Arthur,s Musical Journey: Free -Isle of Wight (1970)

The Isle of Wight Festival 1970 was a music festival held between 26 and 31 August 1970 at Afton Down, an area on the western side of the Isle of Wight in England. It was the last of three consecutive music festivals to take place on the island between 1968 and 1970 and often acknowledged as the largest musical event of its time, with a larger attendance than Woodstock.^[ Although estimates vary, Guinness World Records estimated 600,000 to 700,000 people attended.It was organised and promoted by local brothers, Ron and Ray Foulk through their company Fiery Creations Ltd and their brother Bill Foulk. Ron Smith was site manager and Rikki Farr acted as compere.

Be My Friend

Free were an English rock band formed in London in 1968, best known for their hit songs "All Right Now” and "Wishing Well". They disbanded in 1973; lead singer Paul Rodgers went on to become the frontman of the more successful rock band Bad Company, which also featured his Free bandmate Simon Kirke on drums.Lead guitarist Paul Kossoff formed Back Street Crawler in 1973, but died from a pulmonary embolism at the age of 25 in 1976.^[3] Bassist Andy Fraser formed Sharks.

Mr Big

Free became renowned for their live shows and non-stop touring. However, their studio albums did not sell very well until their third, Fire and Water, featured the massive hit "All Right Now". The song helped secure them a place at the Isle of Wight Festival 1970, where they played to 600,000 people.In the early 1970s Free became one of the biggest-selling British blues rock^[6]^[7]^[8] groups; by the time they disbanded, they had sold more than 20 million albums around the world and had played more than 700 arena and festival concerts. "All Right Now" remains a R&B staple, and has been entered in ASCAP's "One Million" airplay singles club.

All Right Now

Rolling Stone has referred to the band as "British hard rock pioneers".The magazine ranked Rodgers No. 55 in its list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time",and Paul Kossoff at Number 51 in its "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Free were signed to Island Records in the UK and A&M Records in North America.