Max Yasgur's Farm (1999)

Max B. Yasgur (December 15, 1919 – February 9, 1973) was an American farmer, best known as the owner of the dairy farm in Bethel, New York at which the Woodstock Music and Art Fair was held between August 15 and August 18, 1969.

Personal life and dairy farming[link]

Yasgur was born in New York City to Russian Jewish immigrants Samuel and Bella Yasgur.^[1] He was raised on the family's farm and attended New York University, studying real estate law. By the late 1960s, he was the largest milk producer in Sullivan County, New York.^[2] His farm had 650 cows, mostly Guernseys.^[3]

At the time of the festival in 1969, Yasgur was married and had a son and daughter. His son, Sam Yasgur, was an assistant district attorney in Manhattan at the time of Woodstock.

Woodstock Festival[link]

After area villages Saugerties (located about 40 miles (64 km) from Yasgur's farm) and Wallkill declined to provide a venue for the festival, Yasgur leased one of his farm's fields for a fee that festival sponsors said was $50,000.^[3] Soon afterward he began to receive both threatening and supporting phone calls.^[4] Some of the calls threatened to burn him out. However, the helpful calls outnumbered the threatening ones.^[3] Opposition to the festival began soon after the festival's relocation to Bethel was announced. Signs were erected around town, saying, "Stop Max's Hippie Music Festival. No 150,000 hippies here. Buy no milk."^[5]

Yasgur, a thin man who wore glasses, was 49 at the time of the festival and had a heart condition. He said at the time that he never expected the festival to be quite so big, but that "if the generation gap is to be closed, we older people have to do more than we have done."^[3]

Yasgur quickly established a rapport with the concert-goers, providing food at cost or for free. When he heard that some local residents were reportedly selling water to people coming to the concert, he put up a big sign at his big red barn on New York State Route 17B reading "Free Water." The New York Times reported that Yasgur "slammed a work-hardened fist on the table and demanded of some friends, 'How can anyone ask money for water?'" ^[3] Sam Yasgur recalled that "he told us to take every empty milk bottle from the plant, fill them with water and give them to the kids, and give away all the milk and milk products we had at the dairy." ^[6]

At the time of the concert, friends described Yasgur as an individualist, who was motivated as much by his principles as by the money.^[3] According to Sam Yasgur, his father agreed to rent the field to the festival organizers because it was a very wet year, which curtailed hay production. The income from the rental would offset the cost of purchasing thousands of bales of hay. However, Max Yasgur believed strongly in freedom of expression, and was angered by the hostility of some townspeople toward "anti-war hippies." It became for him a "cause."^[6]

On the third day of the festival just before Joe Cocker's early afternoon set, Yasgur addressed the crowd.

After Woodstock[link]

Many of his neighbors turned against him after the festival, and he was no longer welcome at the town general store, but he never regretted his decision to allow the concert on his farm.^[6] On January 7, 1970, he was sued by his neighbors for area property damage caused by the attendance of the "flower children". However, the damage to his own property was far more extensive and, over a year later, he received a $50,000 settlement to pay for the near-destruction of his dairy farm.^{[citation needed]} He refused to rent out his farm for a 1970 revival of the festival, saying "As far as I know, I'm going back to running a dairy farm." ^[4]

In 1971, Yasgur sold the 600-acre (2.4 km²) farm, and a year and a half later died in Florida of a heart attack at the age of 53.^[4] He was given a full-page obituary in Rolling Stone magazine, one of the few non-musicians to receive such an honor.^{[citation needed]}

In 1997, the site of the concert and 1,400 acres (5.7 km²) surrounding was purchased by Alan Gerry for the purpose of creating the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. In August 2007, the 103-acre (0.42 km²) parcel that contains Yasgur's former homestead was placed on the market for $8 million by its current owner, Roy Howard. The Woodstock site had been the locale of frequent reunions.^[7]

In popular culture[link]

Joni Mitchell's song 'Woodstock' (also covered by Eva Cassidy, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Ian Matthews, Richie Havens and Brooke Fraser) was also referring to 'Yasgur's Farm':

I came upon a child of God

He was walking along the road

And I asked him where are you going

This is what he told me

I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm

I'm going to join in a rock 'n' roll band

I'm going to camp out on the land

I'm going to try an' get my soul free...^[8]

In addition, Mountain (who were also at the festival) recorded a song shortly after the event entitled 'For Yasgur's Farm'.

