San Rafael, CA – Renowned for presenting world-class music, the Marin County Fair has announced a stellar lineup of bands every night of the fair from June 30 through July 4. All concerts are free with the price of fair admission.
The fair, themed Let the Funshine In, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love and emphasize Marin’s dedication to the things we value most in our community: family, art, agriculture and the environment. In 1967, the Summer of Love kicked-off with a two-day concert on Mount Tamalpais called the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival. This summer’s Marin County Fair will celebrate that 1967 spirit with music, art, fashion and more featuring tie-dye and macramé competitions, flower power horticulture, groovy/psychedelic and abstract art and photography, and daily ‘60s fashion parades. As always, there are carnival rides, free concerts and fireworks every night.
The concert lineup:
Friday, June 30, 7:30 p.m. – Ann Wilson of Heart
As a songwriter and lyricist, Ann Wilson is the creative talent behind hits such as “Crazy on You,” “Barracuda,” “Magic Man,” “Dog & Butterfly,” “Straight On,” “Even it Up,” and many more Heart favorites. However, her greatest gift is the powerful voice that helped Heart earn induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. Ever since the debut album Dreamboat Annie was released in 1976, Ann has performed worldwide with her sister, guitarist Nancy Wilson, and Heart bandmates. Now Ann is touring with a new band and doing something she's always dreamed of: stretching out as a singer performing songs outside of the Heart-shaped box.
Saturday, July 1, 3 p.m. – Willie K
Bring your aloha spirit and witness one of Hawaii’s most versatile talents. Willie K is a guitar virtuoso who’s been referred to as the Hawaiian Jimi Hendrix. He can float between soft and beautiful Hawaiian music on the ukulele to a bluesy-sweet slack key guitar to searing Stratocaster-inspired rock to smooth and sultry jazz. Born Willie Kahaialii, he grew up on Maui as the son of a prominent musician and joining his father and brothers on stage. Known affectionately as Uncle Willie in the islands, he has built a reputation as one of the foremost practitioners of native Hawaiian music over the years. He truly is one of “da kine.”
Saturday, July 1, 7:30 p.m. – The 5th Dimension
One of America’s most celebrated vocal groups, the 5th Dimension scored a trove of hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s with its “champagne soul” sound. The group garnered seven Grammys, more than 25 million in sales, and 22 Top 40 hits. Five songs reached No. 1 on the charts:, “Up, Up and Away,” “Wedding Bell Blues,” “One Less Bell to Answer,” “Last Night I Didn’t Get To Sleep At All” and the iconic “Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In.” Lead-singer and original member Florence LaRue, who rose to fame from her humble beginnings in the Philadelphia suburbs, is one of entertainment’s classiest performers.
Sunday, July 2, 7:30 p.m. – The Commodores
The Commodores have been a force in the funk/soul/R&B industry since shortly after forming as college freshmen at the Tuskegee Institute in 1967. Just like their hit song “Brick House,” the Alabama-bred Commodores built a foundation of hits after Motown guru Berry Gordy discovered them and had them open for the Jackson 5 in 1971. “Easy,” “Sail On,” “Just to be Close to You,” “Three Times a Lady” and “Still” are just a few of the reasons why they sold 60 million records. In 1986, after singer Lionel Richie left the group, the band earned a Grammy for “Night Shift.” Their vast catalog includes more than 50 albums.
Sunday, July 2, 3 p.m. –The Liberators
In the 1980s and ‘90s, award-winning Marin Independent Journal columnist and music historian Paul Liberatore played with his band, the Liberators, at the Marin County Fair — several times on small stages and, finally, as the opening act for Clarence Clemons and his Red Bank Rockers on the fair’s main stage. Liberatore revived the band in 2014 with guitarist-singer Jimmy Dillon, keyboardist-singer Austin deLone, drummer Kevin Hayes and bassist Erik McCann. Liberatore and Dillon have created a multimedia show celebrating the San Francisco Sound featuring contemporary interpretations of classic songs by the Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and other bands from the psychedelic era.
Monday, July 3, 7:30 p.m. – UB40
Original UB40 members Ali Campbell, Mickey Virtue and Astro helped to define reggae music for a generation. The multi-racial English band, formed in 1979 near Birmingham, pooled diverse influences to form a fresh, indigenous slant on Jamaican roots reggae. After encouragement from the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, UB40 recorded its debut album and went on to dominate music charts around the world. Covers of Neil Diamond’s “Red Red Wine,” Elvis Presley’s “(I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You” and Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe” helped clear a path for originals such as “If It Happens Again” and “Here I Am (Come and Take Me).”
Tuesday, July 4, 7:30 p.m. – The Happy Together Tour
Get ready for the biggest songs of the ‘60s performed by six headline artists with 53 Billboard hits among them. The incomparable lineup includes hosts, The Turtles Featuring Flo & Eddie, The Association, Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), The Box Tops, The Cowsills and The Archies starring Ron Dante. The Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie are the signature headliners of the Happy Together Tour and act as the musical hosts with their crazy antics, satire and the voices of Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, known as Flo & Eddie. The Turtles’ hits include “Happy Together,” “She’d Rather Be With Me,” “Elenore,” “It Ain’t Me Babe” and “You Showed Me.”
Tuesday, July 4, 3 p.m. – Sons of Champlin
As hometown favorites from the Summer of Love era, the Marin-bred Sons of Champlin built a reputation as a group of R&B and jazz musicians far above the caliber of the electrified folk-rockers who formed the core of the scene. The Sons started in 1965 in Marin, rising from the wreckage of the Opposite Six, a locally popular R&B band from the pre-Beatle era. “Six” members Bill Champlin and Tim Cain then added guitarist Terry Haggerty and a rhythm section before growing to a seven-piece band by 1967. The Sons’ horn section, philosophical themes and complex arrangements set them apart from the guitar-dominated bands playing the San Francisco ballrooms at the time.
Join us, tune in, turn on and Let the Funshine In! Learn more at www.marinfair.org.