Artie in 1969 at Woodstock

In 1969 at the tender age of 26, Artie Kornfeld helped raise Woodstock from a pipe dream to the world’s largest peaceful gathering and the defining moment of his generation. You can say that Woodstock '69 was Artie's "Citizen Kane".

Woodstock in 1969 is widely regarded as one of the greatest moments in popular music history and was listed on Rolling Stone's 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock and Roll. The event was captured in a successful 1970 documentary movie, Woodstock and an accompanying soundtrack album; Joni Mitchell's song "Woodstock", which commemorated the event became a major hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Artie is now known worldwide as “The Father of Woodstock”, the name was given to him by the Woodstock Preservation Alliance.

How Woodstock Happened? In 1968, Artie was Capitol Records' East Coast Vice President of Artists and Repertoire, the record label of the Beatles. He helped sign the Band, Debbie Harry’s first group and other acts to the label; he also assisted Paul McCartney in setting up the Beatles' Apple Records; he hung out with Frank Zappa and had a "drug friendship" with Jimi Hendrix. Artie was standing on his desk one day sucking on a hash pipe when his secretary told him there was a Michael Lang to see him. Lang was from his Brooklyn neighborhood and was a musical aspirant who had run a Miami head shop and been involved in an abortive pop festival there. The two hit it off as friends, and Lang virtually moved in with Artie and his wife, Linda. The recollections of Artie and his Woodstock Ventures partners–Lang and money men Joel Rosenman and John Roberts–differ, but he recalls the idea for the festival to end all festivals arising as he, Linda and Lang were smoking some weed at the kitchen table one night. “I wanted to challenge the war in Vietnam, to show them how many of us there really were that didn’t want our brothers and sisters getting killed over a senseless war, with a president we knew was dishonest, with our civil liberties disappearing like crazy. Woodstock was our statement, that through music we were going to let them know how many rock ‘n’ roll babies there really were, that we were the future and the times were a-changin’. That was my agenda, that and, selfishly, I wanted to see all these great acts,” Artie said, laughing. Artie and Lang needed money to finance the concert. Their lawyer had seen an ad in the newspaper put out by Roberts and Rosenman, advertising in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal under the name of Challenge International, Ltd.: “Young men with unlimited capital looking for interesting, legitimate investment opportunities and business propositions. That is how Woodstock was initiated by the four muskateers Michael Lang, John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, and Artie Kornfeld. They formed a profit-making venture, aptly titled "Woodstock Ventures". The four men got together originally to discuss a retreat-like recording studio in Woodstock, but the idea evolved into an outdoor music and arts festival. Woodstock was a music festival, billed as An Aquarian Exposition, which took place at Max Yasgur's dairy farm in the rural town of Bethel, New York from August 15 to August 18, 1969. WOODSTOCK '69 turned out to be one of the world's largest and greatest cultural (counterculture) events of the 20th century. Attended by half a million people, the festival exemplified the counterculture of the late 1960s – early 1970s, known as the "hippie era". WOODSTOCK '69 had thirty-two of the best-known musicians of the day, including Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Janis Joplin, Santana, Grateful Dead, Joe Cocker, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young... The event was captured in a successful 1970 documentary movie, Woodstock, an accompanying soundtrack album, and Joni Mitchell's song "Woodstock", which commemorated the event and became a major hit for Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. There has been a few attempts to cash in on Woodstock '69 with other music festival, including Woodstock II and Woodstock III, but Artie Kornfeld was never involved with the organization of any of them. Artie proudly says he was not involved with Woodstock II or Woodstock III. Even Neil Young said, "other music festivals were not the same, without Artie Kornfeld..." The Woodstock Preservation Alliance acknowledged that Artie Kornfeld was the soul of Woodstock by naming him the "Father of Woodstock"...

Before Woodstock, Artie got his start in the music industry, after a record executive heard a demo he had made and signed him to a songwriting contract. Within six months, four of Kornfeld’s compositions were on the Billboard charts, performed by such groups as the Angels, as a follow-up to their hit "My Boyfriend’s Back", Wayne Newton and the Shirelles. In 1963, he was sent out to L.A. to write with Jan Berry of Jan & Dean, with the notable result being the car crash classic, "Dead Man’s Curve".

