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| The Family Dog on The Great Highway, at 660 Great Highway, ca. 1969 |
The Family Dog on The Great Highway, 660 Great Highway, San Francisco, CA
The
Family Dog was a foundation stone in the rise of San Francisco rock,
and it was in operation in various forms from Fall 1965 through the
Summer of 1970. For sound historical reasons, most of the focus on the
Family Dog has been on the original 4-person collective who organized
the first San Francisco Dance Concerts in late 1965, and on their
successor Chet Helms. Helms took over the Family Dog in early 1966, and
after a brief partnership with Bill Graham at the Fillmore, promoted
memorable concerts at the Avalon Ballroom from Spring 1966 through
December 1968. The posters, music and foggy memories of the Avalon are
what made the Family Dog a legendary 60s rock icon.
In the Summer of 1969, however, with San Francisco as one of the fulcrums of the rock music explosion, Chet Helms opened another venue. The Family Dog on The Great Highway, at 660 Great Highway, on the Western edge of San Francisco, was only open for 14 months and was not a success. Yet numerous interesting bands played there, and remarkable events took place, and they are only documented in a scattered form. This series of posts will undertake a systematic review of every musical event at the Family Dog on The Great Highway. In general, each post will represent a week of musical events at the venue, although that may vary slightly depending on the bookings.
This post will act as a Tracker for the series. The titles and links of each post are included as they are put on to the blog. Some Grateful Dead events were covered in both my Grateful Dead blogs and also as part of this series. I will include links to both.
At the bottom of the list, I am including earlier posts about the Family Dog from my other blogs. The information from those posts will be interpolated into the new posts, but some of them have different visual materials and interesting Comment Threads.
For a complete list of Family Dog shows (including FDGH), see here
July 4-6, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Big Mama Thornton/Flying Burrito Brothers/Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band (Friday-Sunday) [FDGH '69 IV]
There was also a free concert scheduled at the Dog on Friday afternoon (July 4), but it's unknown who played.
July 7, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Joan Baez/It's A Beautiful Day/West (Monday) [FDGH '69 V]
This was a fundraising concert for the (ultimately canceled) Wild West Festival scheduled for Kezar Stadium in late August. The Family Dog also produced a show at Fillmore West the same night, also discussed in this post:
July 7, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Ace Of Cups/Fourth Way/Phoenix (Monday) Wild West Festival Fundraiser Family Dog ProductionsJuly 25-27, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Charlie Musselwhite/Poco/Zoot Money (Friday-Sunday) [FDGH '69 VIII]
Includes the Tuesday July 22 show with Cleanliness Godliness Skiffle Band/Congress of Wonders
August 8-10, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Country Joe and The Fish/Tongue and Groove/Tyrannosaurus Rex (Friday-Sunday) [FDGH '69 XI]
Includes the August 7 Tony Pigg Sock-Hop
August 12, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: New Lost City Ramblers/New Riders of The Purple Sage (Tuesday or Wednesday) [FDGH '69 XII]
Includes the August 14 jam with the New Lost City Ramblers and Mickey Hart and The Hartbeats
August 15-16, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Mike Bloomfield and Nick Gravenites/Southern Comfort/Devil's Kitchen (Friday-Saturday) [FDGH '69 XIII]
Includes the Sunday August 17 show headlined by Taj Mahal
August 22-24, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Wild West Festival "Makeup shows" (Friday-Sunday) [FDGH '69 XV]
Includes the Fillmore West Wild West Festival "Makeup Shows" August 22-24, 1969 Fillmore West
August 26, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: The Great SF Light Show Jam (Vintage Dead: Found and Lost)August 22, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Freedom Highway/Seatrain/Congress of Wonders/Flamin Groovies/Phoenix/Rubber Duck Co (Friday) 7pm
August 23, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Tree Of Life/Phananganang/Marble Farm/Joe Tate's Desperate Skuffle Band/Lazarus/Flying Circus/Sebastian Moon/Bicycle (Saturday) noon
August 23, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Quicksilver Messenger Service/Mt Rushmore/Sons of Champlin/Jimmy Witherspoon/Devil's Kitchen/Hindu Folk Band/Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (Saturday) 8pm
August 24, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Faun/Cold Turkey/Nazgul/Alice Stuart and Minx/Mendelbaum/Mother Bear/Transatlantic Railroad (Sunday) noon
August 24, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Its A Beautiful Day/South Bay Experimental Flash/Youngbloods/Shag/Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band/Buddy Miles Express (Sunday) 7pm
Fillmore West Wild West Makeup Shows, August 22-24, 1969
August 22, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA: Quicksilver Messenger Service/Youngbloods/The Committee/Ace Of Cups/West (Friday)
August 23, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/AUM/Los Flamencos de la Santa Lucia/Sanpaku/Marvin and The Uptights (Saturday)
August 24, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA: Country Joe and The Fish/Sons Of Champlin/Elvin Bishop/Freedom Highway/Fast Bucks (Sunday)
This is the Grateful Dead entry.
