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THEJABBERWOCK
Latest Update: July 4, 2010 Copyright © 2004-2010 Ross Hannan and Corry Arnold. All Rights Reserved. To keep this page a manageable size the history of the Jabberwock and the page of Jabberwock Art now have their own separate pages. |
Photograph from the Campbell Coe Collection |
The Jabberwock, 2901 Telegraph Avenue (at Russell Street), Berkeley, CA
The information on this page has been researched and compiled by Ross Hannan and Corry Arnold
with a great deal of assistance and support from Tom Weller, Earl Crabb, Jef Jaisun, the late Bill "Jolly Blue" Ehlert, David Bennett Cohen, ED Denson, Colin Hill, Jesse Cahn, Evelyn Miller Kerr, Hank Bradley, Denise Kaufman, Paul Arnoldi, Gary M Smith, Phil Greenberg, the late Mark Spoelstra, Joe McDonald, Barry Melton, Bill Miles, Anthony Harland, Rick Bockner. Thanks are also due to Cactus Pete Anderson who contributed significantly to the research.
A List of Jabberwock Shows
| Date | Jabberwock, 2901 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA | Some Interesting Notes | |
| Sunday | 16 June 1963 | Flamenco: David Jones, Fred Mojia, David Rubio | Researcher Bill Miles found this listing for a “Dinner Special” (cost: $1.70) in the San Francisco Chronicle. David Rubio (1934-2000) was a London born musician who travelled to Spain where he refined his flamenco guitar style. He would later be recognised as the maker of a range of high quality stringed instruments including guitars, lutes, harpsichords, violins, violas and cellos. Federico Mejia started to play guitar at 9 yrs old, after feeling too shy to dance, and performed regularly at the Spaghetti Factory in San Francisco and at the Northern and Southern Renaissance Fairs. Meija continues to tutor in Santa Cruz to this day. |
| 1964 | Bukka White | ||
| 1964 | Ian and Sylvia | ||
| Thursday | 30 January 1964 | Dick Oxtot Trio | |
| Saturday | 01 February 1964 | Dick Oxtot Trio | |
| Thursday | 06 February 1964 | Dick Oxtot Trio | |
| Saturday | 08 February 1964 | Dick Oxtot Trio | |
| Thursday | 13 February 1964 | Dick Oxtot Trio | |
| Saturday | 15 February 1964 | Dick Oxtot Trio | |
| Thursday | 20 February 1964 | Dick Oxtot Trio | |
| 1965 | Frankie Lee Sims | ED Denson noted that Frankie Lee Sims did one of his last, and sad, public performances at the Jabberwock. | |
| Saturday | 22 February 1964 | Dick Oxtot Trio | Bob Dylan dropped by before his concert at the Berkeley Community Theater. |
| Sunday | 04 April 1965 | Trevor Koehler's Quartet [3pm to 7pm] | |
| Sunday | 11 April 1965 | Trevor Koehler's Quartet [3pm to 7pm] | |
| Sunday | 18 April 1965 | Trevor Koehler's Quartet [3pm to 7pm] | |
| Friday | 23 April 1965 | The Freedom Singers | Rochester scholar Bill Miles has uncovered a number of Jabberwock dates from 1965 in the listings of the San Francisco Chronicle – one of which was for a performance on April 23 by the Freedom Singers. The Freedom Singers were originally formed in 1962 to raise money for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and their songs and music played an important role in the Civil Rights movement. One of the group's key founders was Cordell Hull Reagon, known for his many nonviolence training workshops and anti-segregation efforts in the Albany, Georgia area. Other founding members included Bernice Johnson (who later married Reagon), Charles Neblett and Rutha Harris. They traveled widely and won new fans at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival. By the time they played the Jabberwock, the line-up was an all male affair with Chuck Neblett, Emory Harris and Nashville native, Matthew Jones. |
| Sunday | 25 April 1965 | Trevor Koehler's Quartet [3pm to 7pm] | |
| Thursday | 29 April 1965 | Son House |
Eddie James "Son" House, Jr. (1902-1988) was the ninth of seventeen brothers
born in Riverton, Mississippi. After killing a man, allegedly in
self-defense, he was sentenced to 15 years at Mississippi State
Penitentiary, also known as Parchman Farm, After serving less than two years
in 1928 and 1929, House began a sporadic recording career with Paramount in
1930 and later, in the early 40s, with Alan Lomax for the Archive of Folk
Culture, a collection of recordings for the Archive of American Folk Song at
the Library of Congress. Son House made some powerful blues records in the late 1930s and then “disappeared”. His rediscovery by folk and blues collectors Nick Perls, Dick Waterman and Phil Spiro in June 1964 in Rochester, New York, where he was working for the New York Central Railroad, led to tours throughout the US and Europe. It also led to a second recording career, this time with CBS records. House, with his musical skills intact, was a galvanizing event on the folk scene. |
| Friday | 30 April 1965 | Son House | |
| Saturday | 01 May 1965 | Son House | |
| Sunday | 02 May 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | "Jazz on a Sunday Afternoon" with The Four Diemnsions - a local jazz combo who were to be the Sunday afternoon house band for the next six months. |
| Thursday | 06 May 1965 | Alice Stuart | Alice Stuart was a child of the folk music revival and Hootenanny era of the 1960s. Born in the Pacific Northwest, Alice Stuart was initially a coffeehouse and folk club singer, beginning at Seattle’s Pamir House (or P House) before moving down the coast to Los Angeles in 1963. She was invited, by Barry Olivier, to appear at the 1964 Berkeley Folk Festival and made quite an impression on those attending. Also in 1964 she released her debut album All The Good Times on Chris Strachwitz’s Arhoolie label. By early 1966, Alice had been, albeit briefly, a member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention and was credited on their first album, Freak Out. Later in the 60s Alice formed her first all electric band, Snake with Bob Jones from the We Five. After many years touring, Alice still plays regular live shows with her blues band Formally. |
| Friday | 07 May 1965 | Alice Stuart | |
| Saturday | 08 May 1965 | Alice Stuart | |
| Sunday | 09 May 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Thursday | 13 May 1965 | Charles O'Hegarty | Whilst mis-advertised as Charles O. Hagarty, O'Hegarty was a singer of the traditional songs of the sailors including shanties, songs of bravery and sentimental ballads by seafarers who had left their loved ones at home. |
| Friday | 14 May 1965 | Charles O'Hegarty | |
| Saturday | 15 May 1965 | Charles O'Hegarty | |
| Sunday | 16 May 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Thursday | 20 May 1965 | Jean Redpath | Jean Redpath was born in Edinburgh and a singer of Scottish ballads. She arrived in the United States in 1961 and within a few months found herself in Greenwich Village playing with Ramblin' Jack Elliot and a young Bobby Dylan. An appearance in a hootenanny at Gerde's Folk City brought the offer of a booking, won a rave review in the New York Times, and ensured that Jean had very much arrived on the American folk scene. Jean Redpath has performed much of the work of Scottish poet Robert Burns set to music. |
| Friday | 21 May 1965 | Jean Redpath | |
| Saturday | 22 May 1965 | Jean Redpath | |
| Sunday | 23 May 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 30 May 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 06 June 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 13 June 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 20 June 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Friday | 25 June 1965 | Pine Valley Boys | |
| Saturday | 26 June 1965 | Pine Valley Boys | |
| Sunday | 27 June 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 04 July 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 11 July 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Wednesday | 14 July 1965 | Robbie Basho | Born in 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland, Robbie Basho was bought up as Daniel R. Robinson Jr., a name inherited from his adoptive parents. After discovering the Japanese haiku poet Matsuo Basho he changed his name into Robbie Basho, the musician. He adopted an unusual raga influenced style of playing 12 string guitar. Robbie Basho lived in Mrs. Sherrill's apartment building adjacent to the club along with Bruce Barthol, Barry Melton and Paul Armstrong (all members of Country Joe and the Fish) before leaving the apartment building to be replaced by Joe McDonald. He played 12 string solo guitar very much in the John Fahey style. Basho, who died in 1986, retained copies of numerous live and private recordings of his music; perhaps one day they will be given the undoubted attention they deserve. |
| Thursday | 15 July 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 16 July 1965 | Terry Garwaithe | Terry Garthwaite was a local folk musician. She would later “go electric” with a band called Gourmet’s Delight, who evolved into the Joy of Cooking which were at one time managed and promoted by Bill Ehlert. She remains an active artist to this day (www.terrygarthwaite.com). Terry also played thee JAbebrwock with here brother, Tim, as The Garthwaites. |
| Sunday | 18 July 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 25 July 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 01 August 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 08 August 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 15 August 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 22 August 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 29 August 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Sunday | 05 September 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Monday | 06 September 1965 | Closed | |
| Sunday | 12 September 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Monday | 13 September 1965 | Closed | |
| Wednesday | 15 September 1965 | Paul Armstrong | |
| Thursday | 16 September 1965 | Paul Armstrong | |
| Friday | 17 September 1965 | The Wry Catchers | |
| Saturday | 18 September 1965 | The Wry Catchers | |
| Sunday | 19 September 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Monday | 20 September 1965 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 21 September 1965 | Alan Higgins | |
| Wednesday | 22 September 1965 | Chris Selsor | |
| Thursday | 23 September 1965 | Chris Selsor | |
| Friday | 24 September 1965 | David and Tina Meltzer | Since the 1950s David Meltzer has been a renowned Beat poet, writer and orator. He had previously performed improvisational jazz duets on acoustic guitar with Jim Gurley who would go on to play with Big Brother and the Holding Company. After releasing two albums under the name of Serpent Power for Vanguard Records, Vic Briggs who had been the lead guitarist with The Animals persuaded the Meltzers to sign with Capitol Records for the release of Green Morning. and liked Poet Song tremendously but thought he could produce a better album. He asked us to make a demo-tape for him to pitch to his bosses at Capitol. Later, with Joe Edmiston on gutbucket bass, Lonnie Feiner (bass), Greg Lasser (banjo, rhythm guitar, harmony vocals), Tina Meltzer (vocals, rhythm guitar) and David on vocals, guitar, mouth harp, The Snopes County Camp Followers and, in true Joe Bussard style, Billy Buckett and the Teleportts would get together. It appears that they much preferred rehearsing to playing actual shows and by all accounts any attempt to record these two elusive groups "were cut short due to hysterical giggling". Forthunately a few recordings do exist - including a wonderful rendition of "He Was A Friend of Mine" http://meltzerville.com/snopes_county_camp_followers.htm. |
| Saturday | 25 September 1965 | David and Tina Meltzer | |
| Sunday | 26 September 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Monday | 27 September 1965 | Alan Higgins | |
| Tuesday | 28 September 1965 | Alan Higgins | |
| Wednesday | 29 September 1965 | Larry Hanks | Larry Hanks is a singer, guitarist, and trumpist (Jew’s harp) who sings a wide variety of traditional American styles, including old time country and cowboy songs, ballads and blues. Hanks was also a member of The Instant Action Jug Band that would later evelove in to Country Joe and the Fish. He apparently recorded an album of old-timey songs for Takoma Records, but the producer put echo on the recording. Hanks took the master tape and refused to return it, considering the recording inauthentic. Trump is the old Scottish name for a Jew's Harp. |
| Thursday | 30 September 1965 | Larry Hanks | |
| Friday | 01 October 1965 | The Times Square Two |
Peter Elbling and Michel Choquette formed The Times Square Two in Vancouver
in 1964, moved to California in 1965, then to New York in 1966. The act
broke up early in 1970. Peter has been living in Los Angeles since then,
where he has worked in improvisational theatre and as a television actor.
He has also made a name for himself as a writer. Michel stayed in New York
for a few years, where he became one of the original contributing editors of
National Lampoon. Since then he has worked on various film, theatre and
publishing projects. Since 1984 he has been teaching screenwriting and
comedy writing at McGill University and Concordia University in Montreal.
In the act, Peter's name was Mycroft Partner, and Michel's was Andrew I (as
in "my partner and I). To quote from an interview Peter Elbling did with Phantompalooza in 2005: I used to do a lot of mime. I had done a lot of physical comedy – I had been part of a comedy team called the Times Square Two which started in Canada, and consisted of myself and a French Canadian guy called Michel Choquette. I’d left England and come to Canada in 1964, and was hitch-hiking my way and trying to be a folk singer, and I hitch-hiked to Calgary, and became the resident singer at this place called The Depression. [laughter]. It was the first job I ever had! And about a month into the gig, this young woman came in with long blonde hair and asked if she could sing. She opened her mouth and we all fell backwards because, she sounded like Joan Baez. We asked her name and she said “Joni Anderson”—who later became Joni Mitchell. So we were the two opening acts. A little while later this guy called Michel Choquette came in and it turned out we both shared a love of Twenties music, and we sang a song together called “Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate”. From there we met up in Vancouver and became a comedy act called The Times Square Two. We went down to L.A., got better and better, went back East around ’66 and that’s when we started to hit it. We played on the Johnny Carson show, and the Merv Griffin Show, and Kraft Music Hall, the Smothers Brothers, we toured the states doing concerts and all that sort of stuff. We did a lot of choreography in the act – our stuff was very physical. We split up in 1970 and I joined The Committee, and I did a lot of physical comedy with them, it was a lot like Second City. |
| Saturday | 02 October 1965 | The Times Square Two | |
| Sunday | 03 October 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Monday | 04 October 1965 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 05 October 1965 | Dave Cohen | This is the first appearance of New York City native David Bennett Cohen at the Jabberwock. David has performed multiple genres of music from folk and blues to that for which he is perhaps best known, the innovative organ sounds of Country Joe and the Fish. David continues to teach and perform many forms of piano and guitar music and has released a number of albums and videos. Extensive touring in 2005 with the Country Joe Band and the resultant CD release demonstrated that David has lost none of his original verve. |
| Wednesday | 06 October 1965 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 07 October 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 08 October 1965 | The Step Sisters | |
| Saturday | 09 October 1965 | The Step Sisters | |
| Sunday | 10 October 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Monday | 11 October 1965 | Joe McDonald, Peter Krug, Paul Gilbert, Betty Reid, Carl Shrager, Bill Steele (MC) | A "Topical Song Workshop and Concert" performed as a benefit for DMB Publications - Rag Baby and Et Tu. Whilst Joe McDonald had already been given the handle “Country Joe” by ED Denson, he was still playing regular acoustic sets under his own name. Rag Baby is Country Joe’s own magazine and record label that still run today; albeit the magazine now in electronic form has remained work in progress for the past few years. Rag Baby Records continues to release albums by both Joe and a few others. Et Tu was a short-lived magazine that Joe whilst edited in Los Angeles. The first issue came out in August 1964 before McDonald headed to the Bay Area to become a beatnik. Advertised in Issue 2 of Rag Baby as a "songwriters' contest". |
| Tuesday | 12 October 1965 | Dave Cohen | |
| Wednesday | 13 October 1965 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier plus a guest appearance by Ale Ekstrom playing "Deep Water" on his concertina | Ale Ekstrom is a long-time Sausalito "water" resident and concertina player. Many years later Ekstrom could still be found in the open spaces of Sausalito playing traditional maritime music with Julia Gilden. On April 2, 1966, The Firehouse (a venue open only for a short time) in San Francisco presented The Wildflower supported by Ale Extrom and His Conceptina. Given the undoubted humour of the Firehouse's poster artist, I am sure this is a deliberate misspelling. |
| Thursday | 14 October 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 15 October 1965 | Possibly Peter Krug | Bay Area singer/songwriter Peter Krug appears on the flip side of the first Rag Baby EP playing "Fire in the City" later recorded by the Grateful Dead as a backing band for Jon Hendricks) and "Johnny's Gone To War". Krug also appeared occasionally at the Jabberwock hoots. |
| Saturday | 16 October 1965 | Possibly Peter Krug | |
| Sunday | 17 October 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | |
| Monday | 18 October 1965 | Closed | |
| Friday | 22 October 1965 | The Wry Catchers, Ale Ekstrom | Not to be confused with the similarly named Texas garage band, The Wry Catchers included a capella singer and author Hav Gefter (1931-2006). |
| Saturday | 23 October 1965 | The Wry Catchers, Ale Ekstrom | |
| Sunday | 24 October 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot (evening) | The Four Dimensions were a local jazz combo. |
| Monday | 25 October 1965 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 26 October 1965 | Cy Koch | Cy Koch is listed as an interpretaive guitarist. |
| Wednesday | 27 October 1965 | Singers Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 28 October 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 29 October 1965 | Joe McDonald, ED Denson, Pat Sullivan, Pete Winslow (Poet) | |
| Saturday | 30 October 1965 | Country Joe McDonald, Pat Sullivan, Pete Winslow (Poet) | |
| Sunday | 31 October 1965 | The Four Dimensions (afternoon); Hoot with Paul Armstrong (evening) | |
| Monday | 01 November 1965 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 02 November 1965 | Cy Koch | |
| Wednesday | 03 November 1965 | Singers Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 04 November 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 05 November 1965 | Larry Hanks, Chris Selsor, Pete Winslow | Pete Winslow was a satirical poet. |
| Saturday | 06 November 1965 | Larry Hanks, Chris Selsor, Pete Winslow | |
| Sunday | 07 November 1965 | Hoot with Paul Armstrong | Kitty Mohle reports in "Rag Baby" that The Jabberwock Hoots on Sunday nights with Paul Armstrong are as disconnected as ever. However, some very good people have started appearing there, like Phil Greenberg (folk and beautiful flamenco), Danny Paik (blues and ?), and a new voice from San Diego, Karen Williams (soft songs and spirituals). The best part of the evening starts after the formal Hoot is over and there is a sort of folk Free-for-All which is, to say the least, rather strange, but very enjoyable. |
| Monday | 08 November 1965 | Closed | |
| Wednesday | 10 November 1965 | Singers Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 11 November 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Sunday | 14 November 1965 | Hoot with Paul Armstrong | |
| Monday | 15 November 1965 | Closed | |
| Wednesday | 17 November 1965 | Singers Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 18 November 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 19 November 1965 | Don Crawford | Don Crawford was a folk singer who would go on to pen the score for “C’mon, Let’s Live a Little”. |
| Saturday | 20 November 1965 | Don Crawford | |
| Sunday | 21 November 1965 | Hoot with Paul Armstrong | |
| Monday | 22 November 1965 | Larry Hanks, Chris Selsor | |
| Tuesday | 23 November 1965 | Larry Hanks, Chris Selsor | |
| Wednesday | 24 November 1965 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | Barry Olivier was a guitar teacher, was the founder of the Berkeley Folk Festival in 1958. He still plays the Bay Area with his wife Alice. |
| Thursday | 25 November 1965 | Robbie Basho |
| Friday | 26 November 1965 | John Fahey with ED Denson on harmonica. |
John Fahey had grown up in Maryland, where he had become an accomplished
guitarist in bluegrass and other folk styles. After cutting some 78s for
Joe Bussard’s Fonotone Records label under the name of Blind Thomas, Fahey
evolved his own unique and groundbreaking approach to the acoustic guitar,
and he founded Takoma Records to release his own music, and that of his
alter ego Blind Joe Death, privately. Fahey went from UC Berkeley to UCLA
(where he was in a jug band that evolved into Canned Heat—Fahey refused to
“go electric” so Henry Vestine was drafted) for graduate study in
ethnomusicology. By 1966 Fahey had returned to Berkeley, where he was a
regular at The Jabberwock and other folk venues. Although paying little attention to electric music, Fahey’s unique compositional style and phenomenal guitar technique was a significant influence on many Berkeley musicians, particularly Country Joe McDonald. For more on Fahey, see www.johnfahey.com. |
|
Takoma principal ED Denson played harmonica along with Fahey for this
night’s performance which was recorded (4 Track) by Takoma Records. Sadly,
the recording was never released and the original tapes no longer exist.
