92 Responses to “The Woodstock Death Count”

1. Brad K., on March 15th, 2009 at 1:46 am Said:

   Nicely done.

   Now can you break down how many fucks per minutes were uttered during the three-day festival?

2. Evil Twin's Wife, on March 15th, 2009 at 1:01 pm Said:

   That’s very impressive! Will you make the Wheel of Death an easy to find feature, so we can check up later?

3. Brianf, on March 15th, 2009 at 1:12 pm Said:

   This is great!
   Will we ever know how many children were conceived at Woodstock and where are they today: in a commune, working on wall street or the obama administration?

4. fattie20xl, on March 15th, 2009 at 3:28 pm Said:

   you just have GOT to keep this updated.

   THIS will outdo the deadwood…. HEY!

   waitaminut…

   deadWOOD, WOODstock… are you obcessed with WOOD? like.. in the bevis and butthead sence?

   hehhehheh..

5. Willie Williams, on March 15th, 2009 at 3:41 pm Said:

   It kills me everytime I see clips of Woodstock and see Sha-Na_Na, some of them in the gold lame’ outfits.

6. CitizenX, on March 15th, 2009 at 7:14 pm Said:

   Sits back to see if THIS ONE makes DrudgeReport

   .. again BRILLIANT but hope that HOST is ready.

7. CitizenX, on March 15th, 2009 at 7:19 pm Said:

   “I’m fairly surprised all seven members of Sly and the Family Stone are still kicking, if you want to know the truth.”

   Stress. It’s the physical & mental stress you put upon yourself that shortens your life. Stop keeping up with the Jones’s.

   Sly and the Fam had stress removal assistance.
   I, for one, am NOT surprised all alive. I grinned instead.

8. Big Bear In OH, on March 16th, 2009 at 12:29 am Said:

   Ridiculously hilarious…I never would’ve thought of this, but that’s why we all read this site…because Jeff keeps us on our toes.

9. Remlane1, on March 16th, 2009 at 7:08 am Said:

   Wow -that’s an impressive piece of research. I’m gonna answer your question about “Why 12 people in a band?” I think Blood, Sweat & Tears had a horns, backup singers – a lot of musicians onstage. Like “Chicago” did back in the day.

10. Gordie, on March 16th, 2009 at 8:49 am Said:

    Top 10?

11. Willie Williams, on March 16th, 2009 at 8:56 am Said:

    Finally found a decent shot of the gold lame’. Keith Moon with a member of Sha Na Na.

    http://media.thewho.com/non_secure/images/20080115/72_keith___sha_na_na/72_keith___sha_na_na_640.jpg

12. 2Tall, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:23 am Said:

    Excellent job, Jeff.

13. Mark Maynard, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:23 am Said:

    I found myself getting mad, reading through the list and seeing the names of all the greats who have died… But nothing prepared me for the anger that I’d feel when I got to Sha-Na-Na and saw that every last one of them was still living.

14. Tommy Lee Roth, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:25 am Said:

    I just read on a news website that the Lucky Charms leprechaun (“its magically delicious”) has passed away. A truly sad day indeed.

15. Griff, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:28 am Said:

    Even more puzzling than Sly and the Family Stone’s survival rate is the fact that ALL of CSN&Y were still kicking six months after woodstock, much less 4 decades hence.

16. Doug, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:31 am Said:

    When I think of Woodstock (which was before my time by the way), I just don’t picture Sha-Na-Na performing.

17. Poo, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:33 am Said:

    Good stuff Jeff! Well worth the rearch. You have now broken down the Woodstock Death Count void on the web. I thought the percentage would be MUCH higher. lol

18. Tyrosine, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:36 am Said:

    “Sha-Na-Na: 12 alive”

    How unfortunate.

19. Gretchen, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:42 am Said:

    Sha-Na-Na. At Woodstock. That blows my mind. So how about percentages of performers with one foot in the grave? I mean hell, how many more times can David Crosby cheat death?

    Now I’m wondering about Live Aid and the early years of Lollapalooza.