August 28-30, 1969, Family Dog at The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Grateful Dead/Hartbeats/New Riders of The Purple Sage/Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen/Rubber Duck (Archaeology) [FDGH II]
This is the more recent Grateful Dead entry for the weekend.
August 29-30, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Grateful Dead/New Riders of The Purple Sage/Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen/Rubber Duck (Friday-Saturday) [FDGH '69 XVIII]
Includes
August 31, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Gravity/Transatlantic Railroad/Devil's Kitchen/SF Radical Lab (Sunday)
includesSeptember 6, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead (What Do We Know?) [FDGH IV]
September 1, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Monday Night class
September 2, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Theater of The Absurd Costume Ball (Tuesday)
September 3, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Latin Night (Wednesday)
September 4, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Carnival Coronation Ball for Miss Playland 1969 with Devil's Kitchen/Flying Circus (Thursday)
September 7, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: jam
This was the Grateful Dead entry.
includesSeptember 15-26, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: various bookings [FDGH '69 XXI]
September 9, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Sufi Dervish Dancing, Pakistani Fashion Show, Phoenix (Tuesday)
September 10, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Latin Rock w/Kwane and The Kwanditos/Los Flamencos de la Santa Lucia (Wednesday)
September 11, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Purple Earthquake/Johnny Mars Blues Band/Wisdom Fingers/Osceola (Thursday)
includes
September 15, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Monday Night class
September 16, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: In Search of America (Tuesday)
September 17, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Film and Light Spectacular (Wednesday)
September 18, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Richmond Symphony (Thursday)
September 19-21, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Circus Of The Absurd Costume Ball: Carlos Carvajal/Moog Synthesizer of the SF Radical Laboratories/Shag/Devil's Kitchen (Friday-Sunday)
September 22, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Monday Night class
September 23, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Unbirthday Party (Tuesday)
September 24, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Games Night (Wednesday)
September 25, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Light Show (Thursday)
September 26-28 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA:Rhythm Dukes w/Jerry Miller/Floating Bridge/surprise group (Friday-Sunday)
October 7-9, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Holy Man Jam (Tuesday-Thursday)
- Tuesday, October 7: Stephen Gaskin
- Wednesday, October 8: Malachi, Alan Watts, Michael Larimer, Rev. Hensley, Alan Noonan
- Thursday, October 9: Timothy Leary
- With the following groups during the three nights:
October 10-12, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Sons Of Champlin/A.B. Skhy Blues Band/Brewer and Shipley (Friday-Sunday)
- Jerry Abrams Headlights, Dr. Zarkov, Holy See, Rainbow Jam, Sweet Misery, Sebastian Moon, Mayflower, Lazarus, Phoenix, Master Choy, Shlomo Carlabach, Golden Toad, Chirhanjeez, Osceola, It's A Beautiful Day, Garden Of Delights
October 13, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Stephen Gaskin (Monday)
October 14, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Stephen Gaskin/Chinese People/Jim Kimmel/Canterbury Fair/Cloud (Tuesday)
October 15, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Garden Of Delights/Horror Flicks (Wednesday)
October 16, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA:Anonymous Artists of America (Thursday) San Francisco, CA: Garden Of Delights/Horror Flicks (Wednesday)October 17-30, Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: various bookings (FDGH '69 XXIV]
Includes
October 17-19, 1969 Family Dog at The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Malachi/Floating Lotus Opera Company/Golden Toad (Friday-Sunday) Saturday (October 18) only plus Alan WattsOctober 20, 1969 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Monday Night Class with Stephen Gaskin
October 21, 1969 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: A Night of Guitar and Dance, Classical Flamenco, Folk and Rock (Tuesday)
October 22, 1969 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA New Riders of the Purple Sage/Lazarus (Wednesday) Ecological Ball
