Season 3 – Episode 45:
Black Arts Festival & White Pig Blues

On this episode, Patti Quatro and I continue our discussion about the entrance of sister Nancy Quatro joining the Pleasure Seekers. By the Fall of 1969, the band was solidly booked and playing larger venues and the popular music festivals that brother, Michael Quatro, was putting on and promoting. Even though bandleader Patti had brought in her sister to vocally shake things up, there was still more that was percolating in Patti’s mind. This included a potential band name change and the nervy decision to let go of two band members. Once the new line-up change was official, one of the first appearances the Pleasure Seekers made was on October 31, 1969 at the Black Arts Festival held at Detroit’s Olympia Stadium. To this day, the controversy and chaos that ensued over what truly happened on that fateful night versus what was reported remains a hot subject matter. Patti reveals to us the true backstory of the Black Arts Festival, the audience’s reaction, the physical damage done, the unkind press, and the not-so-friendly police response. We close the episode with another original song by the Pleasure Seekers called, “White Pig Blues.” It is the only blues song that the Pleasure Seekers penned, and it encapsulated and spoke about the friction and tension between the cops and the younger generation of Detroit rock ‘n’ rollers.

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