1969 was a year of turmoil, tragedy, and certainly plenty of war protests.  But there were some highlights, too — man’s first steps on the moon, Woodstock, and the debut of “Sesame Street” on PBS!  It was also a major turning point for Progressive “Art Rock” as the U.S. opened its doors to some of Europe’s most creative musical outfits.

Bands like Argent, Spooky Tooth, Can, Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and the super-group Blind Faith dotted the Progressive FM airwaves, opening up our minds and our hearts to deeper artistic compositions.  Thank you so much U.K. and also to the rest of Europe!

In 1969:

• Minimum wage in the U.S. was $1.60 per hour
• The average annual income was only $8,547
• A new car set you back $3,278
• You could build a new house for $15,525
• A loaf of bread was 23 cents
• A full-service gallon of gas was only 35 cents
• First Class U.S. postage was just 6 cents

1969 World News Headlines:

• The British Parliament voted and end to Capital Punishment
• Charles de Gaulle stepped down as President of France
• The French-British Concorde made its first test flight
• Australian Rod Laver won his second tennis Grand Slam

1969 U.S. News Headlines:

• The U.S. spacecraft “Eagle” landed on the moon
• Richard Nixon was inaugurated as the 37th U.S. president
• Former President Dwight Eisenhower died at the age of 78
• Thousands attended the Woodstock Music Festival in New York
• Cyclamates were banned as an artificial sweetener
• The “Saturday Evening Post” magazine ceased publishing after 141 years

TV shows debuting in 1969:  Hawaii Five-O, The Mod Squad, Adam-12, The Brady Bunch, Love American Style, The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Room 222, Marcus Welby MD, The Benny Hill Show, HR Pufnstuf, and Sesame Street!

Favorite movies from 1969:  Goodbye Columbus, The Sterile Cuckoo, Sweet Charity, Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, The Magic Christian, Alice’s Restaurant, The Love Bug, Hello Dolly!, Paint Your Wagon, True Grit, Bambi Meets Godzilla, The Italian Job, Easy Rider, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, The Wild Bunch, and Midnight Cowboy.

Check out the great music from 1969 on-the-air right now on both Live365 and TuneIn apps!

So who were some of the new musical artists you discovered back in 1969?  Plus, we’d love to hear your feedback and any comments about our show.

Thanks so much for listening!

– Fred