October 23, 1969 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA Acoustic Stringed Instrument Night (Thursday)
October 24-26, 1969 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA Osceola/Barry McGuire & the Doctor/Shag/Clover (Sat only replaces Shag) (Friday-Sunday)
October 27, 1969 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA Osceola/Occultist/Phoenix/ Heavy Water/Beefy Red "Peoples Night" (Monday) Cusp Party of Libra and Scorpio
October 29, 1969 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA Johnny Mars Blues Band/The Womb "American Indian Well Baby Clinic" [Celebration of the Mended Spirit] (Wednesday)
October 30, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: "Minstrel Night" Golden Toad/Dr Humbead's New Tranquility String Band (Thursday)
Halloween Weekend 1969: Loma Prieta Room, San Jose State and Family Dog on The Great Highway (Oct 31-Nov 2 '69) [FDGH V]Includes
October 31, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Danny Cox/Alan Watts/Golden Toad/Hells Angels Own Band (Friday)November 1-2, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Grateful Dead/Danny Cox/Golden Toad (Saturday-Sunday)
November 4, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Workshop with Family Circus/Rainbow Jam Sky/music by children of Mu (Tuesday)
November 5, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Family of Man-Family of God (Wednesday)
November 6, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Acoustic Strings Night/Pup Fisher/All God's Children (Thursday
The Grateful Dead entry for this weekend includes their Halloween show in San Jose, while the Hells Angels had some sort of party at the Dog.
Includes:
November 7-9, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Velvet Underground/Danny Cox/John Adams (Sat-Sun only)/Maximum Speed Limit (Friday-Sunday)November 11, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Mellotime Review (Tuesday)
November 12, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Anonymous Artists of America "own axe night" (Wednesday)
Includes
includesNovember 14-16, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Apple Jam/Osceola/Canterbury Fair (Friday-Sunday)
November 18, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: New Riders of The Purple Sage (Tuesday)
November 19, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Benefit with Steve Miller Band/New Riders of The Purple Sage/Barry McGuire and The Doctor/Humble, Mumble, Fumble and Dumble (formerly Big Brother and The Holding Company) (Wednesday)
November 20, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: It's A Beautiful Day/Richmond Symphony/New Tranquility String Band (Thursday)
November 21, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Anonymous Artists of America/Devil's Kitchen (Friday)
November 22-23, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: New Riders of The Purple Sage/Anonymous Artists of America/Devil's Kitchen (Saturday-Sunday)November 25, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Conspiracy Of Media (Tuesday)
November 26, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Film Orgy (Wednesday)
November 27, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Cleveland Wrecking Company/New Riders of The Purple Sage/Lamb/Deacon and The Suprelles/East Bay Sharks/Pitschell Players/Morning Glory Theater Free City Puppet Ball (Thursday)
November 28-30, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks/Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (Friday)/Floating Bridge (Saturday-Sunday)/Dr. Humbead's New Tranquility String Band/Vern & Ray (Friday-Sunday)
December 12-14, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Canned Heat/Rhythm Dukes/Bob McPharlin (Friday-Sunday)
December 26-28, 1969 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Lonnie Mack/Osceola/AB Skhy/Lambert & Nuttycombe (Friday-Sunday)
January 9-10, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Chambers Brothers and Friends [FDGH '70 I]
includes
January 2-4, 1970, Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Osceola/Cleveland Wrecking Company/Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen (Fri-Sat)/Devil's Kitchen/Mendelbaum (Sun only) (Friday-Sunday)
January 5, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Monday Night Class
January 8, 1970 audition (Thursday)
January 11, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Jam with 5 bands (Sunday)
January 30-31, 1970: Grateful Dead/Family Dog Merger (Not To Be) [FDGH VI]
February 3, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead (Lost and Found) [FDGH VII]
It
now appears that the Dead and the Airplane played the Family Dog on
February 3. Was this a rehearsal for the PBS Special on February 4--in
which case there were two shows--or was the date wrong?
