THE ARTS | Reshaping ideas, expressing identity
29 July 2008
The Counterculture and Psychedelic Rock
“Alternative” bands captured the 1960s “hippie” spirit
(The following is excerpted from the U.S. Department of State publication, American Popular Music.)
The explosive entrance of folk rock into the wide arena of American popular culture coincided with the development of increasingly innovative approaches to rock ’n’ roll itself. This was a period of increasing political restlessness and ferment in the United States. The youth audience for pop culture was directly implicated in the politics of the Vietnam War, as all young American men between the ages of 18 and 26 were eligible to be drafted into the armed forces. In addition, a significant number of young people were involved with the many organizations, demonstrations, and legal initiatives that characterized the civil rights movement.
During the late 1960s an “alternative” rock music scene established itself in San Francisco. The city had long been a center for artistic communities and subcultures, including the “beat” literary movement of the 1950s, a lively urban folk music scene, and a highly visible and vocal gay community. “Psychedelic rock” encompassed a variety of styles and musical influences, including folk rock, blues, “hard rock,” Latin music, and Indian classical music. In geographical terms, San Francisco’s psychedelic music scene was focused on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, center of the hippie movement.
Jefferson Airplane was the first nationally successful band to emerge out of the San Francisco psychedelic scene. Along with the Quicksilver Messenger Service and the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane was one of the original triumvirate of San Francisco “acid rock” bands, playing at the Matrix Club (center of the San Francisco alternative nightclub scene), larger concert venues such as the Avalon Ballroom and Fillmore, and at communal outdoor events such as happenings and be-ins. The Airplane’s 1967 LP Surrealistic Pillow sold over one million copies. The biggest celebrity in the group was vocalist Grace Slick (b. 1939), who was the most important female musician on the San Francisco scene.
Grace Slick’s only serious competition as queen of the San Francisco rock scene came from Janis Joplin (1943-70), the most successful white blues singer of the 1960s. Joplin came to San Francisco in the mid1960s and joined a band called Big Brother and the Holding Company. Their appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 led to a contract with Columbia Records, eager to cash in on RCA’s success with Jefferson Airplane, and on the growing national audience for acid rock. Big Brother’s 1968 album Cheap Thrill reached Number One on the pop charts. Joplin’s full-tilt singing style and directness of expression were inspired by blues singers such as Bessie Smith and by the R&B recordings of Big Mama Thornton.
