The victorious progress of the « Super Pop Montreux » in 1970 welcoming the following concerts in town:

Black Sabbath: is an English band from Birmingham. The band line up is Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Terence "Geezer" Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums) Black Sabbath remains a dominant influence in the genre they help create. When the musicians start roaming around end of 1960, many mention that they are the incarnation of the devil. In fact, it is the starting of a new musical current called later Heavy Metal.

Led Zeppelin, on October 22nd, 1969, the band releases the Led Zepplin II album with advance orders of 400,000. Commercially, Led Zeppelin II is the band's first album to hit #1 in the U.S., temporarily knocking The Beatles' Abbey Road from the top spot. Its blend of Blues, Folk and eastern influences with distorted amplification makes it one of the pivotal records in the creation of Heavy Metal music. However, Plant comments that it is unfair for people to typecast the band as Heavy Metal, since about a third of their music is acoustic. Led Zeppelin's album cover meets an interesting protest when, at a February 28th, 1970 gig in Copenhagen, the band is billed as The Nobs, in honour of Claude Nobs the boss of the Montreux Jazz Festival, as the result of a threat of legal action from aristocrat Eva von Zeppelin (a relative of the creator of the Zeppelin aircraft), who, upon seeing the logo of the Hindenburg crashing in flames, threatens to have the show pulled off the air. Claude Nobs invites Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham to Montreux, on March 7th and 8th, 1970, for the second Super Pop Montreux Festival. The walls of the Casino building are vibrating for the first - but not the last time! Go to special section

Canned Heat is a Blues-Rock/Boogie band, formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The importance of the group lies not only with its Blues-based music, but with its efforts to reintroduce and revive the careers of some of the great old Bluesmen, and its improvisational abilities. The band is led by Alan Blind Owl Wilson (guitar, harmonica, vocals) and Bob Hite (The Bear) (vocals, harmonica). The original line up includes Keith Sawyer on drums, Mike Perlowin on lead guitar and Stuart Brotman on bass. Mike Perlowin is soon replaced by Kenny Edwards who in turn is followed by Henry Vestine (a.k.a Sunflower, an ex-member of Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention). Larry Taylor (The Mole) (best known up until then as the Monkees session bassist), is the studio bassist, (joining full time through 1970), along with drummer Frank Cook for the first album. Guitarist Harvey Mandel tours with the band extensively through the late 1960s.

Joan Baez, born in Staten Island, New York in 1941, is subjected to racial slurs and discrimination in her own childhood because of her Mexican heritage and features. She becomes involved with a variety of social causes early in her career, including civil rights and non-violence. She is sometimes jailed for her protests. Joan Baez marries David Harris, a Vietnam draft protestor, in 1968, and he’s in jail for most of the years of their marriage. Early in her career, Joan Baez stresses historical Folk songs, adding political songs to her repertoire during the 1960s. Later, she adds country songs and more mainstream popular music, though always including many songs with political messages. She supports such organizations as Amnesty International and Humanitas International.

Taste, Rory Gallagher forms his first band in Cork, Ireland, when he’s only 13. Then he establishes Taste in 1966, with Eric Kitteringham (bass) and Norman Damery (drums). In 1968 Rory forms his new version of Taste with Richard McCracken (bass) and John Wilson (drums). Taste move to London; it plays at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970 and in Montreux.

Cactus is a relatively short lived band. The original line-up stays together only 3 short years and produces only three albums, Cactus, OneWay...Or Another and Restrictions. But that doesn't mean that its music is forgotten, nor is it mediocre! The original members come from very popular bands at the time. Tim Bogert (bass) and Carmine Appice (drums), both come from The Vanilla Fudge. Jim McCarty (guitar) comes from Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheel. And last but not least, Rusty Day (vocals) is with Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes. One could say that this is sort of an early 70's super group! Its brand of hard driving Boogie based Blues Rock is never duplicated with any proficiency.

Ginger Baker Air Force, Baker gains fame as a member of the Graham Bond Organization (GBO) and Cream, from 1966 until 1968. He later joins Cream band mate Eric Clapton along with Ric Grech and Steve Winwood in the 1969 group Blind Faith. Baker's drumming attracts attention for its flamboyance, showmanship, and his pioneering use of two bass drums instead of the conventional single kick drum. He is also noted for using a variety of other percussion instruments, and for his application of African rhythms to much of his drumming. In the early 1970s, Baker tours and records with a Jazz-Rock fusion band, the Ginger Baker's Air Force. They do a stop in Montreux.

Brian Auger Oblivion Express does a great come back after the 1969 gig in Montreux.


Pink Floyd: Claude Nobs gets the band over to Montreux for 4’000 $, and the November 21st concert at the Casino is very quickly sold out.. A second show is then organised the next day, November 22nd. Pink Floyd has a moderate mainstream success and is one of the most popular bands in the London underground music scene in the late 1960s - a psychedelic band led by Syd Barrett; however, Barrett's erratic behaviour eventually forces his colleagues to replace him with guitarist and singer David Gilmour. After Barrett's departure, singer and bass player Roger Waters gradually becomes the dominant and driving force in the mid-1970s. They are known for philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative cover art, and elaborate live shows. The Ummagumma double album (1969) is a mix of live recordings and unchecked studio experimentation by the band members, with each recording half a side of a vinyl as a solo project. With this album, Pink Floyd discarded its Underground pretensions and moderated its psychedelic sound for a more conventional Rock sound. Great opportunities for the audience to experience various tracks of this album live at the Montreux Casino!  

Mungo Jerry is a Folk/classic Rock group fronted by Ray Dorset (vocals), whose greatest success is in the early 1970s. It is remembered above all for its classic hit In the Summertime. Mungo Jerry is famous for the early skiffle-sound of the band, but the great success of its 30 million-seller In the Summertime covers that the band also is a Blues-Rock-band (without drums until 1972). It is the only band which is able to place Blues songs in the charts. Mungo Jerry is Colin Earl (keyboards), Paul King (guitar,banjo), Mike Cole (bass) and Joe Rush (percussions)

Black Widow is a progressive Rock/Heavy Metal band formed in Leicester, England, in September 1969. The band is mostly known for its early use of satanic and occult imagery in its music and stage act. The band is often confused with the better-known Heavy Metal band Black Sabbath, but the bands are only superficially similar. Perhaps better known than its music is the band's use of occult references in its music and their live performances, which are more controversial with the mock sacrifice of a nude woman. The band attracts further controversy by consulting infamous witch Alex Sanders for advice.

And some other bands Freedom, Zoo...also play in Montreux.
July 3rd, unfortunately, only 600 people are present for both the concerts of Duke Ellington’s Big Orchestra.
This year is strucked by Jimi Hendrix’s death. And Jimmy Hendrix is precisely due to play in Montreux in December!