20. db grin, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:42 am Said:

    No kiddin! I would have bet with you on the 30% range.

    I checked TotalFark and it’s already been submitted there – and redlit. I’ll try a different headline.

21. NDfaninAZ, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:44 am Said:

    Paul Butterfield Blues Band: 8 alive, 2 dead

    Jeff – when you have the individual band members listed, you show 3 as dead, not 2.

22. Jeff, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:50 am Said:

    Dammit! I’ll fix it. Thanks for noticing the error, NDfan.

23. JCIII, on March 16th, 2009 at 10:57 am Said:

    I ate the brown acid.

24. Pete, on March 16th, 2009 at 11:08 am Said:

    Jeff – any idea how many are in the land of the living dead – like Sly?

25. Miss Cellania, on March 16th, 2009 at 11:10 am Said:

    Considering that was 40 years ago, I think the stats look really good!

26. Jason, on March 16th, 2009 at 11:15 am Said:

    I think some of these people, like David Crosby, are already dead but nobody has the heart to tell them.

27. knucklehead, on March 16th, 2009 at 11:21 am Said:

    I’m still amazed that Sha-Na-Na played Woodstock. Did I know this before and block it from my mind? who knows.

    Great job, Jeff. Now I’m heading over to Celebrity Death Watch…

28. Fifi O'Toole, on March 16th, 2009 at 11:31 am Said:

    Which ironically seems to prove that drugs are good!
    Seriously, this IS a pleasant surprise.

29. wordnerd, on March 16th, 2009 at 11:39 am Said:

    Didn’t some brands of really cheap wine back then have formaldehyde in them? Discuss.

    Sha-Na-Na? At Woodstock? F’real?

30. Chris in Cincinnati, on March 16th, 2009 at 11:52 am Said:

    I vaguely remember the Sha Na Na variety show.

    So vaguely that I thought it was something I imagined after sneaking one too many sips from my mom’s whiskey sour, my grandma’s beer, and my dad’s whiskey & Coke.

31. Ed, on March 16th, 2009 at 12:50 pm Said:

    I think you left some guys out. How about Country Joe’s band, the Fish or the band that backed up Hendrix?

32. Wisey in Ttown, on March 16th, 2009 at 1:13 pm Said:

    I got nuthin

33. TILLY, on March 16th, 2009 at 1:32 pm Said:

    this is amazing. i can’t imagine where you even began with all that. thanks for your dedication.

34. Vicki, on March 16th, 2009 at 1:34 pm Said:

    Some hippies that got lost looking for the Byron Pop Festival in July 1970 stopped by my house looking for directions. First time I ever saw a bona fide HIPPIE or a psychedelic-painted Volkswagen van. I was 14 and my mama wouldn’t let me go.

35. Taiwan On, on March 16th, 2009 at 5:50 pm Said:

    peace, love, dove, groovy guys and gals

36. Dudley Dawson (Booger), on March 16th, 2009 at 6:02 pm Said:

    Nice Job Jeff:

    Janis and Jimi both had back up bands. Mitch Mitchell who played drums with Jimi at woodstock just died recently

37. Dudley Dawson (Booger), on March 16th, 2009 at 6:13 pm Said:

    Hendrix band at Woodstock:

    Billy Cox -Bass
    Mitch Mitchell -Drums
    Larry Lee – Guitar
    Juma Sultan – Percussion
    Jerry Velex – Percussion

38. SCJay, on March 16th, 2009 at 6:22 pm Said:

    Was Bowser not in the original Sha-Na-Na? I know he is still alive though as I’ve seen him hawking some Time Life music on an infomercial. Maybe his off spring is the Sham Wow guy.

39. Dudley Dawson (Booger), on March 16th, 2009 at 6:29 pm Said:

    I think this was Joe Cocker’s bacnd – The Grease Band:

    Joe Cocker – vocals
    Henry McCullough – guitar,vocals
    Alan Spenner – bass, vocals
    Chris Stainton – keyboard
    Bruce Rowlands – drums
    Bobby Torres – congas

40. Dudley Dawson (Booger), on March 16th, 2009 at 6:36 pm Said:

    I think Edgar Winter played with brother Johnny at Woodstock. The bass player was probably Tommy Shannon the drummer was probably Johnny Mac Turner.