The following compositions were performed: How Long Variations on Eck Robertson On the Banks of the Owchita Durgan Park The Dance of the Inhabitants I am the Resurection The Revolt of the Dyke Brigade The Great San Bernardino Birthday Party The Death of the Clayton Peacock When the Springtime Comes Again Orinda/Moraga Some Summer Day, part 1 with ED Denson on harmonica Southern Medeley 101 is a Hard Road toTravel Some Summer Day, part 2 Willie Moore Le Vieux Soulard Et Sa Femme with ED Denson on harmonica I Woke Up One Morning in May with ED Denson on harmonica |
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| Saturday | 27 November 1965 | John Fahey | It is reported of John Fahey: In 1963 and 1964, while a graduate student in folklore and mythology at the University of California at Los Angeles, he tracked down the missing blues singers Bukka White and Skip James, and in doing so played a major part in the acoustic blues revival of the time. |
| Sunday | 28 November 1965 | Hoot with Paul Armstrong | |
| Monday | 29 November 1965 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 30 November 1965 | Larry Hanks, Chris Selsor | |
| Wednesday | 01 December 1965 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 02 December 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 03 December 1965 | Ken Spiker | Ken Spiker was a flamenco guitarist. Flamenco music was an important component of the 50s and 60s folk revival. Since it turned out not to be the basis for rock bands, Flamenco has drifted out of the mainstream, but at this time it was still a significant part of the folk scene. |
| Saturday | 04 December 1965 | Ken Spiker | |
| Sunday | 05 December 1965 | Joe McDonald and others | Advertised as a Folk Benefit with "over 10 artists". |
| Monday | 06 December 1965 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 07 December 1965 | Larry Hanks, Chris Selsor | |
| Wednesday | 08 December 1965 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 09 December 1965 | Robbie Basho | Basho was advertised as playing "delta blues, creole dances, raga textured music". |
| Friday | 10 December 1965 | Mike Cooney | The Barb ad says "banjo contest winner". Mike Cooney had won the banjo contest at the 1963 Monterey Folk Festival. The judges (Rodney and Doug Dillard and Billy Ray Lathum) found Cooney’s frailing (traditional) style to be more worthy than the high speed three-finger (Bill Keith style) bluegrass picking of the intensely competitive Jerry Garcia (appearing in The Wildwood Boys along with Ken Frankel and David Nelson). "I wish I could say Jerry won," says Rodney Dillard, "but he didn't. He felt for sure he was gonna have it because he played this real fancy bluegrass style — not the greatest in the world, bless him. We gave it to a guy who was a little more creative, actually a folk singer who frailed the banjo, named Mike Cooney. And none of the bluegrass people could understand why we did it. All the bluegrass nazis were really mad." Kathy and Carol regularly opened for Cooney. |
| Saturday | 11 December 1965 | Mike Cooney | |
| Sunday | 12 December 1965 | Hoot | |
| Monday | 13 December 1965 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 14 December 1965 | Larry Hanks, Chris Selsor | |
| Wednesday | 15 December 1965 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 16 December 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 17 December 1965 | The Enigmas, Blind Ebbets Field | "Blind Ebbets Field" was actually Barry Melton, guitarist with Country Joe and the Fish. Melton took the name from the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers – who played at Ebbetts Field before they moved to Los Angeles after the 1957 season. A number of the musicians occasionally adopted alternate personas, Jorma Kaukonen taking "Blind Thomas Jefferson Airplane" (or “Blind Lemon Jefferson Airplane), Steve Mann was "Little Son Goldfarb" and guitarist Tom Hobson, who recorded the wonderful Quah with Kaukonen, took the name "Blind Outrage". At this time, Barry and Bruce Barthol were living next door to the Jabberwock and regularly foraging for food after customers had eaten. |
| Saturday | 18 December 1965 | The Enigmas, Blind Ebbets Field |
The Enigmas were a vocal trio led by multi-instrumentalist Dick Oxtot. Oxtot
was a mainstay of the Berkeley jazz and blues scene of the 1960s. Between
1963 and 1965, the Dick Oxtot Jazz Band made several recordings with Janis
Joplin whilst she was visiting San Francisco. Oxtot was shot dead at the age
of 83 in 2001. Oxtot was joined in the trio by Jack Andrews and Juanita Oribello. |
| Sunday | 19 December 1965 | Hoot | |
| Monday | 20 December 1965 | Closed for Christmas Vacation | |
| Tuesday | 21 December 1965 | Closed for Christmas Vacation | |
| Wednesday | 22 December 1965 | Closed for Christmas Vacation | |
| Thursday | 23 December 1965 | Closed for Christmas Vacation | |
| Friday | 24 December 1965 | Closed for Christmas Vacation | |
| Saturday | 25 December 1965 | Closed for Christmas Vacation | |
| Sunday | 26 December 1965 | Closed for Christmas Vacation | |
| Monday | 27 December 1965 | Closed for Christmas Vacation | |
| Tuesday | 28 December 1965 | Larry Hanks, Chris Selsor | |
| Wednesday | 29 December 1965 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier |
Barry Olivier wrote the following ditty for Morris "Moe" Moskowitz
(1921-1997), founder of The Paperback Bookshop on Shattuck Avenue in 1959,
moving to Telegraph Avenue in 1963 and being renamed Moe’s Books: Moe Who has the best trade in town? Who keeps the street from falling down? (after each verse): Moe-Moe-Moe-Moe Moe-Moe-Moe-Moe Who is the wisest bookstore sage? Who gives more for books in trade? Who is a friend who cares a lot? Name a man who shares what he's got. Who laughs at himself with all his heart? Who speaks for the helpless person's part? What's the best bookstore in the West? Who keeps his place like a well-loved nest? |
| Thursday | 30 December 1965 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 31 December 1965 | ED Denson plus others | The Jabberwock's New Year Parties - avant-garde drama with ED Denson and the finest Berkeley folk artists. |
| Saturday | 01 January 1966 | ED Denson plus others | The Jabberwock's New Year Parties - avant-garde drama with ED Denson and the finest Berkeley folk artists. |
| Sunday | 02 January 1966 | Hoot with Happenings | |
| Monday | 03 January 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 04 January 1966 | Joe McDonald | |
| Wednesday | 05 January 1966 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 06 January 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 07 January 1966 | John Fahey | |
| Saturday | 08 January 1966 | John Fahey, Country Joe and the Fish (as the McDonald/Melton duo augmented by others to create the Instant Action Jug Band), Paul Krassner |
Articles in the Berkeley Barb refer to this event as the "Krazy Krassner
Kaukus" where, on his return from Washington, Krassner delivers a State of
the Union message for 1966 and introduce the Preseident's new cabinet
members: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Ronnie Davis and the Instant Jug Band. Paul
Krassner is a “satirist,” rather in the style of Mort Sahl. Sahl would
improvise commentary on events of the day, often using the same day’s
newspaper (wild stuff for the 1950s), and presumably Krassner was a 60s
version of Sahl. Krassner would go on to be a founder of the Yippies. The oblique reference to “The Instant Jug Band” is the only explicit reference to the Instant Action Jug Band that we have been able to uncover in 1966. However, by January 1966 this would have been an early version of Country Joe and the Fish performing with McDonald, Melton, Barthol, Armstrong and perhaps one or two others. By this point McDonald had replaced Basho in the adjacent apartment house and it appears that this may be a reference to a performance by the band, rather than the duo, Country Joe and the Fish in a reasonably stable form, albeit still colloquially the Instant Action Jug Band. |
| Sunday | 09 January 1966 | ED Denson (MC), "Crazy" Melton, Hanks McGrew, Robbie Basho, "Preacher" Paul Armstrong, Joe McDonald and others | Folk Central Benefit |
| Monday | 10 January 1966 | Joe McDonald with Kelly Sistus, Moe Hirsch and other poets, actors and musicians [VDC Benefit] | Although the first Country Joe and The Fish EP had been recorded and released, Country Joe McDonald was still better known as a local folksinger under his own name at this time. |
| Tuesday | 11 January 1966 | Joe McDonald | |
| Wednesday | 12 January 1966 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 13 January 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 14 January 1966 | Rosalie Sorrels | |
| Saturday | 15 January 1966 | Rosalie Sorrels | |
| Sunday | 16 January 1966 | Hoot with Happenings | |
| Monday | 17 January 1966 | Joe McDonald with poets, actors and musicians [VDC Benefit] | |
| Tuesday | 18 January 1966 | Sweets Mill Mountain Boys, Joe McDonald | Sweets Mill Mountain Boys were Kenny Hall, Ron Hughey, Pete Everwine, and Frank Hicks. |
| Wednesday | 19 January 1966 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 20 January 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 21 January 1966 | David Lindley | David Lindley (misspelled Lindly on the January calendar as David Lindly) was the guitarist/violinist/banjoist/anything-with-strings-ist who went to form Kaleidoscope with Solomon Feldthouse. He became well known in the 70s accompanying Jackson Browne. For the current adventures of the unique Mr. Dave, investigate www.davidlindley.com. Advertised as playing "harp-guitar, bowed banjo and fingerpicked fiddle". |
| Saturday | 22 January 1966 | David Lindley | |
| Sunday | 23 January 1966 | Hoot with Happenings | |
| Monday | 24 January 1966 | Joe McDonald with poets, actors and musicians [VDC Benefit] | |
| Tuesday | 25 January 1966 | Joe McDonald | Advertised as "Author of the Vietnam Rag" |
| Wednesday | 26 January 1966 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 27 January 1966 | Robbie Basho | Delta Blues and Creole Dances |
| Friday | 28 January 1966 | David and Tina Meltzer | David Meltzer was a poet and writer who was part of the younger generation of Beats, which made him a few years older than the hippies. He was also a singer and songwriter with his wife Tina, and they would form the group Serpent Power, which released two albums on Vanguard. |
| Saturday | 29 January 1966 | David and Tina Meltzer | "Bluegrass and Folk-Rock" |
| Sunday | 30 January 1966 | Hoot with Happenings | Advertised as "The all time finest Hoot" |
| Monday | 31 January 1966 | "Congress of Wonders" by Open Theater, "Conversations from Jail" by Steve Weissman, Robbie Basho, Mike Rossman and Jerry Abrams, Joe McDonald [VDC Benefit] | Mike Rossman was a member of the Free Speech Movement Steering Committee who carried the "Free Speech" banner with fellow Steering Committee member Ron Anastasi at the November 20, 1965 Peace March. Mario Savio walked beside Rossman. Jerry Abrams was to become an independent film maker, most notably producing the 1967 seven minute short “Be-In” which captured the spirit and essence of the San Francisco Human Be-In of January 14, 1967, but was strangely set to the music of Blue Cheer. Later films included Eyetoon, Lotus Wing and Mainstream. Within a year Abrams would form his psychedelic light show “Headlights” and be performing around Berkeley before moving over the bridge to the San Francisco Ballrooms. |
| Tuesday | 01 February 1966 | Possibly the Loading Zone |
| Wednesday | 02 February 1966 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | |
| Thursday | 03 February 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 04 February 1966 | Lee Underwood, The Congress of Wonders (reading the Works of John Lennon and Allen Ginsberg) | Esoteric Urban Blues. |
| Saturday | 05 February 1966 | Lee Underwood, The Congress of Wonders (reading the Works of John Lennon and Allen Ginsberg) | The Congress of Wonders had been "imported at great expense from College Avenue". |
| Sunday | 06 February 1966 | Hoot | |
| Monday | 07 February 1966 | Escalators, Poetry readings by Mathew Zion, Thanasis Maskaleris, David Cole [VDC Benefit] | |
| Tuesday | 08 February 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Wednesday | 09 February 1966 | Barry Olivier and the Singers Circle | |
| Thursday | 10 February 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 11 February 1966 | Dan Crary | Dan Crary is a flatpicking guitarist. Crary was at this time a Theology Student at the Golden Gate Seminary in San Francisco. He was already an accomplished steel-string guitarist, but since he was born in Kansas, he was largely self-taught. Ultimately, he went to another seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and in the South he joined a bluegrass group called The Bluegrass Alliance. In 1970, Crary released what is considered to be the first bluegrass album featuring guitar as the lead instrument, the excellent Bluegrass Guitar on American Heritage Records (ultimately re-released on Sugar Hill and well worth getting). Further distinguishing himself from the bohemian dropout world of folk music, Crary got his PhD and became a tenured Professor of Communications at Cal State Fullerton outside of Los Angeles. He'd fit in his professional music career on weekends and during the summer. In subsequent years, acknowledgement of Crary’s talent grew well beyond bluegrass circles, and he released many fine albums. He recently retired from his academic career (after 30-something years) but fortunately has continued music full time. He also played with Byron Berline & Sundance. |
| Saturday | 12 February 1966 | Dan Crary | The poster introduces this "superlative country musician from Oklahoma City" with a quotation from the Nashville Panjandumonium: "finest country guitar pickin' we've heard in a long time". |
| Sunday | 13 February 1966 | Hoot | |
| Monday | 14 February 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish [VDC Benefit] | "VDC" refers to the Vietnam Day Committee, an anti-war organization. |
| Tuesday | 15 February 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | This may well have been just Joe McDonald and Barry Melton appearing as an acoustic duo. |
| Wednesday | 16 February 1966 | Barry Olivier and the Folk | |
| Thursday | 17 February 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 18 February 1966 | Sweets Mill Mountain Boys | The flyer says "Old Time Country Band from Fresno". |
| Saturday | 19 February 1966 | Sweets Mill Mountain Boys | |
| Sunday | 20 February 1966 | Hoot: Frank Powell, Sandy Rothman, Jerry Foster, Phil Greenberg, Ken Spiker and (probably) Barry Melton | A Campbell Coe photo has Rothman and Foster playing as a duo. The photo is dated February 20, 1966. There is also a photo of Frank Powell (an African-American playing solo guitar) that appears to be taken the same night. |
| Monday | 21 February 1966 | Matthew Zion, Thanasis Maskaleris and Loewin Sohn (all poetry readings), "Conversations from Jail" by Steve Weissman, Dan Paik, John Shine [VDC Benefit] | |
| Tuesday | 22 February 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | |
| Wednesday | 23 February 1966 | The Singers' Circle with Barry Olivier | Bill Ehlert and Bill Tolman busted for possession of pot. They we arraigned and bail was reduced from $3300 to $1100. Their lawyer wqas Peter Franck. |
| Thursday | 24 February 1966 | Robbie Basho, Reverend Gary Davis | According to Phil Greenberg, the Reverend played an informal set at The Jabberwock at about 1:00 am the night before the Little Theater show. |
| Friday | 25 February 1966 | Wry Catchers, Ale Ekstrum, Country Joe and the Fish, Paul Armstrong, Dan Paik. Unscheduled, Rev Gary Davis plays (drunk) at the Jabberwock |
Benefit to raise the $1100 bail for Bill Ehlert and Bill Tolman who were
busted for possession of pot on February 23 and were being held at Santa
Rita County Prison. Unscheduled, Reverend Gary Davis plays (drunk on
Seagram's 7 with peppermint candy) at the Jabberwock. The Reverend Gary
Davis had played earlier in the evening at the Little Theater, Berkeley
(Florence Schwimly Little Theatre) in a show presented by "Brillig" - a
front group for the Jabberwock. Whilst visiting Berkeley, the Reverend
stayed with members of Country Joe and the Fish in Mrs Sherrill's adjacent
apartment building on Russell Street. Barry Melton recalls the visit of the
good Reverend. "In the early days of Country Joe and
the Fish, me and most of other guys in the band lived next door to "The
Jabberwock," a folk music nightclub in Berkeley. The club was owned by a
big, friendly guy named Bill "Jolly Blue" Ehlert. The Jabberwock was only a
postage-stamp sized place, so when Jolly Blue got an offer to do a Reverend
Gary Davis show, he decided to promote it in the Berkeley Community Theatre.
