(Credit: Far Out / Alamy / William Morris Agency-management)
“Half a million halos rose above mud and history. We were washed and drank in God’s tears of joy. And once again the truth was no mystery to anybody. Love calls all. Music is magic,” Jimi Hendrix wrote poetically, reflecting on Woodstock 1969, the star-studded showcase that brought together people from all over the world.
To call 1969’s Woodstock an unforgettable concert would be one of the greatest understatements in history: Featuring names like Hendrix as well as folk and rock innovators like Joan Baez, George Harrison, Janis Joplin and The Who, and accentuated by copious amounts of LSD, the event represented a moment of perfect harmony.
Considering the band had only formed a year earlier and hadn’t even released their debut album yet, it seemed like an unlikely development that Sha Na Na would be included in a lineup with such high-profile, legendary bands. But they ended up being the penultimate band to play before Hendrick’s unforgettable performance. So how did a little-known cover band end up singing alongside the stars at one of the biggest music events of all time?
According to Sha Na Na’s founder and drummer Jocko Marcellino, Hendrix frequented the New York clubs they played and was fascinated by the excitement they generated among other musicians who were drawn to their fun, energetic playing of anachronistic arrangements of 1950s classics. According to Marcellino, Hendrix described them as “incredible” and couldn’t wait to get them in front of Woodstock promoters Michael Lang and Artie Cornfeld.
Getting Rand and Cornfield to come may have been a challenge at first, but they showed up on the night of the band’s final performance before the club was closed due to local gang activity. The promoter, so enamoured with all they had to offer, asked the doo-wop group to join the lineup, to which they excitedly shouted what can only be described as a “Yes!”
Clearly Hendrix saw the potential in Sha Na Na, as their captivating performance garnered standing ovations and glowing reviews from critics and concertgoers alike. The closing song, “At the Hop,” had the crowd enthralled, demanding an encore. The entire set inspired a frenzy of support for the group, which various other groups followed suit, jumping on the bandwagon of music’s newfound 1950s-style nostalgia.
The accomplishments Sha Na Na has garnered over the years may seem surprising considering their exposure to some of their idols, including John Lennon, the Grateful Dead, the Kinks and Bruce Springsteen, but who knows if they would have had the same level of exposure in the future without the award-winning backing and support of guitar legend Hendrix?
On that day at Woodstock, Sha Na Na gave the crowd what they needed most: energy. Worn down by the weather and endlessly battling fatigue by the end of the show, Sha Na Na’s performance reminded the crowd of everything they came for in the first place. As Marcellino put it, “We were bombastic, yes, but we stayed true to the American roots of the music.”