In 1970, with seemingly every North American city of any size holding a rock festival after the success of Woodstock, Ken Walker and Thor Eaton, a pair of Canadian entrepreneurs and music buffs, had an idea: instead of setting up one massive show with a bunch of top-name acts, why not stage a series of them across the country? With this in mind, Walker (then only 22 years old) and Eaton (whose family owned one of Canada's most successful department store chains) signed up Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, the Band, Buddy Guy, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and several others and hired out a private train that would carry the musicians in high style for a string of five shows from Toronto to Calgary. The jaunt was called "The Festival Express," and a camera crew tagged along to capture the shows on film, as well as the constant party that took place en route. The tour proved to be a financial bust and, as a result, the footage sat on the shelf for over thirty years until director Bob Smeat watch
Question: I have been trying for a long time to get a song that was played in an episode of Magnum P.I. The song is played when Thomas is looking at his brother's name on the Vietnam Memorial. I believe it was sung by Joe Cocker. Could you please find out the title of this wonderful song for me?
Answer: And help maintain the Hawaiian flavor set by this column's lead question? But of course.
You're thinking of the Season 6 episode "Going Home," in which Thomas Magnum (Tom Selleck) goes home to Virginia for his grandfather's funeral. The song in question is Cocker's version of the Bob Dylan song "I Shall Be Released," which has been covered by such musical notables as Joan Baez, the Box Tops, the Flying Burrito Brothers, the Hollies, Rick Nelson, Aaron Neville, Peter, Paul &aread more