We were all in awe of "Rev" and it was decided that while he was in
Berkeley, he would stay in our house. I remember he stayed there several
days, as we sat about the kitchen playing music hour by hour. I think he'd
played the "Ash Grove" down in L.A. and had dead time between playing there
and playing in Berkeley--this was in late 1966 or early 1967. And, by the way, Easy Ed's quote from Jerry Garcia expressing the belief that Rev had nothing to do with San Francisco psychedelia is stone wrong. The Rev DID participate in the psychedelic aspect of the San Francisco scene, at least to a limited degree while staying at our house. Because I was the band's lead guitar player and--I believe--the guy in the band most in awe of Rev, I surrendered my room and bed for Rev to stay in. Things were fine for the first few days he was there: We'd wait for him to get up in the morning, cook him breakfast, take him on whatever errands he had to do, etc., and sit around, smoke, and play music all day and into the night. It was easy to forget that Rev was blind as we sat around the kitchen table, listening to his songs and stories hour after hour. Then the night of the big concert came and, as was the long-standing musical custom, the Rev was paid in cash at the conclusion of the gig. He brought me with him to collect the money and made me read off the denomination of each bill was it was counted into his hand, and I remember him stashing the larger portion of his money into the sound hole of his Gibson J-200, while leaving some travelling money rolled up in his pockets. Well, the next morning I woke up and remember having to go into my room to get some clothes or something out of my chest of drawers. I was very quiet, as I could hear Rev snoring and didn't want to wake him. Well, I got whatever it was and I was headed toward the door when I heard in a commanding voice,"Don't move or you're dead!". I turned around to see Rev with a .38 revolver in his hand pointed in my general direction, but sort of moving around so as to cover a wider target area. I remember screaming something to the effect of, "No--don't shoot." Rev replied, "One wrong move and you're dead." Well, then I started talking a mile a minute..."Rev, it's me, it's Barry, don't shoot Rev...I was only getting something from my chest of drawers..." Finally, Rev said, "Is that you, Barry?" The incident was soon over, and I had escaped with me life. I guess, from his perspective, it must have been kind of weird to be alone, blind, on the road 3,000 miles from home and rooming with a bunch of lunatic young musicians many years his junior. But to this day, the picture of Reverend Gary Davis that sticks in my mind the most is early in the morning, half-awake and blind as a bat, with a .38 in his hand pointed in my general direction. It was one of the most frightening moments of my life. I'll never forget it." |
| Saturday | 26 February 1966 | Wry Catchers, Ale Ekstrum, Country Joe and the Fish, Paul Armstrong, Dan Paik | Benefit, replacing the scheduled Hoot, to raise the $1100 bail for Bill Ehlert and Bill Tolman who were busted for possession of pot on February 23 and were being held at Santa Rita County Prison. |
| Sunday | 27 February 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish, Paul Armstrong, Dan Paik and Others | Benefit to raise the $1100 bail for Bill Ehlert and Bill Tolman who were busted for possession of pot on February 23 and were being held at Santa Rita County Prison. |
| Monday | 28 February 1966 | Poetry Readings, Folk Music [VDC Benefit] | |
| Tuesday | 01 March 1966 | Dan Paik | Advertised as Dan Paik sings "Inchon River Delta Blues". |
| Wednesday | 02 March 1966 | Dan Paik | Paik, an ex UCB student, would later go on to manage the Jabberwock for a short time. |
| Thursday | 03 March 1966 | The Congress of Wonders reading from the works of Shakespeare, Lord Buckley, John Lennon, Allen Ginsberg | |
| Friday | 04 March 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish, Robbie Basho | The poster says “A Magnificent Double Bill.” Country Joe and The Fish are listed as “Rag Baby Recording Artists” and Basho as “hot new Takoma recording artist". Future Country Joe and The Fish manager ED Denson was the principal of both labels. |
| Saturday | 05 March 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish, Robbie Basho, Larry Hanks | |
| Sunday | 06 March 1966 | Hoot with Larry Hanks and Jerusalem Slim, Paul Armstrong | Paul Armstrong would record with Country Joe and The Fish in their initial electric incarnation that appeared on their self-released 1966 EP. Armstrong lived, with other members of Country Joe and the Fish, in Mrs Sherrill's appartment house behind the Jabberwock. |
| Monday | 07 March 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 08 March 1966 | Párra Ó Síocháin | Párra Ó Síocháin was a lutist and singer of traditional Irish songs. |
| Wednesday | 09 March 1966 | Párra Ó Síocháin | |
| Thursday | 10 March 1966 | Congress of Wonders reading from the great poets of the ages | Congress of Wonders were a comedy/satire trio from Berkeley, initially from the UC Berkeley drama department and later part of Berkeley’s Open Theater on College Avenue, a prime spot for what were called “Happenings” (now ‘Performance Art’). The group performed at the Avalon and other rock venues. Ultimately a duo, Karl Truckload (Howard Kerr) and Winslow Thrill (Richard Rollins) created two Congress of Wonders albums on Fantasy, Revolting and Sophomoric. Earl Pillow (actually Wesley Hind) was the original third member. Reg E Williams has some photos of the Congress of Wonders at his web site. |
| Friday | 11 March 1966 | John Fahey | ED Denson noted of this weekend that Fahey played before overflowing crowds at the 'Wock and the problems that had plagued earlier performances, like poor sound systems and drunkeness were overcome this time; and John seems to be feeling more at ease on stage. He only spoke 5 words, and played well. |
| Saturday | 12 March 1966 | John Fahey | |
| Sunday | 13 March 1966 | Hoot, Lee Underwood | Lee Underwood was a folk guitarist who went on to play with Tim Buckley. |
| Monday | 14 March 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 15 March 1966 | Blind Ebbets Field (Barry Melton) | A solo appearance from "the world's formost Husdon River Delta Blues singer". |
| Wednesday | 16 March 1966 | Ron Chinn - flamenco | Ron Chinn was a flamenco guitarist and notably, appeared with Los Flemencos de la Bodegas, who were regulars at the 40 Cedar Alley Coffeehouse in San Francisco. |
| Thursday | 17 March 1966 | Ron Chinn - flamenco | |
| Friday | 18 March 1966 | Skip James [see ED Denson story in Barb of March 25] |
Skip James, a legendary bluesman from the 30s and 40s, had recently been
rediscovered by John Fahey. His song “I’m So Glad” was made famous by Cream
a few years later, and they opened their 2005 Albert Hall reunion playing
it. From ED Denson's column (The Folk Scene) in the March 25, 1966 issue
of the Berkeley Barb: Skip's first evening at the Jabberwock last weekend was grim. He awoke Friday morning with no sensation in his left hand, and while he could still move it he was unable to feel which strings his fingers were on, as we discovered in the afternoon while taping an interview for KPFA. For several painful hours he struggled in the studio with the guitar the Newport Folk Festival gave him, tuning and retuning, restringing and trying to believe the instrument was failing him. When he returned to the house he played constantly until 8 p.m. when a hurried consultation with Jabberwock owner Bill Ehlert resulted in the decision that he should go on anyway. As the evening progressed he began to regain feeling in his hand and his playing improved, but he still made many mistakes, despite his efforts to cover up by playing simple things, and his fine singing. To make matters worse he Ehlert left the club, as he often does, during the second set and no one turned on the mike for the first two numbers of the third. Ehlert was still gone when Skip came off, tense and worn by the ordeal, and no one knew if or when he would get paid. |
| Saturday | 19 March 1966 | Skip James, Pete Van Hook |
ED Denson's review continues in the March 25, 1966 issue of the Berkeley
Barb: Saturday evening found his hand much improved, and he was altho venture into much of pyrotechnics which are his speciality. He was still making several mistakes a song, but he was much happier and the room was lit by occasional flashes as the guitarists in the audience realized what was almost happening. At the end of the second set he announced that Pete Van Hook ... was going to do a guest set. |
| Sunday | 20 March 1966 | Hoot with Paul Armstrong | Paul Armstrong was a member of the Instant Action Jug Band and was the bass player for Country Joe and the Fish through July 1966. |
| Monday | 21 March 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 22 March 1966 | Blind Ebbets Field (Barry Melton) | |
| Wednesday | 23 March 1966 | Robbie Basho | The "Takoma Recording Great" |
| Thursday | 24 March 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 25 March 1966 | Jean Redpath | Scots Ballad Sinder and Elektra Recording Artist. |
| Saturday | 26 March 1966 | Jean Redpath | |
| Sunday | 27 March 1966 | Hoot with John Fahey | Benefit for Jabberwock Legal Defense Fund |
| Monday | 28 March 1966 | John Fahey | Benefit for Jabberwock Legal Defense Fund |
| Tuesday | 29 March 1966 | John Shine | John Shine was a very good guitar player/singer who played for a while with Alice Stuart. It is reported that he gave up playing. |
| Wednesday | 30 March 1966 | John Shine | |
| Thursday | 31 March 1966 | William Halperin, James Gibson | Poetry (Haleperin) and Jazz (Gibson) accompanyment. |
| Friday | 01 April 1966 | Sweets Mill Mountain Boys | "The Triumphant Return of the Sweets Mill Mountain Boys" from Fresno, CA. |
| Saturday | 02 April 1966 | Sweets Mill Mountain Boys | |
| Sunday | 03 April 1966 | Hoot with Jerusalem Slim MC | "Jerusalem Slim" is almost certainly a Nom Du Folk for Larry Hanks. |
| Tuesday | 05 April 1966 | Larry Hanks sings "Woody Guthrie Songs and Ballads" | Advertised as Hanks singing "Woody Guthrie Songs and Ballads". |
| Wednesday | 06 April 1966 | Larry Hanks sings "Woody Guthrie Songs and Ballads" | |
| Thursday | 07 April 1966 | Closed | |
| Friday | 08 April 1966 | David and Tina Meltzer, Dan Paik, Greg Lasser | David Meltzer was primarily a Beat Poet, but he also played folk music. He would end leading the group Serpent Power, who released a rock album in 1967 on Vanguard. He subsequently dropped his music career and focused on writing, and he has since published many works. Dan Paik was a sometime member of The Instant Action Jug Band, andplayed "folk-blues" as a solo artist. Greg Lasser was a pedal steel guitar and banjo player who latterly worked on the maintenance and repair of the instruments. This show advertised "with the magnificent banjo of Greg Lasser (played by himself)". |
| Saturday | 09 April 1966 | David and Tina Meltzer, Dan Paik, Greg Lasser | A quote from Rag Baby accompanied the advertising for David and Tina: "some of the most original music I have ever heard". |
| Sunday | 10 April 1966 | Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Monday | 11 April 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 12 April 1966 | Phil Greenberg, Phil Marsh | A calendar for April and May 1966 survives, and it is headed “Folk Music Lives”. The dates on the calendar exclude weekends. The header suggests that folk is already being encroached by rock (the Fillmore has been open for two months, and the Avalon has just opened), but the absence of Friday and Saturday dates is curious. It may be that weekend shows were advertised separately - and may not all have been folk shows - but it may also be that there were no performers on Friday and Saturday nights. Phil Marsh was also a former member of The Instant Action Jug Band., and Phil Greenberg was also part of the same social crowd. Greenberg, at least, was a regular on “Hoot Night.” For their duo shows, Greenberg and Marsh would each do a solo set, and then do a set together. Greenberg still has a tape of two cuts from this solo performance, and the voices of Barry Melton, Bruce Barthol and ED Denson are plainly audible in the audience, demonstrating the friendly insularity of the scene. This was also the first paid extravaganza by Phil and Phil at the 'Wock - with them each receiving $5. No records exist of what the money was spent on. Phil Greenberg would go on to play in England with Bruce Barthol as members of Formerly Fat Harry, who cut an album for Harvest and cut a one sided demo with Wizz Jones. The demo eventually found a release via Nigel Cross's Shagrat label and can now be downloaded. As a side issue, Nigel also arranged for Hux to release an interesting selection of Formerly Fat Harry material from the group's own archive (Goodbye For Good) and released the marvelous Mariachi Riff Live on his own Shagrat label with extensive liner notes from the quiver of Colin Hill. |
| Wednesday | 13 April 1966 | Chris Selsor | Playing "love ballads and heart songs". |
| Thursday | 14 April 1966 | Chris Selsor | |
| Friday | 15 April 1966 | John Fahey | Many of the out-of-town Folk Festival acts (only some of whom are listed here, from the promotional poster) probably played The Jabberwock around this time. |
| Saturday | 16 April 1966 | John Fahey | |
| Sunday | 17 April 1966 | Afternoon: Joe Tugwell and the Gospel Tonics; Sunday Night Hoot with "Long Lean" Larry Hanks as MC. | The Sunday night hoots during April and May were advertised as "Berkeley's all-time all-universe finest Hoot with long lean Larry Hanks, MC". Joe Tugwell & Gospel Tonics were a group on a mission - little is known although they did release a 45 on Divinity (Divinity 001) of "Lead Me to Calvery" b/w "Travelling Shoes". The record was produced by Richard "Ricardo" Lewis, one of the pioneers of the Bay Area Latin jazz and salsa scene. |
| Monday | 18 April 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 19 April 1966 | Phil Greenberg, Phil Marsh [advertised as "Blues and Nonsense"] | During one of the April 1966 Greenberg and Marsh shows, the Jolly Blue Giant made his singing debut on the Old Sow Song. According to Jolly "unfortunately it didn't sell" and Jolly was forced to go back to his coffeehouse business. |
| Wednesday | 20 April 1966 | Ken Spiker | |
| Thursday | 21 April 1966 | Ken Spiker | |
| Friday | 22 April 1966 | Lee Underwood | |
| Saturday | 23 April 1966 | Lee Underwood | |
| Sunday | 24 April 1966 | Sunday Night Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Monday | 25 April 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 26 April 1966 | Lightnin’ Hopkins, Dan Paik | Lightnin’ Hopkins, based in Houston, was a unique bluesman who had been recording since the 1950s. He largely improvised his material, and as a result recorded numerous albums without every repeating a song. At this time he was recording for Arhoolie Records and was well regarded on the folk scene. He generally played with a bass player or drummer, usually hired locally for the gig. There are numerous stories of superb musicians struggling to follow Lightnin’s freewheeling improvisations. |
| Wednesday | 27 April 1966 | Lightnin’ Hopkins, Dan Paik | |
