Where Are They Now? The Iconic Woodstock Couple

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By: Allison Ford (View Profile)

In 1969, Joan Bryant was a twenty-two-year-old college student with a husband and two children, but a photo of her at Woodstock would be remembered as one of the festival’s—and the decade’s—most enduring images.

Joan traveled with a friend from her home in Bloomington, Indiana to New York’s Catskill Mountains, and although her friend had a ticket, Joan decided to risk going without one. Because it was the first major rock festival, “I knew it was going to be historic,” she says. When they arrived, having a ticket ended up being irrelevant, as the drowsy farm was flooded with half a million people—no ticket-takers in sight.

Even between the scheduled acts, music abounded. “There were people jamming and playing instruments in the crowd,” Joan says. During one of these impromptu sessions, she bumped into a very distinctive friend, a musician named Fantuzzi. “He stood out on the street,” she says, “because he only wore a loincloth.” When they saw each other, they both began dancing, and the moment was captured by rock photographer Jim Marshall. His photo of the pair was featured in a 1969 issue of Life Magazine.

Afterward, Joan returned to her family and her self-described “hippie” lifestyle, until 1994, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the legendary festival. “A friend said to me, ‘Have you seen Newsweek? Your picture is on it!’” Sure enough, the iconic picture was on the cover, and Joan ended up fielding interview requests from people all over the world who wanted to know the story of the exuberant girl in the picture. Woodstock’s fortieth anniversary has brought the photo back into the spotlight yet again.

Joan no longer considers herself a true hippie, but she still tries to live out some of the ideals of the time. “I try to serve people, be compassionate and loving,” she says, “because those are characteristics true to that spirit.” Now a resident of Southern California, she’s run her own business for twenty-six years, first in Malibu and now in Newbury Park. Her boutique, Indiana Joan’s, sells women’s clothing, accessories, and gifts, some of which she makes herself by hand. Her favorite performance at Woodstock was Jefferson Airplane, and Joan says, “Years later, [lead singer] Grace Slick became my customer. How cool is that?”

As for Fantuzzi, she says, “He’s still the same, although he probably wears more clothes now.” The most recent photo of them was taken in 1994 at his birthday party in Los Angeles. The times, though, have definitely changed, and since then, Joan says they’ve relied on a decidedly more modern way to rekindle their friendship. “Recently, I’ve reconnected with him on Facebook.”

Iconic Woodstock Couple Keeps Festival Spirit Alive

Forty years after the legendary festival in Bethel, N.Y., a photo of two lovebirds taken at Woodstock has become an iconic symbol of love. Having only met three months prior, the picture captures a young couple -- Nick and Bobbi Ercoline, both now 60 -- embracing underneath a dirty blanket, surrounded by exhausted concertgoers. To the Ercolines' surprise, the image became the cover of the 'Woodstock' album in 1970 and was featured on posters for the subsequent documentary film.

What resonates most about the photo is that it speaks to what many Woodstock veterans consider to be the true meaning of the festival -- not just music but a movement of peace, love and unity. In a recent interview with Spinner, Woodstock performer Richie Havens cited a Martin Luther King Jr. speech, saying "It's not him or him or him, it's all of us or nothing. That was our thing, that's what we went against the war with."

The couple themselves acknowledge the social significance of the now legendary picture. "It's an honest representation of a generation. When we look at that photo ... I see our generation," Nick told the NY Daily News.

Original Santana percussionist Michael Carabello witnessed firsthand how his generation came together for three days in 1969. "It was about the music and it was about everything else, but it was more about us getting along." Noting the hectic and exhausting nature of the festival (as evidenced by the background of the photo), Carabello told Spinner, "You know, you get so absorbed in it you just don't want to hear it anymore, you forget about it, so the only thing you can do is become a family. You just help one another out."

Certainly Woodstock has been romanticized over the years, but for many, the image of Nick and Bobbi wrapped in a blanket represents exactly what Carabello is talking about.

What's more, the couple has been together ever since.

