his summer, as usual, the Berkshire hills will come alive with the sound
of music, what with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood and numerous other
smaller groups presenting world-class performances in the European classical
tradition.
But for those whose taste in music tends toward something a little more
modern, a little more ethnic, a little more American, or a little more upbeat,
the pickings, as usual, will be a lot more slim. These days, the Berkshires
rarely swing, and they almost never rock. But it wasn't always this way.
In fact, for nearly thirty years, from 1950 to 1979, just down the road
from Tanglewood, was a place dedicated to the presentation and perpetuation
of the American -- particularly the African-American -- musical tradition.
Over the course of three decades, Music Inn presented hundreds of concerts,
many boasting the greatest names in jazz, folk, blues and rock music. Names
like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. Pete
Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez and Odetta. Billie Holiday, Mahalia Jackson, |
Sarah Vaughan and Ethel Waters. The Rev. Gary Davis, John Lee Hooker, Sonny
Terry and Brownie McGhee. The Modern Jazz Quartet, Coleman Hawkins, Miles
Davis and Thelonious Monk. Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Weather Report and
Dave Brubeck. Taj Mahal, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Marley and Muddy Waters. The Kinks,
the Byrds, the Eagles and America. Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Bonnie Raitt
and Van Morrison. All of these artists, and many, many more, performed at
Music Inn in Stockbridge.
The BerkshireWeb is pleased to reissue this article originally published
in Berkshire Magazine in the summer of 1995 about one of the most
legendary phenomenons of Berkshire musical history. With the arrival of
Mort Cooperman, Mass Moca, and the National Music Foundation in recent times,
it is interesting to ponder the past as we move toward the future.
We would like to thank Stephanie Barber, Seth Rogovoy, Clemens Kalischer,
Shirl Fowler and Lee Everett for their help in resurrecting this story.
Please see the note from Stephanie Barber
and J. Foster about their upcoming book about the Music Inn. |
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