On April 24, 1968, Johnny Cash played at the Carousel Ballroom in San Francisco (which is now home to an immersive Van Gogh exhibit). The show took place the year he kicked a drug habit, recorded a live album at Folsom Prison and married June Carter. It was one of the "most creative years of his life," according to his son, John Carter Cash. The Carousel Ballroom concert was recorded by legendary audio engineer and "clandestine" LSD chemist Owsley Stanley (aka "Bear") and was lost to time until now. There are no known photos or film of the event but a magnetic audio tape has been unearthed. KPIX shares the story.
If you'd like a copy of this recording, or want to see what other of "Bear's Sonic Journals" have been (or will be) digitized and saved from obscurity, head to the Owsley Stanley Foundation site.
The "Save The Music!" campaign seeks to raise money to enable the digitization, preservation, and release of Bear's Sonic Journals, a trove of over a thousand live concert recordings from the heart of the psychedelic era. Donations are much appreciated, and are in fact essential to our ability to preserve and release future recordings!
image via Owsley Stanley Foundation
