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 Daltrey: 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:
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!
See also: First Episode of SNL: Dead or Alive?
Other items of interest
Alli Side Effects in Layman’s Terms
People In Newspaper Ads Who Look Like They’re Farting
Ads vs. Reality
Where Are My Damn Box Scores??
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!
Sorry about my terrible typing!
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!
Roger Daltry of The Who is spelled “Daltrey.”
Great list!
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?
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!!!
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
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.
I don’t recall Nicky Hopkins playing with Jefferson Airplane, but then again the brown acid was excellent. Thank you Stanley.
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..
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.
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.
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.
Don’t forget the spokesman and head of “security”, Mr. Wavy Gravy”. And yes, he is still alive.
I was there and I’m still alive.
Hang in there @George
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.
Johnny Winter’s drummer, Uncle John Turner, is dead.
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 …
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.”
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?
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.
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
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.
oh, crap. she’s under Mountain. Never mind!
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.
Your missing artists!
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.
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).
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.
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.
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
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
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.
brings back so many great memories
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.
About 8 years ago, I was transporting a tractor on my ramp truck to Vermont from Maryland. On my way home, I stopped at a rest stop in upstate New York..
An old black guy decked out in a country/cowboy getup, had the hood of his van up.
His van was packed with musical equipment.
I loaded up his van on my truck and hauled him to eastern New York, somewhere above New Your City. (I may be able to find it – He gave me an address and phone number, which I can’t find at the moment..)
Along the trip, he explained that he was Paul Williams, and that he now plays bass in a two piece band, playing country music in bars.
He was rather old (60’s or 70’s) and I don’t know if he is still kicking or not.
He told me to look him up if ever in the area again, but I haven’t been back that way since then.
If I can find the address/phone number, I’ll send it to you.
Any update.
Any update? Paul is one of my favorite guitar players, he killed it playing with Havens.
Update.. According to ELO Productions who handle Richie Havens, Dino WIlliams “is alive and well but left the music business quite some time ago.”
Where is Dino living ….. we use to hangout way back when, he was always so cool! Hope he’s still kicking and playing the guitar, I can’t imagine why he would stop!
Woodstock Obituaries: Performers Who Have Passed Since Woodstock ’69 http://www.woodstockstory.com/woodstock1969obituaries.html
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 !!!
Did you hear that Keef Hartley died on 27th November?
Rob
I realize this is an old article, and may be out of date now, but you did a fine job on it. I tried doing one myself awhile back, and got lazy and never finished it. Haha, and when I saw that Sly & the Family Stone were all still alive, I had the exact same reaction you did…
I wonder what the percentages are for the Monterey Pop Festival; I suspect the death toll may be higher, but I don’t know… The Mamas and Papas are down to only one survivor, for example.
Sly’s alive but living rough. This article in the NY Post appeared a couple of months ago. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/the_rise_and_fall_of_sly_stone_qijyKoYzmAqer1PA0YogSJ
Jimmy, Janis, Jerry are gone but still many great ones are carrying the torch… Pete Townhend, Robbie Robertson, John Fogerty, Paul Kantner… the beat goes on.
Levon Helm (The Band) … (May 26, 1940 – April 19, 2012). Farewell to the Midnight Rambler.
Intrepid61 said it, but please do update your HTML — Levon Helm of the Band is gone. No longer carrying the weight.
The one and only Alvin Lee, brilliant guitarist from Ten Years After.. died today, March 6, 2013 of unforeseen complications following a routine surgical procedure. He’s going home…
R.I.P Ritchie Havens today
Richie Havens died this week.