Ultimate Guitar found a list that alledgedly shows how much the musical acts at Woodstock made for performing that summer of '69. Jimi Hendrix got paid the most, $18,000, which seems a pittance by today's standards, but would equate to $115,000 in today's dollars, adjusted for inflation, still a very low sum.
Beside the low talent fees, the other intesting tidbit about the list is how some major rock stars and bands got paid less than acts that turned out to have little longevity or musical legs. Santana was tied for 25th best paid, out of 29 total acts. He got paid just $750, only $50 more than Sha Na Na. Joan Baez earned the third most money at Woodstock, but her music just didn't age well and sounds dated. The Who was paid the 10th most, only $6,250, just $250 more than Richie Havens.
Of course, this was 1969. I can't honestly tell you that this cash heirarchy is all wrong. Some of these bands with less musical longevity may have been more popular than newer acts like Santana. Still, it's weird to see Canned Heat (tied for 9th most pay – $6,500) getting paid as much as The Grateful Dead, Mountain, Joe Cocker and Santana did COMBINED.
Doc Watson