41. hope, on March 16th, 2009 at 11:57 pm Said:

    LOL@evil twin’s wheel of death comment.

    David Crosby cheated death.

42. Ron, on March 17th, 2009 at 7:32 am Said:

    Wow… very interesting. These numbers seem to dispute the theory that drugs are bad. I mean seriously these are musicians at Woodstock so these guys are no lightweights and yet a vast majority are still kicking 40 years later? The Government is screaming that occasional pot use will lead to the path of destruction and these musicians who most likely have snorted herion off skanky groupy body parts have made it to the forty year mark? Seems the test of time proves the Gov wrong.

43. Joe T., on March 17th, 2009 at 11:17 am Said:

    I wonder how long it will take the Woodstock II acts to catch up?

44. aileen in ashburn, on March 17th, 2009 at 12:14 pm Said:

    Don’t forget to include the backing bands for Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, etc for a more accurate count.

45. DTO, on March 17th, 2009 at 1:42 pm Said:

    Both Cocker and Janis had horn sections. I’ll get out my old ‘original’ vinyl and start naming names. I’d bet most are alive. Or they could quite possibly be in the witness protection program… or selling used cars somewhere.

46. DTO, on March 17th, 2009 at 2:37 pm Said:

    Bobby Keys sax for Cocker and Jim Price trpt., both alive and Janis may not have used horns at Woodstock, but heck… it’s fun being in an afternoon time warp

47. Birney Summers, on March 17th, 2009 at 4:47 pm Said:

    The only woodstock I knew was attached to an M14.

48. The Evil Twin, on March 17th, 2009 at 4:52 pm Said:

    You should have listed Johnny Winter as “Still Alive and Well.” Nyuk, nyuk nyuk!

49. Ognir, on March 17th, 2009 at 5:13 pm Said:

    Sha-Na-Na played right before Jimi. That is why they are in the film.

50. CitizenX, on March 17th, 2009 at 10:42 pm Said:

    My mention of The Woodstock Death Count on MetaFilter is kinda rockin the comments:
    http://www.metafilter.com/80076/He-does-it-for-the-wood

    (Unforch someone beat me to the digg submit)

51. Big Al, on March 17th, 2009 at 10:42 pm Said:

    Nice job! Whop cares if every molecule is 101% accurate! The effort decrees the monument of the event. I was 5-10 years too young with square parents but was listening to their stuff even at my young age which broght me to the realization of truth today about universialty in music. Peace America!

52. Big Al, on March 17th, 2009 at 10:44 pm Said:

    Sorry about my terrible typing!

53. Willydog, on March 18th, 2009 at 4:11 am Said:

    You sound like you were disappointed that more weren’t dead! What’s that all about? I was there and I’m still alive. I’m pretty sure you were not there. And by the way…Sha Na Na were very entertaining!

54. Joe Giorgianni, on March 18th, 2009 at 8:37 am Said:

    Roger Daltry of The Who is spelled “Daltrey.”

    Great list!

55. Jim G, on March 18th, 2009 at 9:19 am Said:

    Great work, but I’m not sure why I needed to know this What about the guys that introduced all the acts, are they alive or dead?

56. Delynn, on March 18th, 2009 at 9:49 am Said:

    I was just at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame over break, and realized that like 90% of the performers listed are now in the Hall of Fame… lol I hadn’t realized how very influential Woodstock was!!!

57. Originalname37, on March 18th, 2009 at 12:21 pm Said:

    Dudley Dawson (Booger), on March 16th, 2009 at 6:13 pm Said:

    Billy Cox -Bass Alive
    Mitch Mitchell -Drums Dead
    Larry Lee – Guitar Dead
    Juma Sultan – Percussion Alive

58. ayzee, on March 18th, 2009 at 12:39 pm Said:

    A correction: The Incredible String Band played on Day 2, not Day 1 (because they refused to play in the rain on the first night). So you’ll need to adjust your Day 1/Day 2 death tallies.

