“HARMONYVILLE” PROPOSED MUSIC FESTIVAL POSTER.
Item Description
15.75x26.75” thin cardboard poster for the “Music Festival That Never Happened.” Festival was promoted as “6 Days Of Harmony, Music, Workshops & Symposiums, Camp Fire Shows And Concerts” in the summer of 1970 at the Radcliff Farm in NJ. Festival was to have performances by Joe Cocker, Chicago, Jefferson Airplane, Procol Harum, Miles Davis, Richie Havens, Van Morrison, James Gang, Muddy Waters, Poco, Hot Tuna, 10 Years After, James Taylor, Small Faces With Rod Stewart, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Mother Earth, Catfish, Jethro Tull, American Dream, Little Richard, John Sebastian, Savoy Brown, Eric Burdon and War, Lighthouse, Roland Kirk and Chicken Shack. Festival was to occur on Aug., 4-9, 1970. The community where the proposed festival was to take place were decidedly set against the festival due to how events at Woodstock the previous summer unfolded. Their fears were confirmed as festivalgoers showed up early and townspeople began to complain of naked hippies wandering around and swimming in the river. These complaints forced state involvement and a court injunction was issued prohibiting the festival from being held. Red pencil text on back of poster reads “Canceled About 2 Weeks Before Performance Date.” Poster shows obvious wear with numerous tears repaired by clear tape as well as 6 small 1” or so missing pieces (mostly at margins). Good. A rare poster for what could have been a major music event, even potentially rivaling Woodstock.