Glastonbury Festival organiser Michael Eavis has today been collecting his CBE from Liz Windsor the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Eavis has been awarded the CBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for "services to music", having first held 'Worthy Farm Pop Festival' for around 1,500 people the day after Jimi Hendrix's death in 1970, with The Kinks advertised as headlining, and Wayne Fontana, "and at least SIX OTHER GROUPS !!", all for £1 including free milk.
With The Kinks 'Lola' out at the time they cancelled, and Marc Bolan and T Rex were booked instead. Michael Eavis has said* "I met Marc Bolan halfway down Muddy Lane. He didn't look too pleased going down the bumpy track in his big American car. He went on to play what I swear to this day was the best set I've ever seen at Worthy Farm. I owed him £500, which I didn't have, but he was very good about it and I paid him off £100 a month from the milk cheque." Other acts to perform included Al Stewart, Quintessence, Amazing Blondel, Sam Apple Pie, Steamhammer, Ian Anderson, Duster Bennet, and Keith Christmas, as well as local blues and folk bands.
Michael Eavis in 1970
The ticket said "Dependant on the size of the audience, possibility of "unorganised" jam session: if audience is large enough to warrant it, some bands may be asked to perform again on the Sunday." From such humble beginnings, the festival has expanded to entertain 175,000 people (though estimates put the numbers at the 1995 festival at around 300,000) on over 30 stages.
Glastonbury Festival 2008 will take place from Friday 27th to Sunday 29th June, with the gates opening on Wednesday 25th. Early rumours of who might play include Kylie, Muse, The Verve, Massive Attack, Reverend & the Makers, Seasick Steve, and The Pipes and Drums of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, but not Led Zeppelin - when eFestivals asked Michael if he'd booked them he said they were too expensive. Details on how to purchase Glastonbury tickets are expected to be announced early in the new year.
* quote from 'Glastonbury A Very English Fair' by George McKay.
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