    Also, the two main stage announcers at Woodstock were John Morris and Chip Monck, both still alive.

59. buzz, on March 18th, 2009 at 1:40 pm Said:

    The Woodstock Death Count…

    Wonder how many of the original Woodstock performers are dead now?…

60. Tarantula, on March 18th, 2009 at 6:58 pm Said:

    I don’t recall Nicky Hopkins playing with Jefferson Airplane, but then again the brown acid was excellent. Thank you Stanley.

61. Zuluu, on March 18th, 2009 at 7:08 pm Said:

    That’s an interesting information.

    I thought was more..Most of them should be around 70 yo and I’m sure a lot of them had a “particular” style of life..

62. sean, on March 18th, 2009 at 7:16 pm Said:

    Mitch Mitchell was the drummer for hendrix and he recently passed away. The Experiance had split up but Mitch was the drummer for his woodstock band.

    Also Bill Graham was hired asa consultent and is in the movie.

63. Gene, on March 19th, 2009 at 12:42 am Said:

    You left out a boatload of Woodstock musicians. Janis Joplin’s band, Johnny Winter’s band, Joe Cocker’s band, etc. This list is very incomplete. Other than that, nice job. You ought to update and include those Woodstock musicians. Greetings from Denmark.

64. dan, on March 19th, 2009 at 4:15 am Said:

    someone above mentioned hendrix. actually, mitch mitchell just recently died. i don’t remember if noel redding played the show buit he’s dead as well. bummer.

    oh well. gotta go sometime.

65. Richard, on March 19th, 2009 at 3:27 pm Said:

    Don’t forget the spokesman and head of “security”, Mr. Wavy Gravy”. And yes, he is still alive.

66. Giavasan » Bad Day, on March 19th, 2009 at 5:11 pm Said:

    [...] musicisti che parteciparono alla tre giorni di Woodstock sono passati a miglior vita. I risultati? Sorprendenti, soprattutto se si considera che stiamo parlando di un concerto tenuto 40 anni [...]

67. han gør det for træet « Bjjensen’s Blog, on March 19th, 2009 at 5:16 pm Said:

    [...] By bjjensen Wonder, hvordan mange af de oprindelige Woodstock optrædende er stadig i live Den Woodstock Døden Count viser, at andelen er ikke så lave, som man kunne forestille sig, efter Jeff Kay trin op til [...]

68. George, on March 20th, 2009 at 6:29 am Said:

    I was there and I’m still alive.

69. Taiwan On, on March 20th, 2009 at 8:27 pm Said:

    Hang in there @George

70. Les, on March 22nd, 2009 at 1:46 pm Said:

    Bert Sommer performed on the first day, which you have listed, but he was not a solo act at Woodstock. His backing musicians were Ira Stone, who alternated between electric guitar and Hammond organ, and Charlie Bilello on bass. Ira is still alive and well. Charlie died in an accident in 1989.

71. Ken, on March 28th, 2009 at 12:35 pm Said:

    Johnny Winter’s drummer, Uncle John Turner, is dead.

72. wilson, on April 13th, 2009 at 1:20 am Said:

    Paul Butterfield Blues Band – Phillip Wilson had been murdered on March 25, 1992 at 440 East 9 St. in Manhattan by a hired assassin, Marvin Slater, who was arrested soon after an America’s Most Wanted episode in 1996.
    Slater was later convicted for the premeditated murder of Phillip , has not yet disclosed motive and is currently serving time in a New York State prison – http://nysdocslookup.docs.state.ny.us/ The “inmate look up” information requires the prisoner date of birth which is October 11, 1958. Anyone wishing to discover why and/or who paid Slater please do so. Phillip might be still here today if …

73. 50GreenDodge, on April 23rd, 2009 at 11:08 pm Said:

    I think you did a swell job.

    What surprised me was that there were not more bands at Woodstock. I didn’t go. But I thought every band with long hair and a recording contract played that weekend. It DID rain a lot, and changing out between bands took forever back then.