| Thursday | 28 April 1966 | ED Denson, Phil Greenberg & Phil Marsh | ED Denson was one time road manager for Mississippi John Hurt and at this time managed musicians including Country Joe and the Fish and later the Joy of Cooking. Additionally ED operated Takoma Records and started Rag Baby (with Joe). It is probable that ED played harmonica, read poetry or provided some other spoken performance to live up to the billing of "Some Music but Mainly Madness". |
| Friday | 29 April 1966 | Los Flamencos Del Valle, Saul (Solomon Feltdhouse) | Advertised as "Surprise" Guest - which was Solomon Feldthouse appearing under his nom de folk as Saul. |
| Saturday | 30 April 1966 | Los Flamencos Del Valle, Saul (Solomon Feltdhouse) | The poster advises an appearance of "The Incomparable Saul". |
| Sunday | 01 May 1966 | [3pm] The Unidentified Flying Object (Notes From The Underground); [9pm] Sunday Night Hoot with Larry Hanks | There is a somewhat contentious position that the Notes From The Underground were advertised as, although never called, the Unidentified Flying Object. There is raft of evidence to substantiate this and a slightly smaller raft (a canoe of evidence if you will) suggesting a different unspecific solution. If this were not enough, I also now claim that the Notes From The Underground were also advertised as “Oedipus and the Mothers” for the three-day Jabberwock Rent Party in mid May. The poster advertising the rent party has a number of nom de folks - Filippe Villaverde, Blind Ebbets Field, Berkeley Fuzz and the Hedd Busters, Saul etc. and I am in no doubt that Oedipus and the Mothers is another. Having contacted a member of the similarly named garage band from Texas I can confirm they had no involvement. Considering also that date wise this is spot on for the Sunday afternoon shows by the Notes From The Underground (UFOs) I have concluded that Oedipus and the Mothers, the Unidentified Flying Object and the Notes are one of the same. |
| Monday | 02 May 1966 | Benefit for Bob Scheer | Bob Scheer was a one time City Lights book store employee and an editor at the left-leaning magazine Ramparts. Benefits were held for him in his quest to stand for Congress on an anti-war and anti-poverty stance - to be fair, still valid reasons to stand today. Scheer later became a journalist for Playboy and the Los Angeles Times. |
| Tuesday | 03 May 1966 | Robbie Basho | Advertised as "Guitarist of the Other Shore". |
| Wednesday | 04 May 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Thursday | 05 May 1966 | ED Denson, Phil Greenberg & Phil Marsh | |
| Friday | 06 May 1966 | James Wilkins | James Wilkins was a Portland based guitarist. This session was recorded for Takoma Records but remains unreleased. |
| Saturday | 07 May 1966 | James Wilkins | ED "Folk Scene" Denson is quoted on the poster as saying "a brilliantly original guitarist … should not be missed". |
| Sunday | 08 May 1966 | [3pm] The Unidentified Flying Object (Notes From The Underground); [9pm] Sunday Night Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Monday | 09 May 1966 | Gamut Theater's "Scenes From Pfiffer's Ironic", Ken Spiker (folk), The Aztecs (rock) and Lee Skipper Jazz Quintet | Peace Night and Benefit for Bob Scheer |
| Tuesday | 10 May 1966 | Congress of Wonders [readings from Lennon and Lord Buckley] | "Total Humor" with readings from Lennon and Lord Buckley |
| Wednesday | 11 May 1966 | Parra O’Siochain - singer and lutist | Singer and lutist |
| Thursday | 12 May 1966 | Parra O’Siochain | |
| Friday | 13 May 1966 | Babe Stovall - Mississippi blues | Jewell "Babe" Stovall was born on October 4, 1907 in Mississippi. He played acoustic Mississippi blues and has been cited as a musical influence by a number of musicians, not least Jerry Jeff Walker who reportedly travelled with and learned from Stovall. He died September 21, 1974. Jerry Jeff Walker was to appear at the 'Wock with his band Circus Maximus and Stovall was to be penned in to history as Walker's "Mr Bojangles".. |
| Saturday | 14 May 1966 | Babe Stovall - Mississippi blues | The poster describes the show as "breakdown and blues" and quotes the Broadside of Boston: "an odd mixture of bluesman and songster …plays with an infectious rhthym … It is my unqualified wish that you go see and hear him". |
| Sunday | 15 May 1966 | [3pm] The Unidentified Flying Object (Notes From The Underground); [9pm] Sunday Night Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Monday | 16 May 1966 | Folk Benefit for Bob Scheer | |
| Tuesday | 17 May 1966 | Congress of Wonders, Country Joe and the Fish, plus assorted others - see the notes for Thursday 19th [Pay the Rent Benefit] | On this day Bill Ehlert passed a lie detector test and charges of possession of marijuana were dropped the following day. The charges arose from a "bust" on February 23 - Bill never got back his tin of oregano. |
| Wednesday | 18 May 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish, David Cohen, plus assorted others - see the notes for Thursday 19th [Pay the Rent Benefit] | Country Joe and Barry Melton had seen The Butterfield Blues Band in March at the Fillmore (along with the rest of hip San Francisco) and were determined to form an electric band. They had put together a group of musicians they knew from the Instant Action Jug Band. Joe and Barry sang and played guitars (Barry played the leads), Bruce Barthol and John Paul Armstrong (hitherto a Hoot host) alternated on guitar and bass and John Francis Gunning played drums and percussion. Melton knew that his friend, New Yorker David Cohen, played piano (although Cohen was mainly a guitarist), so in typical 60’s style Cohen was invited to join the group as organist. David (Bennett) Cohen was also booked to play a solo "blues, rag and rock" show, even though he was in Country Joe and The Fish. |
| Thursday | 19 May 1966 | Berkeley Fuzz and the Hedd Busters (Country Joe and the Fish), David Cohen, plus assorted others [Pay the Rent Benefit] | Country Joe and The Fish headline under a different name, a nom de folk if you will. And this is one of a number that appear on the poster advertising the non-stop May 17 to 19 “Rent Party” lists a number of folk who were, shall we say, expected to turn up and play. I doubt we will ever definitively figure out who actually played and when. Following on from my contentious position over the Notes From The Underground being advertised as, although never called, the Unidentified Flying Objects for their Sunday afternoon shows, I will start with them. Likely contenders for appearing at some point during this three day window are Oedipus & The Mothers (undoubtedly, in my mind at least, the Note From the Underground), Berkeley Fuzz & the Hedd Busters (Country Joe and the Fish), The Open Theater, “Dynamite Annie” Johnson, The Congress of Wonders, Lloyd Williams & Mike Skoda (I have yet to figure this one out – if Miles Skoda is not a nom de folk it should be), Moe Hirsch, Elba Faust (Ellen Faust Brandywine and later Shekhinah Mountainwater), Ken Spiker, John Adams, Dan Paik, Saul (Solomon Feldthouse), Blind Ebbetts Field (Barry Melton), Perry lederman, Frank Powell, Robbie Basho, Larry Hanks, David Cohen, Phil Marsh and Filippe Villacerde (Phil Greenberg). |
| Friday | 20 May 1966 | Solomon Feldthouse, Rosalie Sorrels | Solomon Feldthouse was the multi-instrumentalist who was a principal founder of the fabulously eclectic Los Angeles group Kaleidoscope. Rosalie Sorrels was billed as a “Utah Ballad Singer.” |
| Saturday | 21 May 1966 | Dan Crary, Rosalie Sorrels | Crary is described on the poster as a "Country Guitar Picker". |
| Sunday | 22 May 1966 | [3pm] The Unidentified Flying Object (Notes From The Underground); [9pm] SSunday Night Hoot with Larry Hanks ("Prehistoric Garbage Music") | Billed as “Prehistoric Garbage Music.” |
| Monday | 23 May 1966 | Peace Night and Folk Benefit for Bob Scheer: Malvina Reynolds, Grant Houston, Ron Smith Quartet, Putting Forth | Peace Night and Folk Benefit for Bob Scheer. |
| Tuesday | 24 May 1966 | Clarence Van Hook | |
| Wednesday | 25 May 1966 | Clarence Van Hook | |
| Thursday | 26 May 1966 | Folk Night | |
| Friday | 27 May 1966 | John Fahey | |
| Saturday | 28 May 1966 | Benefit for Scheer Art Auction (afternoon); John Fahey (evening) | A Benefit for Scheer Art Auction took place during the afternoon. |
| Sunday | 29 May 1966 | [3pm] The Unidentified Flying Object (Notes From The Underground); [9pm] Sunday Night Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Monday | 30 May 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 31 May 1966 | Solomon Feldthouse | |
| Wednesday | 01 June 1966 | Dan Paik | Blues and Originalia. |
| Thursday | 02 June 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | One member of Country Joe and the Fish was attacked by a drunken marine at the Jabberwock (reports ED Denson in the Berkeley Barb). |
| Friday | 03 June 1966 | Perry Lederman | This is the night that twenty year old aspiring musician and photographer Jef Jaisun first walks in to the Jabberwock. It was 1:45 am and Perry Lederman is playing a guest set which consists of a half-hour raga like piece on electric guitar. Lederman, though little known now, was widely regarded by local musicians at the time. He was a solo guitarist somewhat in the John Fahey mode, but more influenced by Indian music. His only known recording was on an Arhoolie sampler. He was also a seeker-out of vintage 3/4-size Martin guitars, which he continued to favour throughout his life. Lederman died at the age of 52 in 1995. On June 3, 1966, twenty year old aspiring musician and photographer Jef Jaisun walked in to The Jabberwock for the first time. Jaisun will become immortal in the Bay Area for producing the much-played and fondly remembered record “Friendly Neighborhood Narco Agent”. This record, independently released as a 33 RPM EP by Jaisun in 1969, was later picked up Dr Demento, and the song reached an audience outside the Bay Area. Click see http://www.eljefe.net/fnnafaq.html for the hilarious and unbelievable story of this song. Jef recalls "The entire package was patterned after Country Joe's Rag Baby EPs, right down to using Sierra Sound as the recording studio. I figured if it worked for him, well... not to mention that people in the Bay Area, and Berkeley in particular, had become accustomed to that type of EP packaging, thanks mostly to Joe. Several other folkies released similar EPs about the same time". |
| Saturday | 04 June 1966 | Perry Lederman | |
| Sunday | 05 June 1966 | Sunday Night Hoot | |
| Monday | 06 June 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 07 June 1966 | Solomon Feldthouse | |
| Wednesday | 08 June 1966 | Dan Paik | |
| Thursday | 09 June 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | |
| Friday | 10 June 1966 | Kid Future (Stefan Grossman) | Kid Future was the alter ego of Stefan Grossman that he had used to record a number of cuts for Joe Bussard's Frederick, Maryland based Fonotone Records. Stefan Grossman grew up in New York City, where he was fortunate enough to get guitar lessons from Reverend Gary Davis and other recently rediscovered bluesmen. As a result, Grossman became a master of different blues guitar styles at an early age. He had been in the ad hoc Even Dozen Jug Band (featuring David Grisman, John Sebastian and numerous other aspiring young folkies), who had released an album in 1964. Grossman moved to California around 1966. At one point, right around the time of this show, there was an effort (according to Richie Unterburger, and confirmed elsewhere) by Elektra’s Paul Rothchild to put together a folk rock group (like The Mamas and Papas) with Grossman, Taj Mahal, guitarist Steve Mann and a recently returned folk singer from Texas named Janis Joplin. They actually had a rehearsal in Berkeley, sometime in June (Janis’s first show with Big Brother was at the Avalon June 10, 1966, but she had been in the Bay Area for about 10 days). However, Janis would not abandon Big Brother and the deal was scuttled. Grossman moved to England around 1967, and worked with many well-known British musicians, releasing a number of albums. He returned to the United States in 1980, and he is particularly well-known for his instructional guitar videos. Grossman played on Pat Kilroy's Light of Day album released in 1966. |
| Saturday | 11 June 1966 | Paul Arnoldi, Kid Future (Stefan Grossman) |
Paul Arnoldi, originally from the Wyoming prairies, initially came to the
fore as a Cambridge folksinger and one time member of the The Charles River
Valley Boys. Paul moved to Berkeley in fall 1962 (to get a graduate degree
in architecture), and oscillated between Cambridge and Berkeley for the next
several years, before stints in New York and Los Angeles. Paul was a
regular on the Bay Area music scene in the mid 1960s, appearing at many of
the Berkeley venues and across the Bay in San Francisco at venues as diverse
as the Straight Theater and the Cedar Alley Coffee House performing his
"prairie-influenced-east coast-urban-folk style of traditional and original
material". Paul continues to record and perform to this day. The poster advertising the Kid Future show (pack up your troubles in your old kit bag) lists Stefan Grossman as also appearing. |
| Sunday | 12 June 1966 | Sunday Night Hoot | |
| Monday | 13 June 1966 | Ramblin’ Jack Elliott | Ramblin Jack Elliott’s biography reads like bad fiction. Born Eliot Adnopoz in Brooklyn in 1931, he ran away to join the rodeo at age 14. He eventually returned to Brooklyn to finish high school . In the early 1950s he met Woody Guthrie, and rambled around with him, becoming a folksinger in the process. In the mid-1950s he moved to England and played a significant role in the Skiffle boom. In the later 50s, he returned to America, and met Bob Dylan in 1961. Dylan took the power of Guthrie’s songs and the indirectness of Elliott’s indescribable Brooklyn Cowboy persona and infused it with his own brilliant songwriting, and the Bob Dylan we know now was born. The rest of Elliott’s life and achievements is equally interesting, but too lengthy to detail here. A remarkable performer, Elliott generally talks more than he sings, in a strange hypnotic way that does not translate well on the printed page, or even on record. In person, he is strangely gripping, leaving the listener surprised at how time has passed so quickly and how difficult it is to recount the story that was told. |
| Tuesday | 14 June 1966 | Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Solomon Feldthouse | |
| Wednesday | 15 June 1966 | Dan Paik | |
| Thursday | 16 June 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | |
| Friday | 17 June 1966 | John Adams, Los Flamencos De La Valle | Los Flamencos De La Valle are likely to have been singer Tom Sporcic with Phil Greenberg on guitar. Phil recalls a couple of flamenco shows he played at the Jabberwock with Tom Sporcic. |
| Saturday | 18 June 1966 | John Adams, Los Flamencos De La Valle | |
| Sunday | 19 June 1966 | Sunday Night Hoot | |
| Monday | 20 June 1966 | John Fahey | |
| Tuesday | 21 June 1966 | Solomon Feldthouse | |
| Wednesday | 22 June 1966 | Dan Paik | |
| Thursday | 23 June 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | |
| Friday | 24 June 1966 | Kathy and Carol |
Kathy Larisch and Carol McComb were a folk duo who had been singing together
since they were in high school together in Vista, CA (North of San Diego).
