Rockin' and Rollin' at the California Jam! Quiz

Answer: The Ontario Motor Speedway (Ontario, CA.)

While the Ontario Motor Speedway, designed much like the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track, held several important Formula car races from 1970 to 1980, it will probably be remembered primarily for hosting the California Jam events in 1974 and 1978. What I remember the most in the beginning of the event was the traffic.

As I recall, it took about four hours or more to get from the 10 freeway to the parking lot, which was only a few miles. A lot of people just parked along the road and walked. I remember that parking wasn't much of a problem when we finally got there, but there was a mass of people just walking around waiting to get in. I don't think I realized at the time just how many people were going to be there, but I would soon get an education.

Answer: Rare Earth

With several solid hits in their discography, including "Get Ready", "Hey, Big Brother" and "I Just Want to Celebrate", and featuring Peter Rivera on lead vocals and drums, Rare Earth opened the Jam at around 10:00 am. It is my understanding that the band still tours to this day, but with only one original member (Gil Bridges; sax and vocals).

It's interesting that CalJam actually had two bands with a drummer/lead singer, if you count Don Henley with the Eagles. Unfortunately, I was nowhere near the stage when Rare Earth began their set (and wouldn't be for several more hours), so I never saw them perform (although I did hear them fairly well through the speaker towers). By now, I had forgotten about the ordeal getting to the parking lot, as we were more concerned about keeping our group together in the middle of a mass of humanity. I wouldn't know until later how large the audience really was, but I certainly knew by now I wasn't going to spend my first concert alone.

Answer: Earth, Wind & Fire

While I have the utmost respect for Earth, Wind and Fire now, I have to admit that at the time, my heart was not broken due to not being able to see their set (although I do remember be-bopping to their music while being lost in the crowds). Being the old-school (ha-ha) rock 'n roller that I was in 1974, I would have been completely happy if Black Oak, Deep Purple, and Sabbath had just alternated sets back and forth all day long.

However, with that being said, it is my understanding that the band had a great performance, and really got the crowd movin' and shakin'.

Answer: Jackson Browne

In all honesty, I have no idea which song or songs Browne performed with the Eagles, as I didn't get to see them on stage either (still too far away, but getting closer). Somehow, I had the idea stuck in my mind that the Eagles' set was after Seals and Crofts, not before. I guess I assumed that since (in my humble opinion) the Eagles were the "bigger" band, they would follow Seals and Crofts on the bill, and obviously I assumed (again) that the CalJam promoters would feel the same way as well, and act accordingly. I was not a Jackson Browne fan at the time (I didn't even know he was on the stage until a few days later), but I did want to see the Eagles up close and personal. Easily my biggest disappointment of the event, and I maintained an irrational resentment towards Seals and Crofts for quite some time afterwards. (I eventually got over it... well, somewhat.)

Answer: Black Oak Arkansas

Ruby Starr (1949-1995) toured and recorded with Black Oak Arkansas for several years prior to CalJam, and would tour later that year (1974) with her band Grey Ghost. Her vocals are probably the most well known on the Black Oak single "Jim Dandy". Ruby passed away on January 14, 1995, after being diagnosed with cancer.

By the time Black Oak came on for their set, I was close enough to the stage to actually see what was going on. Having been separated from my buddies during the Seals and Crofts/Eagles fiasco, I was going solo from this point on. There are quite a few YouTube videos of CalJam performances, many shots taken from the stage overlooking the crowd. To the performer's right is a tall speaker tower; I was a little further to the right of the tower (left of the tower from my perspective) during Black Oak's set, although I would eventually get a little closer and more center stage for Sabbath, Purple, and ELP. Great set by Black Oak and Ruby; by now I was used to the crowds and really getting into the show.

Answer: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

"Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" was released in November, 1973 to positive (for a change) reviews, and Black Sabbath began their world tour supporting the album in January, 1974. Being a huge Sabbath and Purple fan (still am), for me this was what the entire gig was about.

