"Follow Me, I'm the
Pied Piper" was a cover song by Crispian St. Peters (in 1965)
had more meaning than most realize to Artie. Back in the early days
of rock & roll he wrote those words & music (with Steve Duboff)
which at the time was a #1 record. The song playing in the background is the original 'lost' version
of Pied Piper recorded by Artie & Steve as "The Changin' Times" and the opening act for Sonny & Cher on their first nationwide tour featuring "I Got You Babe"! The tour was a wild experience.
Left to right is Steve Duboff, Artie Kornfeld with Sonny & Cher on tour
Artie (with flute) & Steve performing in 1965 from the video on YouTube
Years later when Artie first
met John Lennon, he would remark "I know you, you wrote Pied
Piper, that's one of my favorite songs". Artie’s vision for a dream of Woodstock came from his families passion for civil rights, equal rights, and his mother has a lifetime devotion for almost all liberal causes. She planted the seeds..and the rest is history.
The simple beginnings of
Rock & Roll changed everyone's tastes and values. Elvis Presley,
Little Richard, Buddy Holly and Fats Domino opened previously closed
doors to the southern roots of Rhythm & Blues. In 1955 Artie’s family moved to North Carolina. Artie was
at the right place at the right time attending a high school in North
Carolina. One night his father brought home a drunk black man to spend
the night and get himself together. It was a face that Artie recognized
immediately... Fats Domino! Artie had seen all the legends sing
live at the Charlotte Coliseum in North Carolina where he had a job
carrying soda bottles in big buckets of ice for concert goers... "At
13 years old it was like being paid to visit Rock & Roll Heaven".
You think you know the real
story behind Woodstock and the legends of Rock & Roll? Take this
trip with us for a fast paced journey into a sampling of some of the
greatest short stories from the man who was there from the beginning.
