The Bickershaw Festival was assembled under the auspices of a Manchester businessmen, a Wigan market trader and Jeremy Beadle, before he achieved fame as a television presenter.
Chris Hewitt of Ozic Morpheus Records and manager of English rock band Tractor worked with Beadle and was involved in distribution of publicity and tickets.
The festival line-up featured acts such as Hawkwind, Captain Beefheart, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Dr. John, Grateful Dead, Flamin' Groovies, The Kinks, Country Joe McDonald, Linda Lewis, The Incredible String Band, Donovan, Wishbone Ash, Maynard Ferguson, and a host of non-musical acts such as Cheech & Chong, high divers and clowns.
The artist line-up was inspirational to many of the audience, including a teenage Joe Strummer who said it was his favourite concert, especially the late-night set from Captain Beefheart.
Elvis Costello stood in the mud amazed by the five-hour set from the Grateful Dead, the performance which convinced him he should start a band.