Sweetwater was an American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band originally from

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. They were the act scheduled to open the

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

festival in 1969; however, due to being stuck in traffic folksinger

Richie Havens Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk, soul (both of which he frequently covered), and rhythm and blues. He had a rhythmic guitar style ...

' trio (Daniel Ben Zebulon, percussion, Paul "Deano" Williams, guitar, backing vocals) performed first. Sweetwater was eventually flown in to Woodstock by helicopter and performed next, becoming the first band to perform at the festival.

History

The original members of the band were Nancy "Nansi" Nevins (lead vocals/guitar), August Burns (cello), Albert Moore (flute/backing vocals), Alan Malarowitz (drums), Elpidio Cobian (

conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

), Alex Del Zoppo (keyboards) and Fred Herrera (bass). The band originally formed to perform in local coffee houses in Los Angeles until being signed to a major label. Sweetwater were early developers of the

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

fusion style that was popularized by

Jefferson Airplane Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band based in San Francisco, California, that became one of the pioneering bands of psychedelic rock. Formed in 1965, the group defined the San Francisco Sound and was the first from the Bay Area to ac ...

to be regarded as the archetypical "60s Sound". In 1968–69, the band often toured with

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

. They were also one of the opening acts for

The Animals The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...

in 1968. One of their best-known recordings is a version of the traditional folk song "

Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child", also "Motherless Child", is a traditional Spiritual. It dates back to the era of slavery in the United States. An early performance of the song was in the 1870s by the Fisk Jubilee Singers. "Blue Ge ...

". It appeared on their debut album, '' Sweetwater'', the band's only album to chart nationally in the U.S. As the band progressed, they developed music more toward the

psychedelic folk Psychedelic folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelic music, psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of contemporary folk music, folk, but adds musical el ...

genre. Three days after Sweetwater performed on ''

The Red Skelton Show ''The Red Skelton Show'' is an American television comedy/variety show that aired from 1951 to 1971. In the decade prior to hosting the show, Richard "Red" Skelton had a successful career as a radio and motion pictures star. Although his televi ...

, Dec. 30, 1969'', singer Nansi Nevins was severely injured when the car she was traveling in was struck by a drunk driver. She suffered a brain injury which left her in a coma for 10 days, and she suffered damage to one of her vocal cords as a result of the tracheotomy performed to save her life. Nansi would never again complete a full album with the band, although she still had some recordings prepared for the next two albums. For several years, there was a widespread but unfounded belief that

Beverly Bivens Beverly (Bev) Ann Bivens is the former the lead singer of the American West Coast folk rock group We Five from 1965 to 1967. Since 2021 she has been the original band’s last surviving member. After her marriage to jazz musician Fred Marshall ...

, formerly of the West Coast group

We Five We Five was a 1960s folk rock musical group based in San Francisco, California. Their best-known hit was their 1965 remake of Ian & Sylvia's " You Were on My Mind", which reached No. 1 on the Cashbox chart, #3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and ...

, had died in a car accident. It is thought that confusion over names (Bivens/Nevins) may have contributed to this rumor. The group reunited for

Woodstock '94 Woodstock '94 was an American music festival held in 1994 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original Woodstock festival of 1969. It was promoted as "2 More Days of Peace and Music". The poster used to promote the first concert was r ...

in 1994 with three original members - Nevins, Herrera and Del Zoppo. August Burns died after contracting pneumonia while being treated in a German hospital for injuries he suffered after falling out of a construction elevator in 1979, Alan Malarowitz was killed in a car crash in 1981, Albert Moore died of lung cancer in 1994. Elpidio Cobian works as an underwater welder in the movie industry. In 1999, the band's story was depicted in a VH1 TV-movie ''Sweetwater: A True Rock Story''.

Amy Jo Johnson Amy Jo Johnson (born October 6, 1970) is an American actress, musician and filmmaker. As an actress, Johnson is known for her roles as Kimberly Hart on ''Mighty Morphin Power Rangers'', Julie Emrick on '' Felicity'', and Jules Callaghan on ' ...

portrayed Nansi Nevins and

Michelle Phillips Michelle may refer to: People *Michelle (name), a given name and surname, the feminine form of Michael * Michelle Courtens, Dutch singer, performing as "Michelle" * Michelle (German singer) * Michelle (Scottish singer) (born 1980), Scottish ...

portrayed the older Nancy.

Discography

Sweetwater discography

*'' Sweetwater'' (1968) *''Just for You'' (1970) *''Melon'' (1971) *''Cycles: The Reprise Collection'' (1999) - (Individually numbered limited edition of 10,000 copies) *''Live At Last'' (2002)

Nancy Nevins' solo discography

*''Nancy Nevins'' (1975)

References

External links

Official Sweetwater WebsiteSweetwater album at Collector's Choice Music''Sweetwater: A True Rock Story'' at Internet Movie Database
{{Authority control Rock music groups from California Musical groups from Los Angeles Musical groups established in 1968