includes Monday February 9-Stephen Gaskin (from Feb 15 onwards, Gaskin moves to the Cliff House)
includes
April 10-12, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Albert Collins/Rhythm Dukes/AB Skhy
May 1-24, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: various shows [FDGH '70 XVI]
includes
May 1-3, 1970 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Big Brother and the Holding Company/Aum/Back Yard Mamas/Lambert & Nuttycombe (Friday-Sunday)
May 8-10, 1970 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen/Osceola/Southern Comfort (Friday-Sunday)
May 15-16, 1970 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Big Mama Thornton/Sandy Bull/Mendlebaum/Doug McKecnenie and His Moog Synthesizer (Friday-Saturday)
May 22-24, 1970 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Shorty Featuring Georgie Fame,/Jerry Hahn Brotherhood/Fourth Way (Friday-Sunday)
includes
May 29-31, 1970 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Indian Music Festival featuring Ali Akbar Khan, Indranil Bhattacharya, Zakir Hussain (Friday-Sunday)
June 7, 1970 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: The One Festival (Sunday)
June 13, 1970 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: First Anniversary at the Beach Party (Saturday)
June 17, 1970 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Michael Bloomfield & Marin Music Band/Charles Musselwhite Blues Band/Sandy Bull St Jacques Benefit for the Porcupine Family Inc drug treatment program (Wednesday)
June 19-21, 1970 Family Dog on the Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Flying Burrito Brothers/Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys/Rhythm Dukes with Bill Champlin and Jerry Miller (Friday-Sunday)
June 23-25, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: 12 bands (Tuesday-Thursday)
June 27, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Krishna festival dinner (Sunday)
includes
July 2, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: The Kinks/Beggars Opera (Thursday)
includes
July 24-26, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Indian Puddin' & Pipe/Tripsichord/Phanangawang (Friday-Sunday)
July 27, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: AC Bhaktivendanta Swami (Monday)
July 31-August 2, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Youngbloods/Joy Of Cooking/Jeffery Cain (Friday-Sunday)
includes
August 14-16, 1970 Family Dog on The Great highway, San Francisco, CA: It's A Beautiful Day/Elvin Bishop Group/Sawbuck (Friday-Sunday)
August 21-22, 1970 Family Dog on The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Quicksilver Messenger Service/Robert Savage Group/Backyard Mamas (Friday-Saturday)
660 Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Friends And Relations Hall 1971-72 (after The Family Dog, FDGH Part 50)
Although the Family Dog On The Great Highway folded in August 1970, the ballroom remained open for two more years. I document all the known shows at 660 Great Highway until it was torn down in 1972.
Previously Published Posts
Some of these posts are over a decade old, but a few have Comment threads worth reading (particularly the Grateful Dead ones)
August 13, 1969 Family Dog On The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: New Riders Of The Purple Sage/New Lost City Ramblers
There's a chance this was either actually August 12 or August 19, but that is discussed above.
August 22-23-24, 1969 Fillmore West/Family Dog, San Francisco--Wild West 'Makeup' Shows
August 28, 1969 Family Dog On The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Mickey Hart and The Hartbeats
660 Great Highway, San Francisco September 4, 1969 The Playland Girls Of 1969
February 4, 1970 Family Dog On The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Jefferson Airplane/Grateful Dead/Santana/Kimberly
A KQED-tv special is filmed on a Wednesday night at the Dog.
April
17-19, 1970 Family Dog On The Great Highway, San Francisco, CA: Mickey
Hart and The Hartbeats/Bobby Ace And The Cards Off The Bottom Of The
Deck/Charlie Musselwhite/New Riders Of The Purple Sage
Some reflections on the context of a (then) newly discovered acoustic Dead tape.
Posts
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