2019 marks the golden anniversary of the mass musical gatherings that saw the hippie generation at their 1969 zenith. Two events stand out, staged within days of each other that magical August: in the United States, there was Woodstock, and in the UK the Isle of Wight Festival of Music. Woodstock drew 400,000 fans and a quality bill that was a Who's Who of contemporary talent - all bar the main man the organisers hoped to lure on the doorstep of his home, Bob Dylan. Instead, Dylan opted to headline at the Isle of Wight, in front of close to 200,000 adoring fans. Here Bill Bradshaw celebrates the events of that summer 50 years on... and how the Isle of Wight, off England's southern coast, staged what was then the nation's biggest festival - and how it pulled off such a huge coup. Eye-witness accounts from fans, artists and the promoters bring alive that gilded summer and how it influenced both Dylan and the rock festival movement for generations to come.

About the Author
Bill Bradshaw is an award-winning Fleet Street journalist and editor. He was UK Sports Journalist of the Year and Britain's Sports Reporter of the Year for his Sunday People investigation into football corruption. He was assistant editor at both the Daily Express and Sunday Mirror and associate sports editor at The Observer. After moving to the Isle of Wight County Press as Features Editor, he helped the All Wight Now group organise a 50th anniversary celebration in 2018 to mark the inaugural 1968 Island Festival.


Book Information
ISBN 9781909339385
Author Bill Bradshaw
Format Paperback
Page Count 176
Imprint Medina Publishing Ltd
Publisher Medina Publishing Ltd