May 2, 2021
After graduating in May 1969 Jon Taplin moved to Woodstock (New York) and became The Band's tour manager. In August The Band played the Woodstock Festival, later the same month Jon managed Bob Dylan and The Band's appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival in England. It was Dylan's first full-length public concert in three years. While he was in England he met the Beatles and spent quality time with George Harrison. Indeed George asked him to help stage the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971.
In 1972 at the request of Mick Jagger Jon commissioned Robert Frank to make the album cover for Exile on Main Street. Moving into film production in 1973 he worked with Martin Scorsese on Mean Streets and later The Last Waltz (1978). His new book 'The Magic Years' covers those events and much more. It is a candid and insightful memoir that chronicles collaborations with seminal artists.
We were delighted to be invited to interview a man who had breathed the same air as some of our musical heroes! Invisible Folk Club interviewer Jon Bickley does a great job.
We've also created a special Spotify playlist that covers Jon
Taplin's 'Magic Years'
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1uZQNFoJiIyKMUOeB4Wy0F