Held in 1967 on June 16, 17 and 18, the Monterey International Pop Festival was the first major rock festival (preceding Woodstock by two years), drawing hundreds of thousands of people together. Almost every aspect of it was a “first,” including the diversity of the lineup which not only blended all ethnicities but crossed several musical boundaries including rock, pop, jazz, soul, R&B, psychedelia, folk and classical music. The festival was also one of the first to pair established stars like Simon & Garfunkel and The Byrds with relative unknowns at the time such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who. All of the participating artists performed gratis, donating their fees to charity, which ultimately resulted in the creation of The Monterey International Pop Festival Foundation (MIPFF), a non-profit charitable and educational organization empowering music-related personal development, creativity and mental and physical health. The festival and original recordings were produced by renowned music producer Lou Adler and The Mamas and The Papas’ John Phillips.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the festival, a series of events will take place over the next few months. These events kicked off with a screening of the film, Monterey Pop, at this year’s South by Southwest conference which was preceded by a panel featuring Lou Adler, Andrew Loog Oldham and The Mamas And The Papas’ Michelle Phillips. In addition, there will be a special exhibit at The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and a Hollywood RockWalk induction ceremony. VH1 is also creating a documentary about the festival to air on the June 16th anniversary

MONTEREY INTERNATIONAL POP FESTIVAL track listing:
DISC ONE:
1. Along Comes Mary – The Association
2. San Franciscan Nights – Eric Burdon & The Animals
3. Homeward Bound – Simon & Garfunkel*
4. Sounds Of Silence – Simon & Garfunkel*
5. Down On Me – Big Brother & The Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin
6. Ball And Chain – Big Brother & The Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin
7. Section 43 – Country Joe & The Fish
8. Born In Chicago – The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
9. Wine – The Electric Flag
10. Bajabula Bonke (Healing Song) – Hugh Masekela
11. Chimes Of Freedom – The Byrds
12. So You Wanna Be A Rock ‘n’ Roll Star – The Byrds