The hors d'oeuvres were a done deal (Seals and Crofts still leaving a slightly bitter aftertaste. Yeah, yeah, get over it already!), Black Oak had just served up a fantastic salad, but now it was time for the two main courses, with maybe a little Brain Salad Surgery from ELP for dessert. I would later have the opportunity to see Sabbath twice more (in '76 for the "Sabotage" tour, and in '80 with Dio), but there is nothing quite like the first time. By now I was more center stage (still around the tower, though) and had a pretty good view. I would get a little closer for Purple and ELP, but not much, but hey! It was all good, and I even struck up a nice conversation (more like a shouting match) with a couple of young ladies next to me who were going absolutely ballistic over Ozzy and Tony. What more can I say...? Oh yeah, an excellent performance by Sabbath!

Answer: Ritchie Blackmore set his amps on fire, causing a massive explosion.

I learned much later that Blackmore became extremely irritated (ya think?) at the camera crews for getting in the way of his performance, which was the main reason he basically blew up the stage. At the time, however, I really thought it was part of the show. I never got the impression that he was getting that angry. The cameras certainly didn't take much away from Ritchie's performance that I could tell, because his guitar work was excellent, and it was a really good live set.

CalJam was one of the first gigs by Deep Purple to feature the new Mark III lineup of David Coverdale on lead vocals and Glen Hughes on bass/vocals (replacing Ian Gillan and Roger Glover), as well as the live performances of cuts off of the "Burn" album (released only two months before). Actually, if I'm not mistaken, this show was Coverdale's first stage appearance in the U.S. I thought "Burn" was a good album and a great song (well, maybe not quite as good as "Machine Head" or "Highway Star", but what album by Purple was?), and I felt the band did a very good job playing live. I probably would have preferred Gillan and Glover back with the band (not to take anything away from Coverdale, but I always felt Hughes' screaming to be a little over the top); overall, a great show! (I gotta admit, I did love that explosion!)

Answer: Keith Emerson played piano while spinning in the air end over end.

Although I was not a huge ELP fan (at least compared to Sabbath and Purple) before CalJam, my opinion of them improved with every song during their set. Just an excellent live band. I didn't have any expectations of their show being particularly exciting or visual (compared to, say Alice Cooper or Kiss, both who I would see in the near future), and I really did not think they could top Deep Purple's impromptu pyrotechnics, but who knew that a keyboard player would have such a rowdy streak in him? Seeing Keith Emerson spinning in the air end over end without missing a note was simply amazing! Add Greg Lake's superb vocals and one of the world's premier rock drummers in Carl Palmer, and you've got yourself a show! Needless to say, I went out and bought "Trilogy", and "Tarkus" within days of the concert (I already had "Brain Salad Surgery"). Simply put, a "Right On" performance to end the event. (No, I didn't get invited up onstage. I figured the guys couldn't see me very well with all the stage lights shining in their eyes.)

Answer: A large rainbow

That's pretty much it, just a large multi-colored rainbow stretching over the stage. (I figure it wouldn't be much of a rainbow if it wasn't multi-colored.) However, the main reason I added this question to the quiz is that several years later I was struck with the similarity of this logo and Ritchie Blackmore's "Rainbow" logo he used onstage during that band's live shows (as well as album covers). I always wondered if he got the idea for the band's name from the CalJam performance.

Answer: All of these are correct

While the official attendance at CalJam (over 200,000) was considerably less than Woodstock and the other festivals (each well over 300,000), the Jam set the record at the time for the "largest single-day paid attendance in U.S. rock-concert history", with 168,000 tickets sold. Either by design, or because of gate-crashing, a great many of the fans at the other shows did not pay to see the performances. The California Jam actually grossed over two million dollars, unheard of at the time. Later reports also credited the event with contributing over $7 million to local businesses. The official Woodstock reports listed few serious acts of violence (compared to the infamous Altamont/Hells Angels incident), but recorded two fatalities. Four fatalities were recorded during the Altamont festival, and one at Watkins Glen. All in all, the California Jam is remembered by those of us who were there as a well-organized, extremely crowded, mostly mellow historical rock 'n roll event with some kick-butt bands. Within four years, CalJam 2 would set up shop at the Speedway, and I was there for that one as well! More on that later.

Quote referenced from CaliforniaJam.com

Author's note: If there are any CalJam (1 or 2) "survivors" out there that would care to drop a line to share memories or experiences, please do! I'd love to hear from you. Thanks again for playing, please rate the quiz if you have time, and "Viva la Rock 'n Roll"!