Iguana Lounge Presents 1968 1/24

Sunday January 24, 5-7pm
Iguana Lounge: upstairs at 240 W. 54th St. (between Broadway and Eighth)

David Nathan Scott--lead vocals
Ronica Reddick and Felicia Hudson--backing vocals

Tim Kiah--electric bass
Steve Singer--drums
ShelDon Forrest--electric keyboard, musical direction

Music by Aretha Franklin, The Beatles, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, Nino Rota, Marvin Gaye, Mary Hopkin, Tom Jones, Donovan, Stevie Wonder, The Rascals, Blood Sweat and Tears, Galt MacDermott, Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, Todd Rundgren, Jimi Hendrix, Burt Bacharach, Sly and the Family Stone, Harry Nilsson, Jimmy Webb, The Bee Gees, Hugh Masekela, and Simon and Garfunkel!

$20 cover, no minimum.
Full Mexican menu and full bar, including 26 flavors of margaritas, available.
Reservation #: 212-765-5454
www.iguananyc.com

Background on 1968:
1968 was the year of the Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy assassinations, the Tet Offensive and the My Lai Massacre, the antics of Abbey Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, & Tom Hayden at the Democratic Convention in Chicago, Eartha Kitt protesting the war at the White House, of the student takeovers of Columbia University in New York and the Sorbonne in Paris, "Les Evenements" and Danny the Red, the shooting of Andy Warhol by Valerie Solanas (The Society to Cut up Men) at the Factory, the Prague Spring (which we've seen dramatized in "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"), the Mexico City Olympics and the police massacre of student protestors there, the year LBJ decided not to seek re-election, and Nixon won the Presidency. It was the first year Earth was photographed from space.

Galt McDermott's "HAIR" and Burt Bacharach's"Promises Promises" were on Broadway (and "Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living In Paris" off-Broadway), Mel Brooks' "The Producers," Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby," Zefirelli's "Romeo and Juliet," (score by Nino Rota), the original "Planet of the Apes" with Charlton Heston, "The Lion in Winter" with Katherine Hepburn, "Night of the Living Dead," "Funny Girl" with Barbara Streisand, Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple," Roger Vadim's "Barbarella" with Jane Fonda, "Destroy All Monsters," The Monkee's "Head," the Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" and Kubrick's "2001 a Space Odyssey" were in the cinemas. Simon and Garfunkel released "The Graduate Soundtrack" with their hit "Mrs. Robinson." "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" was launched as a TV series.

In music, it was the year of the Beatles' "White Album" and "Hey Jude" single, George Harrison recording the first Beatle solo outing in Bombay for the film "Wonderwall," and Lennon and Ono's "Two Virgins." Aretha Franklin recorded "Lady Soul" and performed in Paris. The Rolling Stones left their psychedelic experiment of "Satanic Majesties" to record "Beggar's Banquet," and hosted the "Rock and Roll Circus." Bob Dylan performed at the Woody Guthrie Memorial concert at Carnegie Hall and wrote "Lay Lady Lay" for the film "Midnight Cowboy." Elvis Presley did a "Comeback Special." Laura Nyro relased "Eli and the Thirteenth Confession." Wendy Carlos gave us our first exposure to baroque synthesizer in "Switched on Bach," and Mason Williams played "Classical Gas." Hugh Masekela took us "Grazing in the Grass." Serge Gainsbourg and Brigitte Bardot were "Bonnie and Clyde" and recorded the first version of "Je t'aime...moi non plus." Marvin Gaye sang duets with Tammi Terrell. Johnny Cash performed his famous concert at Folsom Prison, and then married June Carter.

Careers that were launched with debut albums in that incredible musical year included: Joni Mitchell, Fleetwood Mac, Dr. John, Deep Purple, James Taylor, Neil Young, Randy Newman, Steve Miller Band, Taj Mahal, Jethro Tull, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Steppenwolf, Blood Sweat and Tears, the Jeff Beck Group, The Band, Fairport Convention, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Move, Pentangle, The MC5, The Soft Machine, Can, Os Mutantes, Spirit, Blue Cheer, Free, and Tiny Tim. Van Morrison made his first intentional recording, "AstrAl Weeks."

Rock bands Yes, Rush, King Crimson, and Black Sabbath had their earliest formations. Syd Barrett left Pink Floyd. Janis Joplin left Big Brother. Key members of Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds and the Hollies got together and started singing as Crosby Stills and Nash. (Stephen Stills was dating Judy Collins.) And four English gentlemen led by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant toured as the New Yardbirds, performing and recording the songs that would be released as "Led Zeppelin I" the following year.

 

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