The Shaw/Blades project with Tommy Shaw (Styx) and Jack Blades (Night Ranger) had a hit song^{[citation needed]}, "My Hallucination" off the "Hallucination" album, that also mentioned the farm: "In Yasgur's Farm a flower grows, where it stops nobody knows, I'm flyin'...."

The band Moon Safari has a song titled Yasgur's Farm on their album Blomljud

Yasgur is portrayed by Eugene Levy in Ang Lee's film Taking Woodstock.

Sam Yasgur wrote a book about his father, Max B. Yasgur: The Woodstock Festival’s Famous Farmer, in August 2009.^[9]

Quotes[link]

See also[link]

• Michael Eavis, the English farmer who has hosted the Glastonbury festival from 1970.

References[link]

• "The Woodstock Story: Max Yasgur"

External links[link]

• Sullivan County Democrat: Those Who Shaped History
• Sam Yasgur website
• Max Yasgur's Grave

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Charly Wingate (born May 21, 1978), better known as Max B, is an American rapper and songwriter from Harlem and is known for his original rap style of mumbled delivery, catchy sing-song choruses & hooks, and his energetic personality in interviews and videos.

In 2009, Max B began serving a 75-year prison sentence for charges of armed robbery, kidnapping, aggravated assault and murder.

Biography[link]

He was incarcerated on robbery charges from 1997 to 2005,^[1] He had come up with a second alias Biggaveli or Biggaveli denoting his belief that he is a combination of rappers: The Notorious B.I.G. ("Biggie Smalls"), Jay-Z ("Jigga") and Tupac Shakur ("Makaveli").^[2]

His manager Mike Bruno, whose name denotes his belief that he is a combination of boxers: Mike Tyson ("Mike") and Frank Bruno ("Bruno"), passed a demo along to Diplomats member Jim Jones in 2005, and Max B came to prominence through his affiliation with the Harlem collective The Diplomats, and with rappers Jim Jones and Cam'Ron in particular. In 2006 Jones formed the collective ByrdGang with Max B as a starring member.^[3] Fellow ByrdGang-member Stack Bundles was killed in 2007.^[4] Max B expressed the loss: "That was fucked up because the nigga Stacks was close to me, I ain't even gonna front. I was in jail at the time, so a nigga was sitting. A nigga learned to cope with that thing pretty well though, R.I.P. to Stacks. Shout out to my nigga, he played me all the joints he had. Man, that was my nigga."^[5]

Having gained release from his contract, he signed a three-album deal with a now out of business Boston based label in 2008.^[6][7] Preparations were underway for a debut album to be entitled Vigilante Season when in 2009 Max B was found guilty of involvement in a robbery which left a man dead.

Murder charges[link]

According to authorities, Max sent his ex-girlfriend, Gina Conway, and his stepbrother Kelvin Leerdam, in 2006 to rob two men in a Holiday Inn, in Fort Lee, Northern New Jersey. On September 22, 2006, Max's crew ambushed Allan "Jay" Plowden in room 408 and restrained him with duct tape, while awaiting Plowden's partner, David Taylor. Also in the room was Gissele Nieven. When Taylor arrived, he was immediately shot, point-blank, execution-style, in the head. He did not have any money on him.

The crew fled the scene, Plowden alerted the hotel front desk of the murder. When police entered the room, Plowden was caught trying to take $30,000 out of the room. Plowden was charged with money laundering and identity theft. A week later the duo Conway, Leerdam and coordinator Max B were apprehended and charged with the robbery.

On January 9, 2007 Max B was remanded to Bergen County Jail in New Jersey on a $2 million bail.^[8] Conway testified against Max B and Leerdam, in exchange for a 18 years sentence on armed robbery and manslaughter. Leerdam received a life term plus 35 years.

Conviction and appeal[link]

By June 6, 2009, he had been found guilty on 9 of 11 counts in the ongoing trial. ^[9] On June 9, he was found guilty of murder conspiracy and robbery charges and faced up to 75 years. He was to be sentenced in Bergen County on July 30.

