Woodstock’s Forgotten Man
It’s Aug. 11, and so we begin the week every year when TV and radio stations celebrate the anniversary of Woodstock, the near-mythical music festival that took place on Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, New York, in 1969. They’ll reach into the archives and dust off the stories they ran last year and the year before. They’ll trot out David Crosby and Joni Mitchell to do the obligatory interviews and lament the passing of Richie Havens and Jimi Hendrix.
This blog is about Bert Sommer, a guy you’ve probably never heard of who gave what is regarded as the best performance on the first day of Woodstock. I’ll tell you a little about him and try to draw a leadership lesson from my musings.
Five years ago, Jim Fusilli, the Wall Street Journal’s terrific rock music critic, wrote an article titled Woodstock’s Forgotten Man and called Bert Sommer “the lost bard of Woodstock.”
It’s often said, “If you remember Woodstock, you weren’t there.” Mr. Sommer was there, he remembered and he was pissed that no one else did. He was just 20 years old when he performed his critically acclaimed 10-song set. Music critic Fusilli singles out his rendition of the song “Jennifer” as Sommer at his best.
Unfortunately for Mr. Sommer, none of his songs was included on any of the Woodstock albums, nor were they included in the movie. To add insult to injury, his name was omitted from the original plaque commemorating the site of the festival.
Andy Warhol said that each of us eventually gets our 15 minutes of fame. In addition to performing at Woodstock, Sommer originated the role of Woof in the Broadway production of “Hair.” His big, bushy Afro was the inspiration for the poster and playbill cover art for the show. Seems to me he had an extra 15 minutes by the time he was 20 years old.
According to Mr. Fusilli, Mr. Sommer never got over the disappointment of the lack of recognition for his role in one of rock’s most important cultural events, or for the lost opportunity to capitalize on that recognition.
Is there a lesson 21st century leaders can learn from a kid who performed at a rock concert 45 years ago?I think so.
Effective leaders are indifferent to setbacks. They know they can’t undo what’s done so they don’t dwell on what’s past. Their focus is on the future and what they intend to achieve going forward.
Bert Sommer died 24 years ago, on July 23, 1990. I wonder if he went to his grave still bummed over not being recognized for his Woodstock performance. If that’s the case, I feel bad for him. Apparently he didn’t understand the difference between success and fulfillment; I suppose you have to live to be at least 50 to appreciate that.