Contracts Authorizing Use of The Mamas and the Papas Performances in Monterey Pop Film March 1, 1978

Mamas Papas

Manuscripts & Autographs

Phillips, Michelle; Phillips, John. Film clip release contracts for Monterey Pop, dated March 1, 1978, document the continued commercial and cultural circulation of performances from the Monterey International Pop Festival, widely recognized as a defining early mass gathering of the late-1960s counterculture and rock music industry. Members of The Mamas & the Papas, including Michelle Phillips and John Phillips, authorize the use of recorded performance material for inclusion in the documentary film, extending the afterlife of the festival more than a decade after its initial staging. The agreements situate artist performance rights within the broader transition of live music events into film and recorded media, reinforcing the role of Monterey as a foundational moment in the emergence of large-scale rock festivals and the consolidation of a national youth audience.

Phillips, Michelle; Phillips, John. Contracts. March 1, 1978. Two separate one-page film clip release agreements pertaining to Monterey Pop. Each document grants permission for the use of performance footage associated with The Mamas and the Papas within the film’s distribution and exhibition. Both are signed in ink by Michelle Phillips and John Phillips, preserving formal authorization of artist participation in the continued production and circulation of the documentary.

Executed during the late 1970s, when 1960s countercultural events were increasingly reissued and reframed through documentary film and home media, these contracts reflect the institutionalization of rock history and the growing market for archival concert footage. The Monterey festival, featuring artists such as Jimi Hendrix and The Who, became a central reference point in narratives of popular music transformation, and the formal licensing of its performances underscores the shift from ephemeral live event to reproducible cultural artifact. Light handling wear; clean and legible; signatures bold. Overall very good condition.

Item #10133

Price: $550.00