Woodstock's Michael Lang Seeking Sponsors For 2009 Festival In New York City

Gary Graff, Austin, TX Michael Lang said plans for a 40th anniversary Woodstock concert are "all speculative ideas" for now, but he hopes to bring them to reality this summer. The Woodstock co-founder told Billboard.com that his vision is "a free event...a very green project," possibly in New York City. "We want to have as small a carbon imprint as we can and use as many green techniques as we can," said Lang, who was in Austin as part of a South By Southwest panel discussion about Woodstock. The holdup? "It's got to be sponsor-driven," he explained. "It's free, but it costs a lot of money. That's kind of what we're in the middle of right now. Depending on how successful we are in raising that sponsorship (money) will determine when and how we do this event – or if we do this event, frankly." He added that reports of a concurrent Woodstock festival in Berlin, possibly at Tempelhof airport, were "premature" but "still is kind of a thought." Lang said that musically a 2009 Woodstock would go "back to its roots...There would be a lot of legacy bands – the Who, Santana, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Joe Cocker maybe. And it would be people like Steve Earle and Ben Harper. There's certainly room for the (Red Hot) Chili Peppers and Dave Matthews...That would be the shape of the music." The Chili Peppers, of course, closed the ill-fated 30th anniversary concert in 1999, which was marred by complaints about the facilities, food and water prices and ended with a fiery riot. But Lang said he was confident that the Woodstock brand was not permanently damaged. "I think it always hearkens back to the '69 event, somehow," he said. "When people think [of Woodstock] they don't think '99 or '94. They think [of] the '69 event. I think [1999] has its ramifications, but I don't think it did any real damage in that sense." With or without concerts, Woodstock's 40th will be celebrated with an array of projects this year. Lang has written a book in collaboration with Holly George-Warren that will be published in August. He's also working on a VH1 documentary with Barbara Koppel. On June 9, meanwhile, Warner Home Video will release a four-hour director's cut of the "Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music" film featuring 18 new performances – including some from five groups (Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Grateful Dead, Johnny Winter, Mountain and the Paul Butterfield Blues Band) that did not appear in the original film. Rhino Recods will roll out new albums of Woodstock performances. Director Ang Lee has made "Taking Woodstock," a feature film about the real estate agent who helped the 1969 festival move to Bethel, N.Y., after losing permission to hold it in nearby Walkill.

The 27 Club: Musicians Who Died At The Age of 27

Kurt Cobain once quoted Neil Young who said “it’s better to burn out than to fade away” and then he (allegedly) shot himself in the face. Kurt, who would have turned 42 this coming Friday, is part of the unlucky group of musicians who died at the tender age of 27 when their careers were still in bloom (oh, bad pun). As homage to the Nirvana frontman, we take a scroll through memory lane and honor the five greatest musicians who are part of the cursed 27 club; May they rest in peace.

Jimi Hendrix – The Jimi Hendrix Experience (died 1970)

There was nothing about Jimi Hendrix that didn’t stick out; from his flamboyant outfits, to his left-handed guitar or his use of amp overdrive. After being turned down by The Rolling Stones, Jimi was introduced to Chas Chandler via Keith Richard’s girlfriend. They went on to form The Jimi Hendrix Experience a rock band that would revolutionize the genre forever. In 1969, he headlined the biggest music festival of all time, Woodstock. One year later, Jimi Hendrix was found dead after overdosing on pills and drowning in his own vomit (Asphyxiation).

Brian Jones – The Rolling Stones (died 1969)

Brian Jones was the founder of a little known band named The Rolling Stones. While on the phone to secure a gig with a venue owner, Brian came up with the name “Rollin(g) Stones” by reading it off an album that was laying around. Their music consisted mostly of R&B covers and it wasn’t until Andrew Loog Oldham joined that they began shifting their focus to newer, more original material. This transition reduced Jones' role in the band which was further accelerated with his drug habit and alcohol abuse. He became alienated from The Rolling Stones and eventually, he was no longer a member of the band he helped form. One month later, he was found face down in his swimming pool.

Janis Joplin – Big Brother and The Holding Company (died 1970)

Janis’ big break came in 1966 when she became the lead vocalist of the psychedelic hippie rock band, Big Brother and The Holding Company. She was renowned for her strong powerful vocals during a male dominated rock era. Janis Joplin performed at Woodstock after having several shots of heroin and being highly inebriated. In 1970, she flew to Brazil where she cleaned up her act and remained sober for a while. She would later return to the US where her drug habits would resurface and ultimately, get the better of her as she died from an apparent heroin overdose in October 1970.

Jim Morrison – The Doors (died 1971)

Jim Morrison was a poet, a writer, a filmmaker and of course, the lead singer for the rock band, The Doors. Controversy surrounded The Doos when they were asked to perform on the Ed Sullivan show. Fearing that the lyric “Girl We Couldn’t Get Higher” was too risqué for television, Ed Sullivan requested that the band modify the sentence to be more TV friendly to which they agreed. When they played, Jim proceeded with original wording which infuriated Ed Sullivan. The Doors had great success in the late 60s but Jim Morrison started to get out of control. He was constantly drugged or drunk and would oftentimes show up late for live performances. In 1971, he moved to Paris and a few months later, Jim Morrison was found dead in his apartment. The circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear as an autopsy was never performed.

Kurt Cobain – Nirvana (died 1994)

We began with a left-handed guitarist, so it’s only fitting that we end with one as well. In an era where rock music was all about long hair and leather jackets, Kurt Cobain sported short hair and wore flannel clothing. Nirvana became an overnight success when they took Michael Jackson off the number one slot in the Billboard music charts with their smash hit, Smells Like Teen Spirit. Grunge music would go on to flood the radio airwaves throughout the early nineties. In 1992, Cobain wed the equally unorthodox Courtney Love with whom they had daughter Frances Bean Cobain. In 1993, Nirvana, known for their grungy loud music, were approached by MTV and asked to perform a quieter, more intimate acoustic set. Kurt Cobain’s emotional performance in “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” still sends chills down our spines.