Along with writing songs for others, Artie had his own brief stint as a pop star in 1965 and '66 when his group, the Changin' Times, had one of two hit versions of his song "Pied Piper". With that hit, Kornfeld toured the U.S. as an opening act for Sonny and Cher.

In the legal machinations that followed Woodstock, the partners split into factions, and none of them saw a fraction of the millions racked in by the subsequent movie and albums.

Artie went back to what he did best, composing, publishing, producing, managing, and promoting musicians. His forty years in the music business earned him over 100 platinum projects.

Now, Artie is living a clean life, with focus on meditation and a healthy lifestyle.

Here are some of the artists signed or promoted or developed by Artie Kornfeld:

Sheryl Crow Sarah McLachlan Jack Johnson Bruce Springsteen Tracy Chapman Melissa Etheridge Extreme Edie Brickell Vanilla Ice Kix Sass Jordan Nuclear Valdez Davy Jones

John Fogerty Santana Steve Perry Kiss Neil Young Bonnie Raitt Tom Petty Survivor Pink Floyd Aerosmith The Band Blondie

Alice Cooper Paul Cotton Michelle Shoked Joe Cocker ZZ Top Marshall Tucker Greg Allman Band Ratt Vixon Steel Heart Asia TNT

The Cowsills J. Giles Band Roger Miller Linda Ronstadt Alanis Morissette Lou Rawls Mandrill Jimmy Castor George Segal Tragically Hip April Wine Joe South

Queensryche Depeche Mode Quiet Riot Eddie Money Patti Griffin Triumph The Left Banke Bert Sommer Bob Seger Felony Billy Joel Wilson Phillips

The Spirit of Woodstock '69 returns with IMAGINE

After 40 years - since Woodstock '69, Artie Kornfeld is returning to help organize IMAGINE - a new "Woodstock for the WE Generation". IMAGINE is the only music festival like Woodstock '69 that Artie Kornfeld has been directly involve in organizing and promoting...

Artie Kornfeld put his heart and soul into creating Woodstock '69, as a way to end the Vietnam War, and to support civil rights. For IMAGINE, Artie Kornfeld is teaming up with green visionary Artist David Kam to make it another world changing event. Come join history!

Artie says, "we will unite four generations to bring back the spirit of Woodstock '69 to change the world from ME 2 WE. I believe that what we did at Woodstock in 1969 helped the civil rights movement, and eventually ended the Vietnam war; it also set the stage for Obama to be elected President of the United States and I am so proud of that".

Artie later became Vice President of Capital Records (East Coast Division), helping to write, and produced an astonishing 100 platinum records. He become friends with Jimi Hendrix, the Beatles, Frank Zappa, Blondie, Sonny and Cher and among other rock royalty... To learn more about Artie Kornfeld, click here

Artist David Kam also invited Michael Lang, the other original organizer of Woodstock '69 to join the team for IMAGINE, but he declined due to other commitments.

The John Lennon "Imagine" Connection

Aritie Kornfeld wrote songs for others and even had his own brief stint as a pop star in 1965 and ‘66 when his group, the Changin’ Times, had one of two hit versions of his song “Pied Piper,” a tune that John Lennon singled out as a favorite in interviews at the time. With that hit, Kornfeld toured the U.S. as an opening act for Sonny and Cher.

Years later, he had occasion to meet Lennon when they were using adjacent recording halls.

“I was in the restroom, leaning over the urinal snorting coke. Without his glasses on, Lennon couldn't’t see a thing, and all of a sudden I felt this wet stream running down the back of my leg. I turn around and go, ‘Oh, my God, John Lennon! And, by the way, you’re peeing on me.’

“He said, ‘Who are you?’ I identified myself, and he said, ‘I know you’ but didn't’t say anything about Woodstock. Instead, he told me that ‘Pied Piper’ was one of his favorite songs. That made me feel real good, because then, in the early ’70s, people only knew me as Artie Woodstock.”

By 1968, Kornfeld was Capitol Records’ East Coast Vice President of Artists and Repertoire, home of the Beatles. He assisted Paul McCartney in setting up the Beatles’ Apple Records and became good friends with Lennon near the end of his life...

Although John Lennon has passed away, but his dream lives on. Come join us dreamers for a chance to experience 2 days of Love and Music to Change the World.