    And then there were the dopes like Abbie Hoffmann wasting everyone’s time with his ego and rap.

    I guess the Dead buried their tapes in a landfill outside of Ashtabula, Ohio because they were unhappy how they sounded. It would have been difficult to get a good sound at an insane asylum like the main stage. Except of course. the Who. They’d sound great under water. As my teenage son said when the Who played the Garden for the firefighters and cops after 9/11, “Some bands never lose it.”

74. Chris the C, on May 13th, 2009 at 2:18 pm Said:

    So to recap, this is what is missing:

    Janis Joplin with The Kozmic Blues Band:
    4 alive, 2 dead, 2 ?
    Janis Joplin: dead
    Maury Baker: alive
    Brad Campbell: ?
    Terry Clements: ?
    Cornelius “Snooky” Flowers: alive
    Luis Gasca: alive
    Richard Kermode: dead
    John Till: alive

    Joe Cocker & The Grease Band: 7 alive, 1 dead
    Joe Cocker: alive
    Henry McCullough: alive
    Alan Spenner: dead
    Chris Stainton: alive
    Bruce Rowlands: alive
    Bobby Torres: alive
    Bobby Keys: alive
    Jim Price: alive

    Johnny Winter And: 3 alive, 1 dead
    Johnny Winter: alive
    Edgar Winter: alive
    Tommy Shannon: alive
    “Uncle” Johnny Mac Turner: dead

    Gypsy Sun & Rainbows: 3 alive, 3 dead
    Jimi Hendrix: dead
    Billy Cox: alive
    Mitch Mitchell: dead
    Larry Lee: dead
    Juma Sultan: alive
    Gerardo ”Jerry” Velez: alive

    Hope this helps (and I think it is all accurate). Does anyone know the whereabouts of Brad Campbell and Terry Clements?

75. Chris the C, on May 13th, 2009 at 2:23 pm Said:

    Also (and most of this was stated by others, I am only restating for greater ease):
    1. Bert Sommer and band: 1 alive, 2 dead
    Bert Sommer: dead
    Ira Stone: alive
    Charlie Bilello: dead

    2. Move Incredible String Band to Day 2

    3. The two main stage announcers were John Morris and Chip Monck. The spokesman, and “head” of security, was Wavy Gravy. They are all still alive.

    Great idea, btw.

76. Being the Change I Wish to See, on June 4th, 2009 at 12:48 am Said:

    Great post! I’m glad I’m not the only one who follows this kind of trivia.

    Woodstock was pivotal in most of these musicians’ careers. I was 8 and didn’t get to go.

    I remember watching Sha Na Na on TV, and I know they were at Woodstock, but everybody must have been high, drunk or both to put up with them. Or was their show truly a spoof and they are all far more talented than we give them credit for?

    I think we think the survival rate of Woodstock is lower than it actually is because the people who died were gifted and very high profile (Hendrix, Joplin). Had they lived their careers would have been stellar. Those who survived did go on to great careers, or most of them.

    I do have to note that all the hard drugs done by the musicians and audience (and all the unprotected sex) in 1969 didn’t have to worry about Hepatitis B or HIV/AIDS. Had those diseases been around in 1969, the death toll would be much higher. Most of the 60′s crowd had cleaned up by the mid-80′s.

    I am curious about the number of children conceived during that weekend. That would be a cool thing to know.

    Sherri

77. steve davis, on June 16th, 2009 at 4:38 pm Said:

    Janis Joplin, dead. I looked a couple of times down the list, but didn’t see her. I think she was Saturday night, because her performance is in the dark, but I don’t know that for certain.

78. steve davis, on June 16th, 2009 at 4:39 pm Said:

    oh, crap. she’s under Mountain. Never mind!

79. RIch, on August 8th, 2009 at 4:30 pm Said:

    FYI, the Grease Band’s keyboard player has toured with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood for the last two summers.