Their big break came at the 1964 Berkeley Folk Festival, when Joan Baez
(whom they had previously met) saw them play at the Campus coffee shop (The
Bear’s Lair) and got them on to the Festival bill. They were signed to
Elektra and put out an obscure but well regarded album called Kathy and
Carol in 1965 (re-released in 1995 as a cd on Collector’s Choice, with fine
liner notes by Richie Unterberger). Kathy and Carol were working on a more
contemporary folk-rock sound in 1966, but Elektra apparently lost interest
and they were dropped from the label. This show was advertised as "Ballads
Sing in Close Harmony". |
| Saturday | 25 June 1966 | Kathy and Carol | Carol McComb remains a professional musician (see www.CarolMccomb.com) and Kathy Larisch returned to school and ultimately became a faculty member at Oakland’s California College of Arts and Crafts, though she and Carol have sung together informally on occasion. |
| Sunday | 26 June 1966 | Hoot with John Adams | |
| Monday | 27 June 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 28 June 1966 | Solomon Feldthouse | |
| Wednesday | 29 June 1966 | Dan Paik | |
| Thursday | 30 June 1966 | Closed | The Jabberwock was closed, probably due to the 9th Annual Berkeley Folk Festival being in full swing. At the Bear's Lair Country Joe & The Fish appeared as part of the cabaret. It is entirely possible that the Jabberwock was opened much later for regulars with Country Joe and the Fish putting in an impromptu appearance. |
| Friday | 01 July 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | In June 1966 "Rag Baby" EP #2 is released, featuring Country Joe and The Fish performing "Section 43", "Love" and "Bass Strings", recorded June 6, 1966 at Sierra Sound in Berkeley. Soon afterwards, Paul Armstrong leaves the group in order to fulfil his Conscientious Objector obligations (he drives a hospital truck). Bruce Barthol moves permanently to bass. |
| Saturday | 02 July 1966 | Stefan Grossman | |
| Sunday | 03 July 1966 | Hoot with John Adams | |
| Monday | 04 July 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 05 July 1966 | Ramblin’ Jack Elliott | "Folk, Country and Oldtime Music" |
| Wednesday | 06 July 1966 | Ramblin’ Jack Elliott | |
| Thursday | 07 July 1966 | Ramblin’ Jack Elliott | |
| Friday | 08 July 1966 | Kid Future | Advertised as "Kid Future Rides Again". The origin of the name “Kid Future” go back in the 1930s where there were a number of country blues artists called Willie Brown, the most well known of these was friends with Son House and recorded a song called Future Blues, using an open G tuning. This song was considered to be very difficult to master and puzzled many experienced blues players but Stefan Grossman, when still in his teens, figured out how to play it. Grossman moved in the same circles as John Fahey and was friends with Fonotone records owner Joe Bussard. Given Bussard's penchant for creating noms de plume, as he did famously for John Fahey when recording him as Blind Thomas in the 1950s, it seems most likely that the origins of the name “Kid Future” lie in Frederick, MD. |
| Saturday | 09 July 1966 | Kid Future | |
| Sunday | 10 July 1966 | Hoot with John Adams | |
| Monday | 11 July 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 12 July 1966 | Ramblin’ Jack Elliott | |
| Wednesday | 13 July 1966 | Ramblin’ Jack Elliott | |
| Thursday | 14 July 1966 | Ramblin’ Jack Elliott | |
| Friday | 15 July 1966 | Mark Spoelstra | |
| Saturday | 16 July 1966 | Mark Spoelstra | |
| Sunday | 17 July 1966 | Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Monday | 18 July 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 19 July 1966 | Pine Valley Boys, Solomon Feldthouse | |
| Wednesday | 20 July 1966 | Dan Paik | |
| Thursday | 21 July 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | |
| Friday | 22 July 1966 | Robert Pete Williams | Robert Pete Williams was "discovered" in the notorious Angola State Penitentiary in Louisiana by folklorist Harry Oster, who made recordings of Williams in 1959 and 1960. These remarkable recordings were released as records by the Louisiana Folklore Society (and later re-released on Arhoolie Records). When Williams was pardoned, he became a performer on the folk blues circuit, although he was apparently not entirely comfortable with being a performer. Williams, from Baton Rouge and born in 1914, was conversant in the blues styles of the time, having learned most of them from contemporary records. However, in the 1940s he changed his music to a style closer to the field hollers of the old South, and improvised lyrics without bothering to use rhyming couplets. His dark, brooding stories of unhappiness were blues of another order altogether, and although a remarkable talent he never reached a wider popularity. He continued to record until his death in 1980. Williams appeared to be pardoned in the early 1960s and recorded for various labels. In 1966 he made an album for ED Denson’s Takoma Records, called Louisiana Blues. |
| Saturday | 23 July 1966 | Robert Pete Williams | |
| Sunday | 24 July 1966 | Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Monday | 25 July 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 26 July 1966 | Pine Valley Boys | The Pine Valley Boys were one of the earliest bluegrass bands from Berkeley (although The Redwood Canyon Ramblers were definitely the first, in 1959). The group was formed in mid-1963 by Butch Waller (mandolin) and Herb Pedersen (banjo), both recent graduates of St. Mary’s High in Berkeley. They moved to Los Angeles in late 1963, and spent nine months trying to “make it”, even going on a tour of colleges in the South called Hootenanny 1963. In Los Angeles they met violinist Richard Greene, who played with the group periodically. By mid-1964, the group returned to Berkeley. David Nelson, then attending Oakland California College of Arts and Crafts, joined the group (replacing Rich Conley on guitar), as well as Geoff Levin (replacing Dale Hollis on bass). Richard Greene would sometimes fly up to play with the group. However, by early 1966 the group had disintegrated. Pedersen had gone on to play with local bluegrass stalwarts Vern and Ray, (Vern Williams and Ray Park) and Nelson was forming the New Delhi River Band in the Palo Alto area. The date of this performance suggests that this was a one-off performance by some combination of the group, all of whose members (current and former) were still based in the Bay Area. |
| Wednesday | 27 July 1966 | Solomon Feldthouse | |
| Thursday | 28 July 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | On July 29 (Friday), Country Joe and The Fish also played a benefit in San Francisco (the Reaktion Harvest at Geary Street Temple with Jazz Mice Septet, Perry Lederman, Cyrus Koch and Jamar Colt Jazz Combo). Two performances in one night was not uncommon in the days when bands had considerably less equipment. |
| Friday | 29 July 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | |
| Saturday | 30 July 1966 | Country Joe and the Fish | |
| Sunday | 31 July 1966 | Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Monday | 01 August 1966 | Closed | |
| Tuesday | 02 August 1966 | Pine Valley Boys, "Huge Mysterie Attraction" | |
| Wednesday | 03 August 1966 | The New Age | Advertised as a "Huge Mysterie Attraction". |
| Thursday | 04 August 1966 | The New Age | Advertised as a "Huge Mysterie Attraction". |
| Friday | 05 August 1966 | Steve Mann, Susan Derby |
Steve Mann, by 1966 a successful LA session musician, had been widely
regarded in the early 60s by local guitarists. Mann, reputedly a phenomenal
guitarist, was an old pal of Jorma Kaukonen’s and gave him the nickname of
Blind Lemon Jefferson Airplane,
which caused Jorma to suggest it on a whim years later when his band was
looking for a name. Mann had grown up in North Hollywood, but had moved to
the Bay Area for a few years in the early 60s, and then had returned to Los
Angles. Mann was also reputedly the subject of the Hoyt Axton song
“Snowblind Friend.” The Hot Tuna song Mann’s Fate was a tribute to his
guitar style. Mann had many difficulties with drugs and his health. He had
a significant breakdown and dropped from sight late in 1967. Due in part to
some confusing liner notes on another musician’s album, it appeared that
Mann was dead, and since he never performed or recorded, it was difficult to
prove otherwise. Happily, in fact, he did survive, and after many
tribulations and much help from his friends, he is back in Berkeley and
performs and records on occasion. For a better view of the peculiar and
remarkable career of Steve Mann, see here. In the same way as Barry Melton, guitarist with Country Joe and the Fish, adopted the alter-ego "Blind Ebbets Field", Steve Mann was known to use the name "Little Son Goldfarb". |
| Saturday | 06 August 1966 | Steve Mann, Susan Derby | |
| Sunday | 07 August 1966 | Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Tuesday | 09 August 1966 | Spider John Koerner |
Spider John Koerner, born in Rochester, NY in 1938, had gone to the
University of Minnesota in 1956. He was an accomplished folk musician by
1958 standards when he met Freshman Bob Dylan. Koerner moved to Greenwich
Village in 1962, and he formed a trio called Koerner, Ray and Glover. Their
1962 album on Elektra was one of the key albums of the early folk scene,
teaching blues and ragtime songs to aspiring folk musicians everywhere. Koerner went on to have a long career with Koerner, Ray and Glover and by himself. His website, with many valuable links, is at http://www.mwt.net/~koerner/index.html. Dave Ray died in his sleep in 2002. |
| Wednesday | 10 August 1966 | Spider John Koerner | |
| Thursday | 11 August 1966 | Spider John Koerner, "Huge Mysterie Attraction" | |
| Friday | 12 August 1966 | Carmen Christina | Singing, by all accounts, folk songs of old Mexico. |
| Saturday | 13 August 1966 | Carmen Christina | |
| Friday | 19 August 1966 | Perry Lederman | |
| Saturday | 20 August 1966 | Perry Lederman | |
| Sunday | 21 August 1966 | Hoot | |
| Monday | 22 August 1966 | Romuto performs poetry of love and revolution by Cummings, Yevtushenko, Ferlinghetti, Pervert, Dylan Thomas | |
| Tuesday | 23 August 1966 | The New Age |
The New Age were a Berkeley folk trio featuring Pat Kilroy on guitar,
flautist Susan Graubard and Jeffrey Stewart on congas, who had replaced
tabla player Bob Amacker. This was the line-up that also played at the
Human Be-In (Country Joe appearing on stage with them) on January 14, 1967
and were described in an advertisement in the Oracle as playing "way out
Indian-type stuff". Pat Kilroy had released a very obscure album on Elektra
solo album, Light of Day, on Elektra in 1966, although the album was in
reality by The New Age (with Amacker rather than Stewart). Light of Day
(Elektra Records EKS 7311, released late 1966), although obscure at the time
and never released on CD, has obtained the status of a genuine cult
recording. It anticipated “New Age Music” by some decades, and is a
hard-to-describe mélange of folk, blues, Indian and “psychedelic” acoustic
music. Kilroy died on Christmas Day 1967, insuring his status as a cult
figure, but he is well-remembered by his peers and well regarded by those
who have heard his album. The album was finally re-released on CD in 2007,
and writer David Biasotti wrote the definitive article on Kilroy and The New
Age for Ugly Things Magazine (issue 25). Country Joe wrote Susan for Susan Graubard, flautist with the New Age. Susan's work can also be found on Robbie Basho's album The Falconer's Arm (1967) and on Habibiyya - If Man But Knew, with the remnants of the wonderful Mighty Baby (Roger Powell, Ian Whitman and Michael Evans). |
| Wednesday | 24 August 1966 | The New Age | |
| Thursday | 25 August 1966 | The New Age | |
| Friday | 26 August 1966 | Mark Spoelstra | This was advertised as Mark's "Last West Coast apprearance before touring Britain". He did indeed end up in the UK around the New Year. |
| Saturday | 27 August 1966 | Mark Spoelstra | |
| Sunday | 28 August 1966 | Mark Spoelstra, Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Monday | 29 August 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish, Dan Paik, Don Garrett, Blue House Basement | Peace Activist Defense Fund Benefit. "The Blue House" was a large Victorian rooming house on 1915 Oak Street, across from the Panhandle. The Blue House Basement (not surprisingly) formed in the basement of the house. Lead singer Warren Phillips later fronted Mount Rushmore before joining fellow Blue House Basement member Stan Muther in Phoenix, with Jabberwock regular Jef Jaisun. |
| Tuesday | 30 August 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | Country Joe and The Fish are now beginning to break into the San Francisco ballrooms. Their first appearance at the Fillmore was on August 27, 1966, filling in for the 13th Floor Elevators (who were blocked contractually from playing), and it is the first of many shows. The group rehearses almost daily at The Jabberwock, and as a result plays the club regularly as well. In the previous month Melton and McDonald had hitchhiked to New York City to drum up interest amongst record companies. Club manager Bill Ehlert lets a number of local itinerant musicians (among them Jef Jaisun) sleep at the Jabberwock, in return for which they do a certain amount of cooking and cleaning at the club. In the spirit of the times, they don’t accept payment (not that the club has much to spare). With the Fish rehearsing and a number of musicians (somewhat) living on the premises, the Jabberwock becomes sort of a Berkeley after hours club. Bars in California must close at 2 am, and Berkeley has always closed up early, so various musicians just end up staying in the Jabberwock all night. On at least one occasion, a particularly wild event leads all the revellers to raid the refrigerator, consuming much of the club’s meagre profits. |
| Wednesday | 31 August 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Thursday | 01 September 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Friday | 02 September 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish, Mark Spoelstra |
ED Denson reported in the Berkeley Barb: Berkeley's own Country Joe & the Fish after a vacation, with their material rearranged, have opened at the Jabberwock, quite naturally. They are on the verge of going professional. By the way, this time next month I may not say quite naturally the Jabberwock when I mention rock in Berkeley since this Barbie has heard from people who are opening two additional clubs, and perhaps a dance. If any of it happens, it will be quite pleasant. Country Joe and the Fish had taken much of August as vacation. There are no recorded shows after August 5 until they appear at the Fillmore on August 27 - their first Fillmore appearance, filling in for the 13th Floor Elevators. I am assuming that ED wrote his article prior to August 27 as this would have been noteworthy. This also leads me to believe that one of the clubs ED refers to is the New Orleans House, which opened on August 26, 1966. |
| Saturday | 03 September 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Monday | 05 September 1966 | Sharon Lee, SF Mime Troupe doing scenes from "A Minstral Show" [Alexander Defense Committee (ADC) Benefit] |
The San Francisco Mime Troupe, founded in 1959, began putting on (spoken)
political theater performances in public parks in San Francisco in 1962.
