Photos: Rock band Vanilla Fudge in Tucson in 1969
The rock band Vanilla Fudge made a brief stop in Tucson in July, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center (the Cactus Bowl) on Alvernon Way south of 22nd Street.
The band was essentially a one-hit wonder. Their biggest hit was a cover of The Supremes' "You Keep Me Hangin' On."
The Tucson Citizen writer Susan Lowell said it best: "The evening came, as hot as the day had been, and Vanilla Fudge moved onstage. Two thousand teenyboppers, uniformed in bell-bottom trousers and shaggy hair, were packed knee-to-knee, glazed with sweat and saturated with smoke, mostly tobacco – although occasionally a whiff of marijuana rose from the crowd."
The newspaper reported the band made nearly 250 tour stops that year at $3 per ticket. "We were everywhere," said one band member. "Hawaii last week. Canada. Home is where you hang your guitar."
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
The caption in the Tucson Citizen read: "A Tucson girl is transported by The Vanilla Fudge," and accompanied a story about a concert by Vanilla Fudge on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
A crowd of nearly 2,000 pushes toward the stage during a concert by Vanilla Fudge on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
Drummer Carmine Appice during a concert by Vanilla Fudge on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
Vanilla Fudge band members brave the July heat on the tarmac at Tucson International Airport before a concert by the group on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
A band member cools off in the back seat of a car before a concert by Vanilla Fudge on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
Vanilla Fudge during a concert on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
Vanilla Fudge band members photographed through glass, creating a kaleidoscope effect during a concert by Vanilla Fudge on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
A crowd of teens was literally on stage during a concert by Vanilla Fudge on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
Paisley was the dominant theme with this group of girls during a concert by Vanilla Fudge on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Vanilla Fudge in Tucson
A crowd of nearly 2,000 teenagers during a concert by Vanilla Fudge on July 31, 1969, at the Cactus Entertainment Center on Alvernon Way near 22nd Street, Tucson.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor