Out of Our Heads

Ronnie Schneider is among a select handful of individuals who can honestly claim to have taken an active part in the explosive beginnings of 1960's rock'n'roll.After leaving ABKCO and working with Sam Cooke and the Beatles, he produced "history's first mythic rock and roll tour", the Rolling Stones 1969 US tour. Dave Marsh called it one of the "benchmarks of an era." It was launched on almost no money, rolled across America hand to mouth, and concluded with calamity and death at the Altamont Speedway in Northern California on December 6, 1969. For historians, Altamont came to symbolize the death of hippie idealism; the day American youth culture was changed forever, ushering in a new era of fear and cynicism. These times were captured when Schneider produced "the greatest rock film of the greatest rock 'n' roll band", the Maysles Bros film, Gimme Shelter. For Ronnie, in a way, it was just another day at the office.He now shares the stories and documents that provide the background to these historic events including the Rolling Stones 1970 Euro Tour.