They had since metamorphosed into a touring company with a significant voice
in the political underground. Among the many alumni of the Mime Troupe were
featured players Emmett Grogan, Peter Coyote and Luis Valdez, and of course
the very first Bill Graham-produced rock concert was the benefit for the
Mime Troupe held on November 6, 1965, as Graham was the Mime Troupe’s
business manager at the time. The Mime Troupe is still going strong and,
since 1976, the Troupe’s musical director has been former Instant Action Jug
Band (and Country Joe and The Fish) member Bruce Barthol. The 9PM show was put on in support of the Alexander Defense Committee as part of the South Africa: The Anatomy of Apartheid awareness activities that were on-going at the time. In addition to Jabberwock shows, South African freedom fighter Franz John Tennyson "Fransie" Lee spoke at Le Conte School on September 6 and the Buchanan Street Y in San Francisco on September 7. No doubt he would have been at the Jabberwock on September 5. Some interesting names crop up in the list of co-sponsors provided on the poster, including Mario Savio, Robert Scheer, Ralph J Gleason and one Assemblyman Willie Brown. |
| Tuesday | 06 September 1966 | Robbie Basho, Jon Adams | The poster states about Jon Adams: "Known from Fresno to Sacramento, this superlative psong psinger at last plays Berkeley". |
| Wednesday | 07 September 1966 | Robbie Basho, Jon Adams | The poster notes that "Berkeley's favorite sun returns from the decadent east (coast)". |
| Thursday | 08 September 1966 | Robbie Basho, Jon Adams | |
| Friday | 09 September 1966 | The Wrycatchers, The Line (from LA and featuring Solomon Feldthouse) | The Line were from Los Angeles and featured Solomon Feldthouse. |
| Saturday | 10 September 1966 | The Wrycatchers, The Line (from LA and featuring Solomon Feldthouse) | |
| Sunday | 11 September 1966 | Mike Lamb & Will Scarlett | Lamb and Scarlett had debuted at 1090 Page Street on September 1 with Lamb on guitar and Scarlett on harp. |
| Monday | 12 September 1966 | Benefit for The Berkeley Barb | |
| Tuesday | 13 September 1966 | Quicksilver Messenger Service | The Quicksilver Messenger Service are already headliners on weekends at The Fillmore and The Avalon, but they play midweek gigs at clubs like The Jabberwock. In 1966, bands who played the Fillmore (including the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Quicksilver) identified themselves as "Folk-Rock" groups. Certainly, the set lists of all these groups featured many folk club standards, if re-arranged for electric bands. Thus the appearance of rock groups in a folk club was not as far-fetched as it seems from this distance. |
| Wednesday | 14 September 1966 | Quicksilver Messenger Service | |
| Thursday | 15 September 1966 | Quicksilver Messenger Service | |
| Friday | 16 September 1966 | Quicksilver Messenger Service | |
| Saturday | 17 September 1966 | The New Age | On the evening of September 17, seventeen year old Oakland girl Cheryl Nolan was murdered in her car on Eton Avenue near Woolsey Street. Miss Nolan had told her widowed mother, Adela, that she was planning to meet a friend at the Jabberwock Club at 2901 Telegraph Avenue. However, according to Lieutenant Darrel Hickman, no one recalls her having entered the club any time during the evening. |
| Sunday | 18 September 1966 | The New Age | |
| Monday | 19 September 1966 | Lomuto [Poetry Reading] | |
| Tuesday | 20 September 1966 | Blackburn and Snow |
Guitarist Jeff Blackburn and singer Sherry Snow had been folksingers around
1964 in a scene that centred upon San Jose State College. That scene also
included Paul Kantner, Jorma Kaukonen, David Frieberg (the Quicksilver
bassist) and a number of others. By the time of their first appearance at
the Jabberwock in September 1966, Blackburn and Snow were signed to the
Kingston Trio’s management (Frank Werber and Trident Productions) and
recording an album, albeit only two singles were released at the time. They
played as a folk-rock duo, usually with a pick-up band of local friends.
Gary "Chicken" Hirsch, soon to replace John Francis Gunning in Country Joe
and The Fish, was probably the drummer at the time of the Jabberwock shows.
David Bennett Cohen had been the lead guitarist in an earlier line up.
Blackburn & Snow spent three years playing the Bay Area ballrooms and clubs
including the Fillmore, the Avalon and the Ark, as well as a number of shows
in the parks. Many years later, Blackburn ended up working in an occasional
bar band in Santa Cruz with Neil Young, which is how he came to co-write
Young’s song "My My Hey Hey". A few months after Blackburn & Snow disbanded in 1967, Dan Hicks, founder and lead singer of Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, advertised for two women singers to join his band. Sherry and her friend, Christina, auditioned. They began singing with Dan and soon recorded the first Hot Licks album, Original Recordings, in 1968. Since then, Sherry, now called Halimah, has lived for a long time in the UK and has traveled extensively. For the past fourteen years Halimah has been the programmer/host of the weekly World Music program "Ethnic Excursions" on KHSU-FM in Arcata, Ca. as Halimah the Dreamah. |
| Wednesday | 21 September 1966 | Blackburn and Snow | |
| Thursday | 22 September 1966 | Blackburn and Snow | |
| Friday | 23 September 1966 | Kid Future, Steve Mann | |
| Sunday | 25 September 1966 | Hoot | |
| Monday | 26 September 1966 | John Teyford [Poetry Reading] | |
| Wednesday | 28 September 1966 | SF Mime Troupe | |
| Thursday | 29 September 1966 | SF Mime Troupe | |
| Friday | 30 September 1966 | SF Mime Troupe | |
| Saturday | 01 October 1966 | SF Mime Troupe | |
| Sunday | 02 October 1966 | SF Mime Troupe (afternoon); Sunday Hoot Night, Country Joe and The Fish | ED Denson's column (The Folk Scene) in the Berkeley Barb of September 30, 1966 (Issue 59) is dedicated to explaining the financial plight of Country Joe & the Fish, the difficulty of playing the Matrix with two underage members (Bruce and Barry), etc.. If ED agrees, I will transcribe it and include it here. |
| Monday | 03 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish, Robbie Basho, The Juke Box [Benefit for the Berkeley Barb] | Benefit for the Berkeley Barb and Benefit for the USI featuring CJ&F and "Other Deep Denizens" - including, according to ED Denson, Robbie Basho. |
| Wednesday | 05 October 1966 | Lightnin’ Hopkins | The handbill for this show is identical to that used for appearances by Lightnin' Hopkins at The Matrix from October 7 thru October 16. |
| Thursday | 06 October 1966 | Lightnin’ Hopkins | In late 1966 Jesse Cahn, son of Cabale founder Rolf Cahn and folksinger Barbara Dane, returned from playing drums for the Chambers Brothers on the East Coast to manage the Jabberwock for Bill Ehlert when he was called on to go over to The City (San Francisco) and manage the Matrix. Jesse recalls “I also played drums with Lightnin' Hopkins at the Jabberwock while making sandwiches back in the kitchen ... it was a trip ... whip off my apron and run up on stage to play with po' Lightnin' and then back to the kitchen and try not to cut a finger off in the frantic transition...”. Jesse continues “Country Joe and the Fish would rehearse in the afternoon while I swept up... Great times...”. |
| Friday | 07 October 1966 | The New Age | |
| Saturday | 08 October 1966 | The New Age | |
| Sunday | 09 October 1966 | Hoot | |
| Monday | 10 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Tuesday | 11 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Wednesday | 12 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Thursday | 13 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Friday | 14 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Saturday | 15 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Sunday | 16 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish (2:00 pm and 4:00 pm); Hoot (9:00 pm) | |
| Tuesday | 18 October 1966 | Circus Maximus, Nepenthe |
By October 1966 the Jabberwock was booking more “rock” acts in to the
Jabberwock – with shows featuring “house band” Country Joe and the Fish,
Quicksilver Messenger Service, Blackburn and Snow, and Jerry Jeff Walker’s
Circus Maximus. Financially, his was to prove the most successful period in
the Jabberwock’s history, although even then most of the money went to pay
off debts. Named after the ancient Roman hippodrome and mass entertainment venue, Circus Maximus was co-founded by Jerry Jeff Walker (born Ronald Clyde Crosby) and Bob Bruno in Los Angeles in 1966. They managed a minor West Coast hit with Bob Bruno's song "Wind", from their first album. The poster for their October 18-20, 1966 shows at the Jabberwock is an adapted version of that being used for a show by The Only Alternative and His Other Possibilities at the Matrix (opening on the same night!). Blues singer Nepenthe provided support for these shows. Bill Ehlert had at this time a manager running the Jabberwock and had gone to manage the Matrix for a couple of months around September and October 1966. This is evidenced by a sudden run of Matrix posters produced by Jabberwock artist-in-residence, Tom Weller, and the appearance of a number of Jabberwock regulars at the Matrix (e.g. Country Joe and the Fish, the New Age, Robbie Basho). |
| Wednesday | 19 October 1966 | Circus Maximus, Nepenthe | In late December 1967, Circus Maximus performed in an unusual pair of "Electric Christmas" concerts together with the New York Pro Musica, an ensemble devoted to performing early music. The 80-minute performance at the New York City - rehearsed in the nightclub Electric Circus where Circus Maximus were in residence much of that month, but performed at Carnegie Hall included a light show by Anthony Martin and electronic music by Morton Subotnick; the groups performed both together and separately. The material performed together included a reworking 14th-century composer Guillaume de Machaut's "La douce dame jolie" as an English-language song "Sweet Lovely Lady" and a Bruno original "Chess Game" that, unbeknownst to Bruno himself but noted by John White, director of the Pro Musica, strongly echoed the "Romanesca", a piece first written down in 16th-century Spanish lute books. The concert was not a critical success and by July 1968 the band had broken up. Walker, best know for writing Mr Bojangles, moved toward a successful career in country music and Bob Bruno moved further in to the realms of his favoured jazz world. |
| Thursday | 20 October 1966 | Circus Maximus, Nepenthe | During the run of these Circus Maximus shows, Campbell Coe photographed the band in the back room at the Jabberwock with Barry Melton of Country Joe and the Fish. |
| Friday | 21 October 1966 | Blackburn & Snow | |
| Saturday | 22 October 1966 | Blackburn & Snow | |
| Sunday | 23 October 1966 | Hoot | This is the last Sunday night Hoot for a while. There are so many groups and performers in Berkeley that Sunday night becomes a regular night for shows, often with afternoon shows featuring a different performer. |
| Monday | 24 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | The first in a "series of seven repertory concerts" by Country Joe and the Fish at the Jabberwock. |
| Tuesday | 25 October 1966 | Quicksilver Messenger Service | |
| Wednesday | 26 October 1966 | Quicksilver Messenger Service | The October 26 show is reviewed by Berkeley diarist Faren Miller. Quicksilver’s first set is Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, Hoochie Coochie Man, Pride of Man, I Hear You Knocking (vocals by Jim Murray), Codeine and Acapulco Gold and Silver. The second set begins at 11:00 and kicks off with a 20-minute version of Smokestack Lightning, but the 16-year old Miller has to go to high school the next morning and leaves. |
| Thursday | 27 October 1966 | Quicksilver Messenger Service | |
| Friday | 28 October 1966 | Robbie Basho, Dan Paik | |
| Saturday | 29 October 1966 | Robbie Basho, Dan Paik | |
| Sunday | 30 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish (2:00 pm and 4:00 pm); Hoot: Freewheelin' McClure Montana (9:00 pm) | Evening performances at 9:30 pm and 11 pm. This was an "only in Berkeley" event. Freewheelin' McClure Montana was the name adopted by Freewheelin' Frank Reynolds (Secretary of San Francisco’s Hells Angels), Beat poet literature instructor at Oakland’s California College of Arts & Crafts, Michael McClure, and electronic composer and multi-instrumentalist George Montana. Freewheelin' Frank, though a genuine rough-and-tough Angel, had a literary and musical bent, and would accompany McClure (along with “Montana”) as he read his poetry. McClure later helped Frank write a book and was quoted of the Freewheelin' McClure Montana performances as saying "we played a few gigs and we sounded somewhere between drunken cowboy music and Shiva hymns". Michael McClure bought with him a fifteen foot long boa constrictor in a sack. McClure sat the sack next to him on stage; predictably, the snake escaped. |
| Monday | 31 October 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish (9:00 pm and 11:00 pm) | |
| Tuesday | 01 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Wednesday | 02 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Thursday | 03 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish | |
| Friday | 04 November 1966 | Sweets Mill Mountain Boys plus after hours (3:00 am) jam with members of Country Joe and the Fish and The Second Coming, together with a topless go-go dancer from North Beach | |
| Saturday | 05 November 1966 | Sweets Mill Mountain Boys | |
| Sunday | 06 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish [Afternoon Workshop Series], Sweets Mill Mountain Blues [Evening Show] | |
| Monday | 07 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish [Evening Repertory Concert Series], San Andreas Fault | A full page advertisement for these shows appeared in Issue 11 of Mojo Navigator. |
| Tuesday | 08 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish, San Andreas Fault | |
| Wednesday | 09 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish, San Andreas Fault | |
| Thursday | 10 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish, San Andreas Fault | |
| Friday | 11 November 1966 | San Andreas Fault | It’s not clear if the band is related to the similarly named poster artist (Todd Hunter). |
| Sunday | 13 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish [Afternoon Workshop Series] | |
| Monday | 14 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish [Evening Repertory Concert Series] | |
| Tuesday | 15 November 1966 | Nick Gravenites | Gravenites was a blues singer from Chicago who had spent some time in San Francisco around 1963, one of the early wave of Chicago transplants who helped define the San Francisco scene. He had returned in 1966. In the next year, he would start the Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield. |
| Wednesday | 16 November 1966 | Nick Gravenites | |
| Thursday | 17 November 1966 | Nick Gravenites | |
| Friday | 18 November 1966 | Pat Kilroy and the New Age | At this time, The New Age was living in the Santa Cruz mountains and spending all their time meditating and practicing their music, only driving into town for shows. |
| Saturday | 19 November 1966 | Pat Kilroy and the New Age | |
| Sunday | 20 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish [Afternoon Workshop Series], Pat Kilroy and the New Age [Eveneing Show] | Various flyers and other information conflict for November 15-21. The dates herein are based on those pulled from the Scenedrome section of the Berkeley Barb |
| Monday | 21 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish [Evening Repertory Concert Series] | |
| Tuesday | 22 November 1966 | Missippippi Fred McDowell | |
| Wednesday | 23 November 1966 | Missippippi Fred McDowell | |
| Thursday | 24 November 1966 | Missippippi Fred McDowell | |
| Friday | 25 November 1966 | John Fahey | |
| Saturday | 26 November 1966 | John Fahey | |
| Sunday | 27 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish [Afternoon Workshop Series], John Fahey [Evening Show] |
By December, Country Joe and The Fish have signed with Vanguard Records, who
needs them to get serious about recording. A friend of ED Denson’s arranged
a show “for the mind and body” at the Hot Springs down the coast at Big Sur
on December 7, 1966. The band was to play for $1 donations that would fund a
week away from the Bay Area where the band could generally relax a little
and put in some practice. Shows were also put on at Stockton and, on
December 3, at the Barn in Scott's Valley. Subsequently, Country Joe and
The Fish get a "real" rehearsal space at the Sausalito Heliport. The
Heliport rents space to the Dead, Quicksilver and many other groups, as the
