Love Valley Rock Festival…1970

Today is the 44th anniversary of this Rock Festival at Love Valley.

What a festival this was and what a town it still is. It happened in Love Valley North Carolina. The headliners were The Allman Brothers who at that time only had one album out and were largely unknown to the masses. This huge festival was soon known as Woodstock South.  Between 100,000-200,000 showed up.

A man named Andy Barker always wanted to live in a western town. When he was 29 years old he bought some land in 1954 and moved his family there. The land was in Iredell County and he he built the town and it was chartered in 1963. It has a saloon, hitching posts, a small church, and more. No cars are allowed in town…you can walk or ride a horse through.

It’s the place for riding horses, rodeos, and hiking trails with 2000 acres to cover. The population of Love Valley is right now at 96. Through the years it seems to stay around 100.

Love Valley: The Town Where Cars Aren't Allowed, Only HorsesLove Valley, NC - Town With No Cars, Only Horses

In 1969 Andy’s daughter Tonda wanted to go to Woodstock but he thought she was too young. So he asked her and her 16-year-old brother Jet Barker to organize a festive concert in Love Valley. While in college she had worked with an entertainment coordinator at college and knew the ropes. She managed to secure the Allman Brothers Band who at the time were known in the south but that is about it. They also got some more local bands to fill it out…it was a large bill. It took place Thursday, July 16-18, 1970.

One interesting thing that happened was that the Hell’s Angels and Outlaws showed up to battle each other. According to witnesses, Andy Barker stopped them, confiscated a chain and ax from each, and told them there would be no trouble there. They seemed to respect this man because after that the gangs dispersed and some camped out with no reported trouble. The festival went off without any major hitch.

Tonda: “It was perfect, it was like a dream. We had worked so hard and we could finally just sit down and enjoy it.”

Andy planned to make a documentary of it but it didn’t happen. All we have to look at is some grainy footage but that grainy footage shows Duane Allman a year before At Fillmore East was released. They were finishing up their second album Idlewild South at this time. Some very nice bootlegs are out there from their multiple sets.

Along with the Allman Brothers, the lineup consisted of these bands: Big Brother and the Holding Company (without Janis), Radar, Peace Core, Wet Willie, Johnny Jenkins, Tony Joe White, Hampton Grease Band, Donnydale, Catfish Freedom, Sundown, Chakra, Hot Rain, Kallabash, Warm Stone Blind, Captain John’s Fishmarket. There were over 40 bands over that weekend.

Some like Wet Willie would go on to have a few hits. Tony Joe White had a top ten hit with Polk Salad Annie the year before.

Ed Buzzell was a UPI stringer and took these photographs...they are amazing. They don’t show many bands…just the people…you feel like you are there.

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

28 thoughts on “Love Valley Rock Festival…1970”

    1. No we wont… they had built a grass roots audience in New York to the south….and their new one was coming out…you should see their early tours…it’s like throwing darts at a map.

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  6. The spring/summer of 1970 was pretty amazing – festivals like this all over the country – big name acts mixed in with local bands. My brother’s band appeared on the same bill with the Grateful Dead. Taj Mahal, Chuck Berry, and Paul Butterfield all played the other festival near here.

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    1. Yea they had such a grass roots audience…people came from everywhere to see them…just an awesome turn out…look down in the comments and one guy from one of the bands there commented.

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  8. All that was missing was Andy and Opie, and maybe Aunt Bee. That must have been a strange occourance for the folks in North Carolina, much like being invaded by aliens. Those early festivals were mostly peaceful ..everyone was zoned and eating Ding Dongs. That was some good talent. Wonder what happened to Big Brother without Janis? Did they trudge on? Good read, Max.

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    1. I would have loved to have seen this although I was only 3… that photograph link at the bottom is pretty cool. It’s like you are in that time…which I’m sure you remember well.

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      1. Max, unlike many of my old musician coharts that say ” if you remember the 60s you weren’t there” I do remember them, and very well. I was not a drugged out Zombie ( apologies to the band) like my buds were, so I have all that worthless information stored in my 74 year old brain, not that it will ever make me a dime. Your post, harking back to “in the day” are always entertaining. You must spend a lot of time searching for this stuff, and it is greatly appreciated by many of your readers
        ( you know the ones).

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      2. Thanks Phil… I found this one in an Allman Brothers book…not a festival that is really on the map but it looked fantastic. Hey that is great that you do remember!

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