From the archives:




Owed money by the Stones; can’t get no satisfaction

By John L. Wasserman
March 5, 2015




Mick Jagger at the ill-fated Altamont concert in 1969.



The Bay Area Medical Committee for Human Rights is currently circulating an open letter accusing the Rolling Stones of refusing to honor a debt of $1,500 for “free medical care … supplies and equipment” donated to the casualties of that ill-fated 1969 concert in the dry grass hills of the East Bay.


“Even the Hell’s Angels were paid, but the people’s medical committee was ripped off,” the letter states, continuing that a Stones lawyer, Peter Parcher, “deemed the request for payment “low priority.” The Medical Committee concludes that “We’re broke and unable to keep providing the health education and medical services that many of you have taken for granted.” They advocate a “deluge of letters to the Stones and boycott of their record and concerts.

Sam Cutler, who is listed in the letter as “the manager of the Rolling Stones” (at the time), is held responsible for the original commitment. Reached in San Rafael, where he is now involved with the various Grateful Dead family bands, Cutler says, “I suspect I may have okayed the $1,500, on the assumption that the band would pay it. But I have not been employed by the Stones since that time and have no way to get the money for the Medical Committee. They’re like the Plaza Hotel rent-a-car agencies, travel agencies … during that tour the Stones just didn’t pay people. A bunch of hoods were in charge.” Cutler paused. “The Stones are not in the habit of paying people. I worked for them for months and they didn’t even pay me what had been agreed to.”

News and Events of the Day: The United Farmworkers’ benefit last Sunday was a great success. Azteca, Cal Tjader, Luis Gasca, Vince Guaraldi, La Familia and Dakila played for more than 4,000 people outdoors in Cal’s Greek Theatre. The $10,000 raised will go to farm workers’ medical clinics and legal services …

Sri Chinmoy, the Indian yogi and guru, considered a “divine being” by disciples including guitarists Carlos Santana and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, will host a “public meditation” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the First Unitarian Center, Franklin and Geary. The Santana-McLaughlin album on Columbia is due out next month, according to McLaughlin.

Sleazy Little One-Liners: More than 32,000 tickets had been sold by last Tuesday for next Saturday’s Led Zeppelin concert at Kezar Stadium. More are available … pianist and novelist Don Asher’s biography of Hampton Hawes will be published in about a year by Coward, McCann & Georghegan … Leon Russell will play the giant Ontario Motor Speedway in August, under the aegis of Bill Graham. The proposed Grateful Dead-Allman Brothers-Waylon Jennings hoopla at the same location was cancelled …

Cedric Hardman, mammoth defensive end for the ’49ers, is currently hustling records for Warner Brothers … Sergio Mendes will open eight Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Brazil next month … The United States constitutes 55 per cent of the world record-buying market … a particularly interesting jazz concert featuring bassist Mel Graves, pianists Denny Zeitlin and Mike Nock, drummer George Marsh, guitarist Jim Vincent and a chamber ensemble transpires at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. today at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music …

One reason why the Venetian Room charged a $10-$12 cover charge for Johnny Mathis: The 27-piece band cost the hotel $17,000 for the 10-day gig.

Why blues people sing the blues: Muddy Waters, one of the immortals and a man whose influence on rock and roll is almost incalculable, played two nights at Winterland last weekend for a total of $1,500. Headlining Hot Tuna got $10,000.

This column originally appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle on May 27, 1973.


http://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/article/Owed-money-by-the-Stones-can-t-...