helicopters drown out any noise from the rock bands. It was this line up, with Chicken Hirsh, that was to go on and record Electric Music for the Mind and Body in January and February of 1967 for Vanguard, a record so good that Ralph J Gleason of the SF Chronicle remarked it should only be played on religious occasions. |
| Monday | 28 November 1966 | Country Joe and The Fish [Evening Repertory Concert Series] | This is the last Country Joe and the Fish show at the Jabberwock. Country Joe and The Fish are now on their way to becoming international legends, and while they will play Berkeley many times in the future, they do not play the Jabberwock again. Shortly after this show, John Francis Gunning is fired and Chicken Hirsch (who had played the Jabberwock with Blackburn and Snow in October 1966) takes over on drums, finger cymbals and assorted "background sounds". Chicken was recommended by David Cohen, who had also had a brief sojourn in the company of Blackburn and Snow. John Francis Gunning later went on to play with Eddy Brown and his Brown Bag. |
| Tuesday | 29 November 1966 | Mance Lipscomb | Mance Lipscomb was born in Texas in 1895, the son of a slave. Although he played music all his life, he never recorded until he was in his 60’s. East Bay resident and Arhoolie Records principal Chris Strachwitz was instrumental in finding and recording Lipscomb. Lipscomb represented a “songster” tradition that preceded the blues, and included a wide variety of black and white song traditions (including the blues). Lipscomb was a fine performer and a popular person who did well at Folk Festivals and with the new market for ‘rediscovered’ singers. Lipscomb recorded several albums on Arhoolie, and he was the subject of a documentary film by Les Blank called A Well Spent Life. He died in 1976. |
| Wednesday | 30 November 1966 | Mance Lipscomb | |
| Thursday | 01 December 1966 | Mance Lipscomb | |
| Friday | 02 December 1966 | John Hammond | A full page advertisement for these shows appeared in Issue 11 of Mojo Navigator. John Paul Hammond was the son of the great record producer John Hammond. The younger Hammond (not ‘Junior’, as his middle name was different) went to free-thinking Antioch College with Jorma Kaukonen in the early 1960s. In about 1962, Hammond made an album of songs by early blues artists like Skip James. At the time, those records were only available as old 78s, and Hammond’s record was instrumental in making people aware of this music before many of these records, or the people who made them were re-discovered. Hammond was a fine, if derivative guitarist and singer in both electric and acoustic settings. He recorded several albums for Vanguard, his most recent having been So Many Roads in 1965, backed by an electric group that featured members of The Hawks (later The Band) and Mike Bloomfield. When he played the Avalon, he was billed as Johnny Hammond and His Screaming Nighthawks, but he played this Jabberwock show solo. |
| Saturday | 03 December 1966 | John Hammond | |
| Sunday | 04 December 1966 | John Hammond | |
| Monday | 05 December 1966 | Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Tuesday | 06 December 1966 | Robbie Basho, Dan Paik, Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | Dan Paik was probably a member of the Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band at this time, but presumably also played solo. The CGSB was another outgrowth of the Instant Action Jug Band. The early incarnation featured Phil Marsh and Annie Johnston (guitars and vocals), Will Scarlett (harmonica), Dan Paik and Carlin Arriola. The exact instrumentation is hard to determine. |
| Wednesday | 07 December 1966 | Robbie Basho, Dan Paik, Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Thursday | 08 December 1966 | Robbie Basho, Dan Paik, Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Friday | 09 December 1966 | Kathy and Carol | |
| Saturday | 10 December 1966 | Kathy and Carol | |
| Sunday | 11 December 1966 | Kathy and Carol | |
| Monday | 12 December 1966 | Hoot with Larry Hanks | |
| Tuesday | 13 December 1966 | Ellen Faust Brandywine | “Songs of Love, Murder, Voyage and Return” says the handbill. |
| Wednesday | 14 December 1966 | Ellen Faust Brandywine | |
| Thursday | 15 December 1966 | Ellen Faust Brandywine | |
| Friday | 16 December 1966 | Pat Kilroy and The New Age | |
| Saturday | 17 December 1966 | Pat Kilroy and The New Age | |
| Sunday | 18 December 1966 | Pat Kilroy and The New Age | |
| Monday | 19 December 1966 | Hoot | |
| Tuesday | 20 December 1966 | Don Garrett | |
| Wednesday | 21 December 1966 | Don Garrett | |
| Thursday | 22 December 1966 | Don Garrett | |
| Friday | 23 December 1966 | The Smokey Grass Boys, Don Garrett | The Smoky Grass Boys featured Hackensack, NJ mandolinist David Grisman, Rick Shubb, Julie Silber and Berkeley born former banjoist Herb Pedersen. The poster for this show was done by banjoist Rick Shubb from Palo Alto. Shubb was the banjoist in the group taking over after Pedersen switched to guitar. This group played often at the 40 Cedar Alley coffeehouse in San Francisco. |
| Saturday | 24 December 1966 | The Smokey Grass Boys, Don Garrett | |
| Sunday | 25 December 1966 | The Smokey Grass Boys, Don Garrett | |
| Monday | 26 December 1966 | Hoot | |
| Tuesday | 27 December 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Wednesday | 28 December 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Thursday | 29 December 1966 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 30 December 1966 | John Fahey | |
| Saturday | 31 December 1966 | John Fahey | |
| Sunday | 01 January 1967 | John Fahey | For 1967, the Jabberwock is now regularly open on Mondays, and Monday is usually Hoot Night. |
| Monday | 02 January 1967 | Hoot | |
| Tuesday | 03 January 1967 | Robbie Basho | |
| Wednesday | 04 January 1967 | Robbie Basho | |
| Thursday | 05 January 1967 | Robbie Basho | |
| Friday | 06 January 1967 | Smokey Grass Boys | |
| Saturday | 07 January 1967 | Smokey Grass Boys | |
| Sunday | 08 January 1967 | Smokey Grass Boys | |
| Monday | 09 January 1967 | Hoot | |
| Tuesday | 10 January 1967 | Larry Hanks | |
| Wednesday | 11 January 1967 | Steve Mann | |
| Thursday | 12 January 1967 | Ellen Faust Brandywine | |
| Friday | 13 January 1967 | Sandy and Jeanne Darlington | |
| Saturday | 14 January 1967 | Sandy and Jeanne Darlington | |
| Sunday | 15 January 1967 | Sandy and Jeanne Darlington | |
| Monday | 16 January 1967 | Hoot | |
| Tuesday | 17 January 1967 | Dan Paik | |
| Wednesday | 18 January 1967 | Steve Mann | |
| Thursday | 19 January 1967 | Smokey Grass Boys | |
| Friday | 20 January 1967 | Rosalie Sorrels | |
| Saturday | 21 January 1967 | Rosalie Sorrels | |
| Sunday | 22 January 1967 | Rosalie Sorrels | |
| Monday | 23 January 1967 | Smokey Grass Boys, Larry Hanks, New Age, Phil Marsh, Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band [Benefit to pay the Berkeley Free Press bill] | Benefit to pay the Berkeley Free Press bill |
| Tuesday | 24 January 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Wednesday | 25 January 1967 | Steve Mann | |
| Thursday | 26 January 1967 | Smokey Grass Boys | |
| Friday | 27 January 1967 | Folk/Benefit Marathon [including Blind Ebbets Field, SF Mime Troup, Robbie Basho, Dan Paik, Dynamite Annie Johnson, Sandy Rothman, Barry Olivier, The New Age, Ken Spiker, Clarence Van Hook, The Smokey Grass Boys, Ellen Brandywine, Robert Baker, Aileen Adams, Doug Palmer, Rosalie Sorrels, Luis Garcia, Phil Marsh, Thanasis Maskaleris, Larry Hanks, Steve Mann, Gail Dusenbery, Will Scarlett, Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band, John Paul & Sarah, Michael McClure, Montana and Freewheelin', The Boa Constrictor and Visual Stimulation by Head Lights] | John Paul was born in Los Angeles in 1938 but was a relative latecomer to playing rather than listening to music when the 20 year old was given a four string banjo by a night watchman at his college in Bakersfield giving Paul and a tenor uke playing friend to play local bars for change and drinks. Moving to Berkeley in 1961, Paul was a regular on KPFA’s Midnight Special with the likes of Larry Hanks and many of the other Berkeley coffeeshop regulars and went on to work at Jon and Dierdre Ludberg's guitar repair store. A regular of Rolf Cahn’s Cabale Creamery from when it opened in 1962 through to its transition to become the Questing Beast, Paul had by the mid Sixties taken up the accordion – a 1902 model found close to his Laganitas home. And it was this accordion that John Paul played (with Sara) at the Jabberwock’s Folk/Benefit Marathon in January of 1967. Notably, at the 35th Annual Berkeley Old Time Fiddler’s Convention in Provo Park, Jean-Paul was disqualified for dropping Chinese yen in the judges' bribe box. The judges were music store owner Jon Lundberg, Campbell Coe who took so many wonderful photographs of the Jabberwock and John Campbell. |
| Saturday | 28 January 1967 | Folk/Benefit Marathon [including Blind Ebbets Field, SF Mime Troup, Blind Ebbets Field, Sandy Rothman, Dan Paik, Dynamite Annie Johnson, Malvina Reynolds, Robbie Basho, Barry Olivier, Michael Lorimer, The New Age, Ken Spiker, Clarence Van Hook, The Smokey Grass Boys, Ellen Brandywine, Aileen Adams, Doug Palmer, Rosalie Sorrels, Luis Garcia, Phil Marsh, Thanasis Maskaleris, Larry Hanks, Steve Mann, Jean and Hilary Fowler, Will Scarlett, Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band, John Paul & Sarah, Michael McClure, Montana and Freewheelin', The Boa Constrictor and Visual Stimulation by Head Lights] | This show featuring Blind Ebbets Field is the last identified show at the Jabberwock featuring any of the members of Country Joe and the Fish. It is also appears to be vthe last identified use of of the nom du folk "Blind Ebbets Field". |
| Sunday | 29 January 1967 | Sunday Afternoon: Notes From The Undergound, Jerry Abrham's Head Lights plus Folk/Benefit Marathon continues [including SF Mime Troup, Blind Ebbets Field, Dan Paik, Robbie Basho, Dynamite Annie Johnson, Barry Olivier, The New Age, Ken Spiker, Clarence Van Hook, The Smokey Grass Boys, Ellen Brandywine, Aileen Adams, Doug Palmer, Rosalie Sorrels, Luis Garcia, Notes From The Undergound, Matthew Zion, Phil Marsh, Thanasis Maskaleris, Larry Hanks, Steve Mann, Will Scarlett, Sandy Rothman, Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band, John Paul & Sarah, Michael McClure, Montana and Freewheelin', The Boa Constrictor and Visual Stimulation by Head Lights] | This is the last known performance by any member of Country Joe and the Fish (Blind Ebbets Field) at the Jabberwock. The band were also playing Maple Hall, San Pablo on the Saturday and Berkeley's own Pauley Ballroom on the Sunday. |
| Tuesday | 31 January 1967 | Steve Mann??? | Possibly Steve Mann (or Feb 14, 67) |
| Wednesday | 01 February 1967 | Steve Mann??? | Possibly Steve Mann (or Feb 15, 67) |
| Thursday | 02 February 1967 | Steve Mann??? | Possibly Steve Mann (or Feb 16, 67) |
| Friday | 03 February 1967 | The New Age | The flyer says "Elektra Recording Artists" and "Eastern Blues…Music of The Pantheon". By 1967, the Fillmore and Avalon are booming, and the rock groups who play there are not necessarily identifying themselves as “Folk-Rock” groups. Thus the Jabberwock’s booking swings back more towards solo and acoustic performers, as rock bands focus on greener pastures in San Francisco. |
| Saturday | 04 February 1967 | The New Age | |
| Sunday | 05 February 1967 | The New Age | |
| Monday | 06 February 1967 | Leonore Kandel, Jan Tangen, Stephen Schwartz, Lisu, Others | Jazz and Poetry Benefit for Socialist Candidates for City Office |
| Tuesday | 07 February 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | The Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band had a role similar to the Instant Action Jug Band in 1965 and Country Joe and The Fish in 1966, acting as the house band. |
| Wednesday | 08 February 1967 | Steve Mann | Mann, an old pal of Jorma Kaukonen’s, had given Jorma the nickname “Blind Thomas Jefferson Airplane.” This joke was the basis of Jorma’s suggestion for the band’s name. Mann was also reputedly the subject of the Hoyt Axton song “Snowblind Friend.” |
| Thursday | 09 February 1967 | Smokey Grass Boys | |
| Friday | 10 February 1967 | Mark Spoelstra | |
| Saturday | 11 February 1967 | Mark Spoelstra | |
| Sunday | 12 February 1967 | Mark Spoelstra | |
| Monday | 13 February 1967 | Hoot | |
| Friday | 17 February 1967 | Spider John Koerner | |
| Saturday | 18 February 1967 | Spider John Koerner | |
| Sunday | 19 February 1967 | Spider John Koerner | |
| Monday | 20 February 1967 | Hoot | |
| Tuesday | 21 February 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Wednesday | 22 February 1967 | Sandy and Jeannie Darlington | |
| Thursday | 23 February 1967 | Rosalie Sorrels | |
| Friday | 24 February 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Saturday | 25 February 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Sunday | 26 February 1967 | Daniel and Thomas | |
| Monday | 27 February 1967 | Hoot and Auditions | |
| Tuesday | 28 February 1967 | Robbie Basho | |
| Wednesday | 01 March 1967 | Robbie Basho | |
| Thursday | 02 March 1967 | Rosalie Sorrels | |
| Friday | 03 March 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Saturday | 04 March 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Sunday | 05 March 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Monday | 06 March 1967 | Hoot and Auditions with Larry Hanks | |
| Tuesday | 07 March 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Wednesday | 08 March 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Thursday | 09 March 1967 | Steve Mann | |
| Friday | 10 March 1967 | New Age | |
| Saturday | 11 March 1967 | New Age | |
| Sunday | 12 March 1967 | New Age | |
| Monday | 13 March 1967 | Hoot and Auditions with Larry Hanks | |
| Tuesday | 14 March 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Wednesday | 15 March 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Thursday | 16 March 1967 | Rosalie Sorrels | |
| Friday | 17 March 1967 | Taj Möhöl (sic) | |
| Saturday | 18 March 1967 | Taj Möhöl (sic) | |
| Sunday | 19 March 1967 | LSD - Holy or Not (a debate) | |
| Monday | 20 March 1967 | Hoot and Auditions | |
| Tuesday | 21 March 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Wednesday | 22 March 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Thursday | 23 March 1967 | Steve Mann | |
| Friday | 24 March 1967 | Sandy & Jeannie | |
| Saturday | 25 March 1967 | Sandy & Jeannie | |
| Monday | 27 March 1967 | Hoot and Auditions | |
| Tuesday | 28 March 1967 | Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Wednesday | 29 March 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Thursday | 30 March 1967 | Rosalie Sorrels, The Jazz Dome Scandal | |
| Friday | 31 March 1967 | The Jazz Dome Scandal | |
| Saturday | 01 April 1967 | The Jazz Dome Scandal | |
| Monday | 03 April 1967 | Monday Hoot Night | |
| Tuesday | 04 April 1967 | Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | A flyer for the month of April 1967 implies that the Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band had a role similar to the Instant Action Jug Band, acting as the house band on nights on different nights (probably when no one else is available). The calendar shows acts on Tuesday thru Sunday every week, and a Hoot night on Monday (free performances by unpaid performers, which also acted as an audition for the club). Richard Saunders (bass) and Hank Bradley (fiddle and various) replace Paik and Arriola soon after the band’s inception, but the exact dates are unknown. |
| Wednesday | 05 April 1967 | Daniel y Tomas | |
| Thursday | 06 April 1967 | K.C. Douglas, Clarence Van Hook | K.C. Douglas was born in Sharon, MS in 1913, and later played with blues legend Tommy Johnson. He relocated to Vallejo, CA in 1945 to work in the Navy shipyards. By 1947 he had relocated to Oakland and was working regularly as a blues performer. He had a hit in 1949 with “Mercury Boogie,” better known as “Mercury Blues” and recorded by Steve Miller (1967), David Lindley (1981) and Alan Jackson (1992), and later used by the Ford Motor Company. From 1963 onwards, Douglas was an employee of the Berkeley Public Works department. After a performance at the Berkeley Blues Festival in 1970, Douglas had a boost in popularity, and he performed successfully until his death in 1975. Clarence van Hook, a guitar player, was often billed with Douglas and continued to perform well into the 1990s. |
| Friday | 07 April 1967 | Steve Mann, Robert Baker | |
| Saturday | 08 April 1967 | Steve Mann, Robert Baker | |
| Sunday | 09 April 1967 | New Voices in Berkeley Poetry I | Never forget that Berkeley is a college town, where poets are like mold. |