    And if all you know of Sha Na Na is their 3rd or 4th iteration (LONG after the original Columbia University members had left), you wouldn’t understand what they were all about. (No, Bowzer was not original). They were the first “tribute” act of their kind to present to my generation. I saw them live in 1970 at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on a crazy billing with comedian Uncle Dirty, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Jethro Tull. Shortly after Woodstock, their popularity grew to the point that they became a complete and utter joke.

80. randy, on August 14th, 2009 at 8:10 am Said:

    Your missing artists!

81. elle, on August 20th, 2009 at 1:11 am Said:

    This is actually the first time I’ve ever seen this site. I stumbled upon it when I googled “Dead Woodstock performers”. So being slightly obsessive myself, I was relieved to find that I would not have to do all of the research myself. Thank you very much! Very nicely done.

82. Seafroggys, on August 20th, 2009 at 2:39 am Said:

    I’m not sure if someone else has said this in the comments, but you are missing a LOT of performers. These solo acts had plenty of backing musicians. Watch Hendrix or Joplin footage, it wasn’t just them, they had a whole backing group (Hendrix actually had a BAND but people fail to realize this and think it was all him – RIP Mitch Mitchell).

    So your stats need to be modified for all these musicians that played with some of these solo acts (not all solo acts had a group, such as many of the First Day people like Ritchie Havens).

83. Ken, on August 20th, 2009 at 10:40 am Said:

    If you know of backing musicians that have died, pass it along.

    And, by the way, Richie Havens did have two supporting musicians with him, a guitarist and a percussionist.

84. Seafroggys, on August 20th, 2009 at 2:35 pm Said:

    Ah yeah, I forgot about that, I just watched the movie like a month ago too. I’m pretty sure Joan Baez didn’t have anybody with her though.

85. Someone looking for Brad Campbell from the Kozmic Blues Band?, on August 22nd, 2009 at 11:50 am Said:

    Brad returned to Canada after Janis’s death.. married, had a family and took a job in the court system. He’s alive and lives in Milton, Ontario. Reference…
    http://barbwiredesign.com/the%20last%20words%20jan%2007/brad.html

86. Appearing with Joan Baez at Woodstock, on August 22nd, 2009 at 12:57 pm Said:

    According the Woodstock Museum at Bethel Woods website, Richard Festinger (guitar) and Jeffrey Shurtleff (vocals, guitar) appeared with Joan Baez. In fact Jeffrey Shurtleff appears in the movie singing the duet Drugstore Truck Driving Man with Joan. You might recall, he was the guy who pronounced Reagan “Ray Guns”.

    Jeff is alive and lives in San Bruno , California.
    Don’t know about Rich. I think he appeared on a couple Baez albums in the 70′s then I don’t know…

    reference… http://www.bethelwoodscenter.org/museum/40anniversary.aspx

87. Seafroggys, on August 24th, 2009 at 3:55 am Said:

    Well crap, just don’t listen to me then

    But that just illustrates my point even more. The only side guy I know of that wasn’t listed that is dead is Mitch Mitchell, Hendrix’s drummer.

88. barryC., on August 25th, 2009 at 9:52 pm Said:

    brings back so many great memories

89. Intrepid61, on August 27th, 2009 at 9:16 pm Said:

    Paul “Dino” Williams and Daniel Ben Zebulon accompanied Richie Havens on stage at Woodstock. Zebulon is alive and lives in Miami. Anyone have a lead on Dino Williams? Looks like he continued to record with Richie through the 80′s at least.

90. Intrepid61, on September 1st, 2009 at 8:45 pm Said:

    Update.. According to ELO Productions who handle Richie Havens, Dino WIlliams “is alive and well but left the music business quite some time ago.”

91. Woodstock Performers, on October 20th, 2009 at 11:31 pm Said:

    Woodstock Obituaries: Performers Who Have Passed Since Woodstock ’69 http://www.woodstockstory.com/woodstock1969obituaries.html

92. alex klein, on March 26th, 2010 at 7:00 pm Said:

    According to many websites and searchings the state of Christina “Licorice” McKechnie from the incredible string band is unknown, she has contact with her sister in 1990 and since no one heard from her. Many thinking she had lost in the dessert of Arizona state, maybe she is still with the scintology church !!!

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