MC5 vs SRC? And the 1969 Detroit Pop Festival
What SRC singer Scott Richardson said back in '69
BY RICH TUPICA
DETROIT — Back when the Detroit Pop Festival was about to happen at Olympia Stadium, SRC (who helped mastermind it) was out promoting it to local papers. The lineup, which drew 16,000 people, was unreal:
The Amboy Dukes, Frijid Pink, The Frost, Früt of the Loom, H. P. & the Grass Route Movement, MC5, Plain Brown Wrapper, Savage Grace, The Bob Seger System, The Third Power, The Unrelated Segments, The Up, and Wilson Mower Pursuit, and more. Of course, SRC was also on the bill.
So what was the purpose of the fest? SRC lead singer Scott Richardson spoke on the subject days before it all went down at 5920 Grand River Avenue in Detroit.
“I don’t think anyone outside of Detroit realizes there is a whole musical thing here outside of Motown,” Richardson told the Detroit Free Press in their April 4, 1969, edition. “Our aim, and the aim of most Detroit musicians, is to let people know there is a different culture here. But to do this, all of the groups have to work together.”
While on the record with the Free Press, Richardson also used it as an opportunity to clear the air about the “rivalry” between his band and another local fixture.
“People think the SRC and the MC5 are big enemies. If a person is an MC5 fan, they automatically think they can’t like the SRC and vice-versa,” Richardson told Free Press music writer Mike Gormley. “People should back all groups. Every group or artist has something to give, and that should be recognized. When we get together with the MC5, their fans can’t understand why. They even get shocked. Why shouldn’t we see the MC5? We’re not enemies. We are friends.”
While we’re on the subject, if you haven’t heard SRC’s psych-pop classic “Black Sheep,” I highly suggest checking it out now. It’s a weird (and brilliant) dose of rock ‘n roll.
Read the full Detroit Free Press interview, written by Mike Gormley:
Detroit Pop Festival ad:
Olympia Stadium:
More on both SRC and the MC5 later… Subscribe for updates.