Although this summertime festival didn't actually happen in Blacksburg, I know a that a heck of a lot of us where there!
Stompin' 76 happened 7 years after that little music gathering they had up in New York, and in a lot of ways it looked the same. Skinny long-haired youth swarmed Lawson's farm in Carroll County, just north of Galax, for 3 days of music, fun, and freedom. Some folks parked as much as 11 miles away and walked to the site.
One of my personal memories of being there was watching a blitzed hippie fall into a roaring campfire and rolled on out of it seemingly unscathed. There was so much music that I doubt all of us got to see all the acts that showed up. Those that did show up were:
Bonnie
Raitt, Earl Scruggs, Lester Flatt, Vassar Clements, Ry Cooder, John Hartford,
Osborne Brothers, The Rowans, John Prine, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Doc &
Merle Watson, The Dillards, Hickory Wind, New Grass Revival, David Bromberg,
Red, White and Bluegrass, Nashville Bluegrass Band, Papa John Creach, Eric
Weisberg and Deliverance, Star Spangled Washboard Band, Grass On The Rocks, Good
Ol' Boys and Joe and Bing.
3 Days of Fun and Music, all 23 bands for only
$12.00!
