Woodstock Day 9: Sweetwater

Originally, Sweetwater was supposed to the be the first act of Woodstock, but because they got stuck in the traffic jam they arrived late, and Richie Havens played in their slot instead. However, Sweetwater was still the first band to play at Woodstock.

Sweetwater, formed in 1968, was a psychedelic rock band hailing from Los Angeles. From 1968 to 1969, they toured with The Doors and opened for Eric Burdon & The Animals in 1968. At the time of Woodstock, the line-up consisted of Nansi Nevins for lead vocals and guitar, August Burns on cello, Albert Moore on flute and backing vocals, Alan Malarowitz on drums, Elpidio Cobian on conga drums, Alex Del Zoppo on piano, and Fred Herrera on bass.

Sweetwater at Woodstock.

For those who attended Woodstock, Sweetwater's set was found to be just so-so. Their jams weren't too special, the multi-vocal parts were chaotic sounding, and there were some strange solo parts (as heard in "My Crystal Spider"). However, the group was asked to come back for Woodstock '94.

In general, Sweetwater was a short-lived band. They produced only 3 albums (Sweetwater [1968], Just For You [1970], Melons [1971] ) and were only active from 1968 to 1971. In 1969, Sweetwater slowed when Nevins was severely injured in a car accident. Nevins experienced brain damage in the years following the collision and one of her vocal chords was permanently damaged. By 1994, half of the band had died of either natural causes or car accidents and only Nevins, Herrera, and Del Zoppo performed at Woodstock '94.

The view of Sweetwater from the crowd at Woodstock.

People only remember headliners at big festivals like this, so it's important to learn about the lesser known bands that were there too. It's Music History for a reason, not The Highlights of Music History - every artist and band had something to contribute and Sweetwater's contribution was supporting and working on the archetype psychedelic '60s sound.