One year after the famous Woodstock rock concert and festival, attention turned to the tiny town of Wadena, Iowa. There, another rock festival was taking place in a farm field west of town, drawing around 40,000 fans 50 years ago. The concert, on July 31 through Aug. 2, 1970, drew acts such as Little Richard, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Hot Tuna, Mason Proffit, Poco, The Chambers Brothers and one-time Iowans, the Every Brothers.
Rock music and pop culture aficionados are aware that Iowa is an airplane crashed near Clear Lake and killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P “The Big Bopper” Richardson, along with pilot Roger Peterson. The Everly Brothers grew up in Shenandoah and the Des Moines area-based is home for the shock band Slipknot.
What else ties rock and roll to Iowa? This short quiz has your answers.
Wadena Rock Festival photos republished with permission © 2015 Iowa SourceMedia Group, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