In a statement, Gerald Saluti said:

“Max B would like to first thank all his family, friends and fans that have supported him plus Mula Ave throughout this trial. Please don’t give up on him at this point. Although the jury has spoken and Max has been convicted of felony murder, kidnapping, robbery and conspiracy a swift and successful appeal shall follow.”
“It is inconceivable that a jury could convict Max under the facts presented by the State. Even Gina Conway the State’s own witness testified that Max knew nothing of a robbery,” he stated. “Ms. Conway, a jilted lover and proven liar, said so at the trial itself. Max said after the verdict was read that he is confident that justice will eventually be served and he will be free.”
“Max intends to continue putting out music for his fans while the appeal process grinds along. Although shocked by the verdict, Max remained grateful,”

Max B was later sentenced to 75 years in prison on September 4, 2009.^[10] His mother, Sharon Wingate,and fellow rap artist said he plans to appeal his conviction. On March 19, 2010, Max B was granted an appeal with a new trial and lawyer.^[11]

On Feb 29th, rumors spread that Max's request for an appeal were denied, but it since has been cleared up as an internet/blog/twitter rumor.^[12]

Discography[link]

Albums

• March 21, 2011: Vigilante Season US #200

Mixtapes[link]

• Public Domain: Million Dollar Baby Radio (2006)
• Million Dollar Baby (2006)
• M.O.B.: Members Of Byrdgang (2006)
• Public Domain: The Prequel (2007)^[13]
• Members Of Byrdgang 2 (2007)
• Million Dollar Baby 2 (2008)
• Public Domain 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2008)
• Wavie Crockett: Return Of The Wave (2008)
• Public Domain 3: Domain Pain (2008)^[14][15]
• Max Payne (2008)
• Domain Diego^[16] (2008)
• Million Dollar Baby 2.5: Da Appetizer (2008)
• Coke Wave (2008)^[17]
• Goon Music 1.5: The Doomship (2008)
• Goon Music 2.Owww (2009)
• Quarantine (2009)^[18]
• Public Domain 6: Walking the Plank (2009)^[19][20]
• Coke Wave 2 (2009)
• Wave Gang 4 (2010)
• Dopeman:Public Domain 6.5 (2010)^[21]
• Picture Me Rollin' (2010)
• Amalgam Series Vol. 1: A Wave Called Yes (2010)
• Free Max B (The Best of Max Biggavelli) (2010)^[22]

Other appearances[link]

• Song "We Roll", with Jim Jones, Pete Rock on NY's Finest (2008)

References[link]

Sources[link]

Murder case

• • BREAKING NEWS: Max-B Found Guilty on 9 out of 11 Counts in Murder Trial "Facing up to 20 Years in Prison"
  • Former Dipset member Max B. was found guilty of murder conspiracy and robbery charges today (June 9)
  • Bergen County Prosecutor's Office PRESS RELEASE, SEPTEMBER 25, 2006
  • Rapper gets 75 years for fatal Fort Lee hotel robbery

Paul Caruso (1920-2001) was a criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles, California. He served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II.

Legal career[link]

Paul Caruso was admitted to practice law in August 1953 following graduation from the Columbus University School of Law in Washington DC (now the Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America). He obtained a veteran's waiver for admission to the California Bar.

Caruso later represented war hero and actor Audie Murphy on a charge of trying to kill a Burbank dog trainer who Murphy claimed brutalized the dog and made advances towards Murphy's girlfriend. Caruso has also represented Charles Manson follower Susan Atkins, Eddie Nash--who was accused of four Laurel Canyon slayings--and TV sports reporter Stan Duke, who was charged in the gunshot slaying of radio commentator Averill Berman.

Caruso was the founding president of the Italian American Lawyers Assn. in Los Angeles.

Caruso had five children, and his eldest son, Carey Caruso, still runs his father's practice.

External links[link]

• Ofgang, Kenneth Legendary Criminal Defense Lawyer Paul Caruso Dies at 81 Metropolitan News (August 16, 2001)
• Grace, Roger Paul Caruso: ‘He Was a Helluva Guy’ Metropolitan News (August 21, 2001)
• L.A. Times Obituary from Charles Manson web site.

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