On June 28, 1969, the genteel town of Bath staged a small concert that helped change the world: The Bath Festival Of Blues, hosted at the Bath Pavilion Recreation Ground.
Promoters Freddy and Wendy Bannister were a husband and wife team who had been putting on gigs at the Bath Pavilion – up-and-comers like The Beatles or Jimi Hendrix – were asked if they would put on a show “for the kids” on the recreational ground opposite the Pavilion in the centre of town. The Bath Festival Society had been accused of being elitist and wanted to give this new so-called ‘rock music’ a try.
