Song Festival Closes Late
by Don A. Metivier, The Post-Star, September 3, 1974
The American Song Festival wound up its four-day stay at Saratoga Performing Arts Center Monday night, running late as usual.
The final program got underway 55 minutes late, delayed by television production problems.
The judging of the 12 finalist songs was slated to run very late with the announcement of the two top songs of the Festival not coming until early this morning.
Total attendance for the four days of the Festival was announced at 12,871, well below what was expected. Reportedly, the Festival had to attract an average of 7,500 persons a night to break even.
The announced attendance figure left them 17,000 below that mark.
Monday night’s program was opened with a concert by Jose Feliciano subbing for the ill Paul Williams. That was followed by a well-received concert by Helen Reddy.
Some excellent new material was heard as the American Song Festival chose its 12 final songs.
The 12, six by amateur songwriters and six by professionals, in six musical categories, were chosen over a three-night period, after they were presented by some of the music industry’s top recording artists.
The 12 final songs moved into Monday night’s grand finale program of the first American Song Festival at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, with those selected “Best Amateur” and “Best Professional” songs of the Festival earning their composers $25,000.
The writers of the 12 final songs were awarded $5,000 each.
Sunday evening saw the judging of the folk and country songs, a combination that might not have been the best move of the weekend by song festival officials.
The audience of 5,430, more than attended the first two evenings combined, had obviously come to hear the closing concert by Loggins and Messina, and not country music.
The crowd appreciated singer Richie Havens, who first came to fame at the Woodstock Festival and tolerated Glenn Yarbrough and the Limeliters as they presented the folk songs, but were rude and abusive as Molly Bee and the Hager Twins presented the country music songs and as Waylon Jennings appeared in concert.
The amateur folk category was won by Michael Hawthorne, 22, of Columbus, Ohio, for his song, “Convict Hill.”
The professional folk category was won by Charles Larson, 26, of Baltimore, a folk-rock musician, for his song *Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven.”
Molly Bee presented the three amateur country songs, singing over the noise of the restless audience, that kept calling for Loggins and Messina and hooting the performers and guest host Lou Gottlieb of the Limeliters.
A song written by Thomas A. Hill, 27, of Shoreham, Vt., which is directly across Lake Champlain from Ticonderoga, won the amateur country. “Rhythm Guitar,” which is more country-gospel, was written by Hill, a part-time printer, teacher, freelance writer and musician, two years ago.
Tom Russell of Austin, Tex., won the professional country category with his tune, “End of the Trail,” which was one of three semifinal songs sung by the Hagers.
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