Atlanta International Pop Festival (1969)
The first Atlanta International Pop Festival was a music festival held at the Atlanta International Raceway[1] on the July Fourth and weekend, 1969, more than a month before Woodstock. It was organized by Alex Cooley, who later went on to organize the Texas International Pop Festival. The crowd numbered in the high tens of thousands, with some estimates as high as 125,000. With temperatures nearing a hundred degrees, local fire departments used fire hoses to create "sprinklers" for the crowd to play in and cool off. It was a peaceful, energetic, hot and loud festival with few (if any) problems other than heat related.
Performers at the event included Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Johnny Rivers, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Canned Heat, Spirit, Ten Wheel Drive, Joe Cocker, Creedence Clearwater Revival , Sweetwater, Al Kooper, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Pacific Gas & Electric, Dave Brubeck, Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett, and Led Zeppelin, and an early appearance of Grand Funk Railroad, who had not yet been signed by a record company, and one of the first appearances of Chicago Transit Authority before the name was changed to Chicago. The Allman Brothers Band were booked onto the festival by a phony promoter who had no authority to book them. When they showed up, they were not allowed to play. Chuck Berry was advertised as being a performer, but he did not make an appearance at the festival. Concession stands were woefully inadequate. Attendees frequently stood in line for an hour to get a soft drink. Alcohol was not sold and, for the most part, not consumed at the festival. (A number of people brought in their own alcoholic beverages and consumed them openly. The legal drinking age then was 18 years old. Marijuana could be found, but was not smoked openly.) The second, and last Atlanta International Pop Festival, was held the next year. This time the Allman Brothers and Jimi Hendrix were featured performers.
