“Far out, man”: how Jimi Hendrix boosted the career of Sha Na Na
“500,000 halos outshined the mud and history. We washed and drank in God’s tears of joy, and for once and for everyone, the truth was not a mystery. Love called to all; music is magic,” Jimi Hendrix reflected on Woodstock 1969 in a rather poetic manner, attempting to capture the star-studded showcase that brought together people from all over.
To call Woodstock 1969 a concert to remember would be one of history’s biggest understatements—with names like Hendrix on the bill, alongside folk and rock innovators like Joan Baez, George Harrison, Janis Joplin, The Who, and many, many more, the event symbolised one perfect moment of harmony, underscored by a copious amount of LSD.
Given that the band had formed only a year prior and had yet to release their debut album, Sha Na Na’s inclusion in such a high-profile, legacy-act lineup didn’t seem like the most likely turn of events. Yet they ended up being the second-to-last act performing before Hendrick’s unforgettable delivery. So, how did a lesser-known covers band end up singing among stars at one of the biggest music events of all time?
According to Sha Na Na founder and drummer Jocko Marcellino, Hendrix frequented a New York City club they often played at, captivated by the excitement they had stirred among other musicians who found themselves drawn to their fun and high-energy anachronistic take on 1950s classics. According to Marcellino, Hendrix labelled them “far out, man” and couldn’t wait to get them in front of Woodstock promoters Michael Lang and Artie Kornfeld.
Getting Land and Kornfield to show up might have seemed a challenge at first, but they turned up on the band’s final night of performing before the club was shut down by gang activity in the local area. Completely besotted with everything they had to offer, the promoters offered the doo-wop group a spot on the lineup, to which they exclaimed their excitement the only word that would suffice: “Yes!”
Clearly, Hendrix knew brilliance when he saw it, as Sha Na Na’s show-stopping performance earned them a standing ovation and a series of glowing reviews from critics and concertgoers. Their final song, ‘At the Hop’, hypnotised audiences so much that they demanded an encore. The entire set sparked a fervourous fixation with the group that would allow various other outfits to follow suit, tapping into the newfound craze for 1950s-inspired nostalgia in the music scene.
The credits that Sha Na Na collected over the years might seem astounding, especially considering their paths crossed with coveted names like John Lennon, Grateful Dead, The Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, and more. However, without a prize-winning endorsement and backing from guitar legend Hendrix, it’s anyone’s guess whether they would have received a similar calibre of catalyst somewhere down the line.
That day at Woodstock, Sha Na Na gave audiences something they needed the most: a pick-me-up. Exhausted from the weather conditions and endlessly fighting the oncoming end-of-set fatigue, Sha Na Na’s platform reminded goers of everything they attended for in the first place. As Marcellino put it: “We were campy, yes, but we were true to that music’s American roots.”