| Monday | 10 April 1967 | Monday Hoot Night | |
| Tuesday | 11 April 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Wednesday | 12 April 1967 | Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Thursday | 13 April 1967 | The Jazz Dome Scandal | |
| Friday | 14 April 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Saturday | 15 April 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Sunday | 16 April 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Monday | 17 April 1967 | Monday Hoot Night | |
| Tuesday | 18 April 1967 | K.C. Douglas, Clarence Van Hook | |
| Wednesday | 19 April 1967 | Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Thursday | 20 April 1967 | The New Age | |
| Friday | 21 April 1967 | The New Age | |
| Saturday | 22 April 1967 | The New Age | |
| Sunday | 23 April 1967 | New Voices in Berkeley Poetry II | |
| Monday | 24 April 1967 | Monday Hoot Night and Auditions | |
| Tuesday | 25 April 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Wednesday | 26 April 1967 | Daniel y Tomas | Flamenco |
| Thursday | 27 April 1967 | The Jazz Dome Scandal | |
| Friday | 28 April 1967 | Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | The Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band performance on April 30, as identified in the April Calendar, was superseded by New Lost City Ramblers according to an advertisement in the April 28, 1967 issue of the Berkeley Barb. Before the show on April 29, the Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band also played a few numbers at the Hippie Fair and Bazaar - a Benefit for Country Joe and the Fish held at the UCB Hearst Gym. According to the Barb the benefit was arranged for Country Joe and the Fish as they had lost two weeks work due to "alcoholic club owners who have cancelled their engagements" - I love this stuff. |
| Saturday | 29 April 1967 | Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Sunday | 30 April 1967 | New Lost City Ramblers | This flyer conflicts with the April calendar and the weekly calendar which list the Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band. as playing on April 30 Since the April calendar had to have been published in March, it seems plausible that the NLCR gig was added later, and simply replaced the house band. Alternately, New Lost City Ramblers may have been playing in the evening, and Cleanliness and Godliness may have played in the afternoon. |
| Monday | 01 May 1967 | Monday Hoot Night and Auditions | |
| Tuesday | 02 May 1967 | Patrick Sky | Patrick Sky was one of the later Greenwich Village folk singers, and he was fairly successful even though folk music was being surpassed by rock. He initially played mostly traditional material, but later in the 60s started writing his own songs. His current album would have been 1966’s A Harvest of Gentle Clang, his second album on Vanguard. Sky went on to record many albums. |
| Wednesday | 03 May 1967 | Patrick Sky | |
| Thursday | 04 May 1967 | Patrick Sky | |
| Friday | 05 May 1967 | Patrick Sky | |
| Saturday | 06 May 1967 | Patrick Sky | |
| Sunday | 07 May 1967 | Lew Welch, Jeff Shepphard, Charles Upton, James Koller [New Voices in Berkeley Poetry III] | |
| Monday | 08 May 1967 | Monday Hoot Night and Auditions | |
| Tuesday | 09 May 1967 | Doc Watson |
Doc Watson, a blind guitarist from Deep Gap, North Carolina, was one of the
most amazing finds of the Folk revival. Watson, only in his 40s at this
time, was an astonishing guitarist and singer, well schooled in both
traditional styles and more recent music such as swing and country. Watson
has remained a remarkable performer to this day. Local musicians Rick Shubb and Hank Bradley would sometimes join Doc on banjo and fiddle to perform some traditional old-timey numbers. |
| Wednesday | 10 May 1967 | Doc Watson | |
| Thursday | 11 May 1967 | Doc Watson | |
| Friday | 12 May 1967 | Michael Lorimer, The Chamber Theater | Classical guitar (Lorimer) and One Act plays by Brecht, Strindberg, Ferlingetti and Seth Freeman. |
| Saturday | 13 May 1967 | Michael Lorimer, The Chamber Theater | |
| Sunday | 14 May 1967 | Michael Lorimer, The Chamber Theater | |
| Monday | 15 May 1967 | Monday Hoot Night | |
| Tuesday | 16 May 1967 | The Chamber Theater Company performed four one act plays: The Jewish Wife (Brecht); The Stranger (Strindberg); 3000 Red Army Ants (Ferlingetti); Forbidden pastures (Seth Freeman). | The Chamber Theater Company performed four one act plays:The Jewish Wife (Brecht); The Stranger (Strindberg); 3000 Red Army Ants (Ferlingetti); Forbidden pastures (Seth Freeman). |
| Wednesday | 17 May 1967 | Cleanliness & Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Thursday | 18 May 1967 | Jazz Dome Scandal | |
| Friday | 19 May 1967 | Robbie Basho | |
| Saturday | 20 May 1967 | Robbie Basho | |
| Sunday | 21 May 1967 | John Fahey, New Voices in Bay Area Poetry IV | |
| Monday | 22 May 1967 | Monday Hoot Night and Auditions | |
| Friday | 26 May 1967 | Sandy & Jeannie, Congress of Wonders | |
| Saturday | 27 May 1967 | Sandy & Jeannie, Congress of Wonders | |
| Sunday | 28 May 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Monday | 29 May 1967 | Monday Hoot Night and Auditions | |
| Wednesday | 31 May 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Thursday | 01 June 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Friday | 02 June 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Saturday | 03 June 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Sunday | 04 June 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | |
| Monday | 05 June 1967 | Jean Redpath | |
| Tuesday | 06 June 1967 | Jean Redpath | |
| Wednesday | 07 June 1967 | Jean Redpath | |
| Thursday | 08 June 1967 | Mark Spoelstra's Jade Muse | Mark Spoelstra was a 12-string guitarist who had been a Greenwich Village folkie for some time. In his early days, he had performed as a duo with Bob Dylan. By this time, he had released his third album on Elektra, State of Mind (he had an early album on Folkways) and was also writing his own songs. Jade Muse were a group that Mark was involved with for a short time - they reportedly rehearsed a lot but only played a handful of shows. Jade Muse comprised Mark Spoelstra on guitar, virtuoso Willie Waite on soprano sax, bass player Mel, Ellen on harpsichord and filmmaker Michael Wiese on drums. Sadly, Mark Spoelstra passed away in February 2007. |
| Friday | 09 June 1967 | Mark Spoelstra's Jade Muse | |
| Saturday | 10 June 1967 | Paul Arnoldi, Mark Spoelstra's Jade Muse | |
| Sunday | 11 June 1967 | Hoot | The Hoot is on Sunday night, probably because Ramblin' Jack is playing Monday. |
| Monday | 12 June 1967 | Ramblin' Jack Elliott | |
| Tuesday | 13 June 1967 | Ramblin' Jack Elliott | |
| Wednesday | 14 June 1967 | The New Age, Ramblin' Jack Elliott | |
| Thursday | 15 June 1967 | The New Age | |
| Friday | 16 June 1967 | The New Age | |
| Saturday | 17 June 1967 | The New Age | |
| Sunday | 18 June 1967 | Paul Arnoldi | The weekend of June 16-18 is the weekend of The Monterey Pop Festival, about 120 miles south of Berkeley. Any pretence that rock music is still "underground" is now gone. Although many former folkies play at Monterey Pop, almost none of them play anything resembling folk music (Simon and Garfunkel perhaps excepted). Folk music’s values will return, first with singer-songwriters and later with “roots” music, but for now folk music is not happening with anyone not already interested in it. |
| Monday | 19 June 1967 | Hoot | |
| Tuesday | 20 June 1967 | David and Tina Meltzer | |
| Wednesday | 21 June 1967 | David and Tina Meltzer | |
| Thursday | 22 June 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Friday | 23 June 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Saturday | 24 June 1967 | Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band | |
| Sunday | 25 June 1967 | Charles Valley River Boys |
The Charles River Valley Boys (John Cooke, Joe Val, Everett Alan Lilly and
Bob Siggins) were one of Cambridge’s leading Bluegrass groups who had made
their debut at Harvard University's Lowell House Dining Commons. They,
augmented by California guitarist Eric Thompson, who had also played with
the New York Ramblers, Nashville fiddler Buddy Spicher and West Virginia
dobro player Craig Wingfield, even made a bluegrass album of Beatles songs
released on Elektra in 1966. Many of the Harvard folk musicians often went
on to become professors and doctors, unlike their Berkeley counterparts, so
here had been a somewhat rotating membership in any case, and this was the
last stand of the group. The final shows are described in detail in Eric Von
Schmidt’s Baby Let Me Follow You Down. Old friend Bob Neuwirth (Bob Dylan’s
running mate) joins regular members Bob Siggins and Joe Val. Berkeley
musician Peter Berg stands in as bassist dressed in a purple cape -hardly
typical for a bluegrass group and is introduced as “The Purple Man”. John
Cooke, a former member, rejoined the group for these last few shows, but
within a few weeks (after the group ends its career at the Ash Grove wearing
face paint and performing a bluegrass opera with David Grisman standing in
for Val). Cooke will join Big Brother and The Holding Company as their road
manager. Bob Siggins went on to finish his PhD, was at National Institute
of Health (NIH) for alternative service before a career at various Southern
California research institutes. |
| Monday | 26 June 1967 | Charles Valley River Boys | |
| Tuesday | 27 June 1967 | Charles Valley River Boys | |
| Wednesday | 28 June 1967 | Taj Mahal | |
| Thursday | 29 June 1967 | Taj Mahal | |
| Friday | 30 June 1967 | Al Kooper, Taj Mahal | Al Kooper, besides being the writer of "This Diamond Ring", the organist on Bob Dylan's "Like A Rolling Stone" and the keyboard player for The Blues Projects (from whom he had departed a few months earlier) had a secret past life as a folkie, playing a club in Forest Hills, NY under the name Al Casey. The story of Kooper's show at The Jabberwock is described in Kooper's wonderful book Backstage Passes. Kooper, in the midst of a divorce from both his wife and The Blues Project, had ended up in Los Angeles acting as the production manager for the Monterey International Pop Festival. Kooper played a brief set at Monterey Pop, and played a brief set at the following week's Big Sur Folk Festival with his backing group (Jim Fielder and Sandy Konikoff). At loose ends, he takes a gig at The Jabberwock because he was friendly with the Jabberwock manager Sally Henderson's sister Jill (Kooper had written the Blues Project standard "Flute Thing" in Jill Henderson's apartment in Cambridge, MA). In his book, Kooper says he met his next wife (Joan) at The Jabberwock, although that must have been the previous year. Kooper, a stickler for details, identifies Taj Mahal as the act opening his show. He describes how Taj, having just left the Rising Sons, smoked the audience with his National Steel guitar, and it was all Kooper could do to match Taj's show. All in all, according to Kooper, "it was probably one hell of a show, historically speaking, for $3.50". |
| Saturday | 01 July 1967 | Al Kooper, Taj Mahal | |
| Sunday | 02 July 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Monday | 03 July 1967 | John Fahey | |
| Tuesday | 04 July 1967 | Charles River Valley Boys | |
| Wednesday | 05 July 1967 | Charles River Valley Boys | |
| Thursday | 06 July 1967 | Charles River Valley Boys | |
| Friday | 07 July 1967 | Doc Watson, Rick Shubb, Hank Bradley | |
| Saturday | 08 July 1967 | Doc Watson, Rick Shubb, Hank Bradley | The Jabberwock closed officially on July 8, 1967. The last notes at The Jabberwock were played by Doc Watson, banjoist Rick Shubb and fiddler Hank Bradley (then in CGSB). Watson was certainly the featured act. At the time, Shubb and Bradley regularly joined in at the end of Doc’s Bay Area shows to perform as an old-timey trio. Although the Jabberwock had survived financial difficulties since the start and a number of brushes with the authorities, it was the Berkeley Health and Building Departments that finally drove the Jabberwock out of business. The building was re-classified “due to increased occupant load” - the result of which was the need for remodelling that simply was not financially viable. Jef Jaisun wrote an obituary for The Jabberwock in the Berkeley Barb (Volume 5, Number 1 (Issue 99) dated July 7-13, 1967). While some Folk bookings were picked up by the newly opened New Orleans House (1505 San Pablo Avenue, in West Berkeley), the true successor to the ‘Wock on the Berkeley Folk scene was The Freight and Salvage. That club opened in June 1968 (at its original location of 1827 San Pablo), and although it has moved a couple of times, it remains open today. The site of The Jabberwock is currently a parking lot. |
| Sunday | 09 July 1967 | A Wake for the 'Wock |
The Berkeley Barb reports (Volume 5, Number 2 (Issue 100) dated July 14-20,
1967): A Wake for the 'Wock The Jabberwock, in finest tradition, went down swinging last weekend. After full houses jammed the now extinct coffeehouse both Friday and Saturday nights to hear Doc Watson, old time "wocknies" gather for a good old traditional wake on Sunday. Characteristic of the change in modern music, much of the night was devoted to electric blues sounds. And as musicians played, others rolled back the tables and danced, sang, cried a little, and drank a lot. The Jolly Blue Giant was on hand to give the "Wock" a royal send-off, while 75 freebies completely obliterated any and all crumbs of food that remained in the kitchen. The evening would not have been complete without a visit from The Man, and sure enough, at 1:30 am two of Berkeley's finest attempted to literally pull the padlocked front door from its hinges. When informed that it was a private party they became very paranoid and fell back on the fire code. "You'll have to either unlock this door or clear the place in five minutes." Ah, sweet memories. A scribbling on the outside blackboard mourned, "The Jabberwock hath been slain." In the immortal words of the Carter Family, "All the good times are past and gone." RIP. |
| Saturday | 05 August 1967 | Leconte School Auditorium: Don Garrett, Malvina Reynolds, Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band, Paul Arnoldi | This show is advertised as "Friends of the Jabberwock present in Berkeley: A Benefit Concert to pay off the creditors and save the Jolly Blue Giant from Debtor's prison. The Leconte Elementary School is still located at 2241 Russell Street, about a block and a half (for the American readers), 200 metres (for the metricated readers) or 218.72259 yards (for English readers) east of the Jabberwock. |
| Saturday | 04 November 1967 | Leconte School Auditorium: Doc Watson | The handbill describes this as "The Jabberwock Presents in Berkeley - Doc Watson - His only East Bay Appearance". Aside from the "Brillig" presented Reverend Gary Davis show at the Little Theatre that took place whilst the 'Wock was still open, this is one of the few Jabberwock presented shows that I have so far found that took place at a different venue. Subsequently, Bill Ehlert continued to promote shows around the Bay Area under both his own name and as the Jolly Blue Giant. He also entered in to group management, notably with the Joy of Cooking. |
| 00 June 1965 | Jerry Foster, Ray Scott, Lloyd Williams, Sandy Rothman, Jody Stecher |
Exact date uncertain. Performance was photographed by the late Campbell
Coe, who owned a musical instrument store in Berkeley and was an important
figure in the local folk scene. After he passed away, Sandy Rothman found
some photos Coe had taken of and at The Jabberwock, and Berkeley artist Tom
Weller posted them on Bill ‘Jolly’ Ehlert’s Yahoo Jabberwock Group. A color
photo from June 1965 shows Sandy Rothman on banjo, Ray Scott on mandolin and
Lloyd Williams on bass, along with another musician. This group may have
played as The Friendly Strangers. Earlier in the 60s, Rothman had been in
various bluegrass groups with Jerry Garcia and David Nelson. Rothman had
mostly played guitar in those groups, but like many bluegrass musicians he
was proficient on a variety of instruments. Rothman went on to become a
successful bluegrass musician, with all the financial rewards associated
with that profession. In the late 1980s, Rothman, Nelson and Garcia had a
reunion of sorts in the Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band. |
|
| 00 November 1965 | New Brothers | The New Brothers were a jazz/R&B combo with organ and drums with occasional harmonica and vocals. | |
| 00 September 1966 | Jean Redpath | Exact date uncertain, but the show took place in September 1966. |
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