John Morris was an event organizer among those who put together the original Woodstock music festival in 1969 and later worked with such artists as Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, David Bowie (1947–2016), and Tina Turner (1939–2023).
- Died: November 10, 2023 (Who else died on November 10?)
- Details of death: Died in Santa Fe, New Mexico, of complications from COPD at the age of 84.
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John Morris’s legacy
Morris cut his teeth on getting events and productions together when he studied theater at Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh and worked as a lighting director on Broadway. However, rock ‘n roll beckoned, so he moved to the west coast and began working as a concert promoter in San Francisco. There, he teamed up with Bill Graham and the pair worked with such artists as the Doors and the Grateful Dead. He was responsible for bringing Jefferson Airplane to the east coast for the first time, and he produced shows for Janis Joplin (1943–1970), B.B. King (1925–2015), and other artists.
His success drew the attention of the group trying to put together a music festival in upstate New York that would become Woodstock. Morris helped book Joe Cocker (1944–2014), Santana, Jimi Hendrix (1942–1970), the Who, and others. He also served as the head of production and was the event’s de facto MC, making many of the now famous stage announcements during the three-day affair. He is featured in the 1970 documentary, “Woodstock,” informing the crowd that it had turned into a free concert.
Morris continued to work as a promoter through the 1990s, working with such legendary acts as Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Tina Turner, Paul McCartney, and Frank Zappa (1940–1993).
On making announcements at the Woodstock festival:
“You can see me in that film announcing and coming as close to a nervous breakdown as humanly possible.” —from a 2017 interview in the Malibu Times
Tributes to John Morris
Full obituary: The Los Angeles Times
