This week is the 43rd anniversary of "The Ozark Music Festival", an epic 3-day rock concert held in Sedalia, Missouri in the summer of 1974. Some 350,000 people came from all over America to party, to play, and to listen to the greatest bands of the time. Rockers from the 60's and 70's put on an almost non-stop show for 3 days straight.
Unlike Woodstock, no movie was made, and no record album was released. Cameras were present, Wolfman Jack was master of ceremonies, and many allege that NBC Television was recording the event. But strong rumors persist that any NBC films were confiscated, and later destroyed, by the Missouri State Senate. The only tangible reminders of the Festival are photographs taken by the attendees, a few posters and souvenirs, some newspaper articles from the time, and a few audio clips that are available on YouTube.
The shared memories of those of us who attended The Ozark Music Festival in 1974 are as vivid as ever! I was 17 years old, I had just graduated high school, I hitchhiked all the way from my home in Florida to be a part of it. The music, the open-air drug markets, the free spirits, the hundreds of thousands of people sharing a common "campground"... I remember it like it was yesterday.
Remembering The Ozark Music Festival
Sedalia, Missouri
July 19-21 1974
Photo courtesy of Mike Moreno, OMF Facebook Group
The Lineup of Bands and Musicians was mind-numbing:
Electric Flag, with Buddy Miles and Mike Bloomfield (they had played at Monterey in 1967!)
Lynyrd Skynyrd, in their prime, with Ronnie Van Zant, Allen Collins, Gary Rossington, Billy Powell, and Leon Wilkerson.
Ed King, former lead guitarist and vocalist of Strawberry Alarm Clock, jammed with Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes
Aerosmith
Photo courtesy of Richard Galbraith; posted in the OMF Facebook Group
Joe Walsh
The Earl Scruggs Revue (at a rock concert!) played the theme from The Beverly Hillbillies, and Foggy Mountain Breakdown.
The Eagles
Photo courtesy of Richard Galbraith; posted in the OMF Facebook Group
The Marshall Tucker Band (the original line-up, with Toy Caldwell)
REO Speedwagon
Boz Scaggs
Bob Seger
America
Elvin Bishop
Charlie Daniels
Cactus
Leo Kottke
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
David Bromberg
The Souther Hillman Furay Band (members from The Byrds, and Buffalo Springfield)
Triphammer
Bill Quateman
Fresh Start
Babe Ruth
Bloodstone
Locomotiv GT
Puzzle
No-Show Bands who were scheduled, but did not appear:
Jefferson Starship
Bruce Springsteen, who got LAST BILLING on the promotional posters.
The Mahavishnu Orchestra with Jean Luc Ponty.
Bachman Turner Overdrive with Randy Bachman and Fred Turner
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils (scheduling conflict)
Wolfman Jack was the MC. He introduced the bands; he tried to keep the crowd under control. I can still hear him pleading, "You guys, please come down from those speaker towers before somebody falls off and gets hurt!"
The bands were flown in by helicopters. Two stages were set up (see the photos). While one band was playing and rocking the masses, the roadies for the next band were setting up their equipment on the other stage.
Crowd Estimates ranged from 250,000 to 350,000 people. Traffic was backed up for 20 miles. The little town of Sedalia was inundated with cars, campers, vans, buses, hitchhikers, hippies, college students, teenagers, bikers, rock and roll fans, and partiers who came from all over the United States.
Photo Album courtesy of Gigi Peterson, OMF Facebook Group
Nobody knows the reason for the banner with the name of an Assyrian king, "Tilgath Pileser III". It was hung between the two stages.
Photo courtesy of Rod Sievers, OMF Facebook Group
Is there any Film Footage of the Festival?
NBC Television reportedly filmed the entire concert, presumably for the TV Show, "Midnight Special". It was stated as recently as year 2013 that the Missouri State Police had filmed and photographed much of the concert. During the follow-up investigation by the Missouri State Senate, it is claimed that those photos and films were reportedly destroyed by the State of Missouri. A long-standing rumor is that a family member of one of the promoters has copies of the films, and hopes to release them some day.
There is a compilation of band clips from some VHS tapes on YouTube; audio only. Wolfman Jack is back on the stage on Saturday, with Cactus warming up behind him. "Do you feel alright today?" Bands in this clip include Cactus, Aerosmith, Buddy Miles, Electric Flag, and more.
Use this link to hear the bands: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSEn1bfnblA
Traffic before and after the Festival was bumper to bumper for 20 miles, all the way from Sedalia to Interstate 70.
Charlie Daniels, photo courtesy of Rod Sievers, OMF Facebook Group
I was 17 years old when the Festival was held. I hitchhiked all the way from Florida to attend the Ozark Music Festival. It was the experience of a lifetime!
Photo above courtesy of Rod Sievers, OMF Facebook Group
*** Where can I see more Photos? ***
Where can I hear or read stories from people who were there?
There are many photos of this event, along with dozens of stories and remembrances by attendees posted on the Facebook Group, Ozark Music Festival July 19-21, 1974 . There are close to 3000 members in the Facebook Group.
This is a Private Facebook Group. Please mention my name, or this Blog, to Group Moderator Lanette Brown Giese; ask permission to join.
AN EXCELLENT WEBSITE with photos, articles and more:
Ozark Music Festival, website by Rod Sievers
Some truly great PHOTOS, taken by David Mann (warning: some nudity)
ANOTHER great place to see photos, and hear the Promoters talk, is on this video (warning, contains nudity). You will have to sign in to YouTube, it is age restricted: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGmYYrBrWkg
Remembering The Ozark Music Festival
Sedalia, Missouri
July 19-21 1974
Footnote: If you were at The Festival, and have corrections to which bands played or did not play, or if you have additional information to share, please let me know in the comment section below.
Be sure to join the Facebook Group, Ozark Music Festival July 19-21, 1974
*** Many of the photos in this article are from the OMF Group on Facebook, and from various other websites on the Internet. I believe that these photos are posted with permission, and I have attempted to give proper credit. However, if you are the creator of a photo, and I have failed to give you proper credit, please comment below, or email me, and I will give full attribution, or remove the photo.
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