
David Crosby: alive
Graham Nash: alive
Stephen Stills: alive
Neil Young: alive
Greg Reeves: alive
Dallas Taylor: alive
Paul Butterfield Blues Band: 7 alive, 3 dead
Paul Butterfield: dead
Howard “Buzzy” Feiten: alive
Rod Hicks: alive
Ted Harris: alive
Phillip Wilson: dead
Steve Madaio: alive
Keith Johnson: alive
David Sanborn: alive
Trevor Lawrence: alive
Gene Dinwiddie: dead
Sha-Na-Na: 12 alive
Joe Witkin: alive
Jocko Marcellino: alive
Donald “Donny” York: alive
Rob Leonard: alive
Alan Cooper: alive
Frederick “Dennis” Greene: alive
Dave Garrett: alive
Richard “Ritchie” Joffe: alive
Scott Powell: alive
Henry Gross: alive
Bruce Clarke III: alive
Elliot Cahn: alive
Jimi Hendrix: dead
54 performers: 48 alive, 6 dead
Death percentage (Day 3): 11%
Sha-Na-Na(?!), Blood, Sweat, and Tears, and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band filled the stage with performers. Why is it necessary to have a dozen people in your band? Doesn’t that seem a bit excessive? In any case, the death percentage for the final day of Woodstock is probably lower than that of my high school graduating class — even though it included high profile artists such as Jimi Hendrix and Rick Danko. Nicely done, Day Three!
And that brings us to the answer of my original question:
woodgraph11
130 total performers: 105 alive, 25 dead
Total Woodstock death percentage: 19%
My inner-sensors told me the final number would be much higher; I would’ve bet good money the bottom-line would be closer to 35 or 40 percent. After all, it’s been four decades since the festival took place, and these are… musicians we’re talking about. The fact that only 19% of Woodstock performers have said “Goodnight Tokyo!,” is a pleasant surprise.
I spent considerable time researching this information, and believe it to be accurate. However, if you find an error, please let me know and I’ll fix it. I will attempt to keep a running tally, as well. So, check the Big Pie Chart of Death often!
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Just found this interesting.
