Editing Country Joe and the Fish

{{short description|American psychedelic rock band}}
{{good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name            = Country Joe and the Fish
| image           = Country Joe and the Fish.png
| image_size      = 250px
| caption         = Country Joe and the Fish in 1967
| origin          = [[Berkeley, California]], United States
| genre           = {{flatlist |
* [[Psychedelic rock]]
* [[acid rock]]
* [[folk rock]]
}}
| years_active    = 1965–1970, 1977, 2004–2006 (as Country Joe Band), sporadically thereafter
| label           = {{flatlist |
* [[Vanguard Records|Vanguard]]
* [[Fantasy Records|Fantasy]]
* Rag Baby Records
}}
| associated_acts =
| website         = {{URL|well.com/~cjfish}}
| past_members    = [[Country Joe McDonald]]<br>[[Barry Melton|Barry "The Fish" Melton]]<br>[[Gary "Chicken" Hirsh]]<br>[[David Bennett Cohen]]<br>[[Bruce Barthol]]<br>David Getz<br>Peter Albin<br>John Francis Gunning<br>Paul Armstrong<br>Mark Ryan<br>Gregory Leroy Dewey<br>Mark Kapner<br>Doug Metzner
}}

'''Country Joe and the Fish''' was an American [[psychedelic rock]] [[musical ensemble|band]] formed in [[Berkeley, California]], in 1965. The band was among the influential groups in the [[San Francisco Sound|San Francisco music scene]] during the mid-to-late 1960s. Much of the band's music was written by founding members [[Country Joe McDonald]] and [[Barry Melton|Barry "The Fish" Melton]], with lyrics pointedly addressing issues of importance to the [[counterculture]], such as [[opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|anti-war protests]], [[free love]], and [[recreational drug use]]. Through a combination of [[psychedelia]] and [[electronic music]], the band's sound was marked by innovative [[guitar]] melodies and distorted [[organ (music)|organ]]-driven instrumentals which were significant to the development of [[acid rock]].

The band self-produced two [[extended play|EPs]] that drew attention on the underground circuit before signing to [[Vanguard Records]] in 1966. Their debut [[album]], ''[[Electric Music for the Mind and Body]]'', followed in 1967. It contained their only nationally charting [[single (music)|single]], "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", and their most experimental arrangements. Their second album, ''[[I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die]]'', was released in late 1967; its [[I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag|title track]], with its [[dark humor]] and satire, became their signature tune and is among the era's most recognizable protest songs. Further success followed, including McDonald's appearance at [[Woodstock]], but the group's lineup underwent changes until its disbandment in 1970. Members of the band continue in the music industry as solo recording artists and sporadically reconvene.

==History==

===Formation (1965)===
The first lineup of Country Joe and the Fish formed in mid-1965, when [[Country Joe McDonald]] ([[vocals]], [[acoustic guitar]]) and [[Barry Melton|Barry "The Fish" Melton]] ([[lead guitar]], vocals) came together as a [[musical ensemble|duo]].<ref name=dyk1 /> The two musicians had a background rooted in [[folk music]], were enamored with the recordings of [[Woody Guthrie]], and worked on the local acoustic [[coffeehouse]] circuit in the early 1960s.<ref name=dyk1>{{cite AV media notes|title=[[I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die]]|others=Country Joe and the Fish|year=2013|type=CD booklet|publisher=Ace Vanguard Masters}}</ref> Melton honed his political protest prowess as a [[guitarist]] in Los Angeles, at venues such as the [[Ash Grove (music club)|Ash Grove]], before relocating to Berkeley, California, where he was a regular at the [[The Jabberwock (club)|Jabberwock cafe]].<ref name=all>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/country-joe-the-fish-mn0000128266|title=Country Joe and the Fish – Biography|work=allmusic.com|author=Eder, Bruce|access-date=June 27, 2015}}</ref> Prior to the group, McDonald set up two folk and [[jug (instrument)|jug]] bands, the Berkeley String Quartet and the Instant Jug Band, both of which served as outlets for his original material, and with the latter group including Melton.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countryjoe.com/bsq.htm|title=The Berkeley String Quartet|work=countryjoe.com|access-date=June 27, 2015}}</ref> In addition, McDonald was a publisher of the [[left-wing]] [[underground press|underground]] magazine ''Et Tu Brute'', which later became ''Rag Baby'', containing poetry, drawings, and political messages.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.classicbands.com/CountryJoeMcDonaldInterview.html|title=Gary James' Interview With "Country" Joe McDonald|work=classicbands.com|author=James, Gary|access-date=June 27, 2015}}</ref> By early 1965, McDonald had become involved in the burgeoning folk scene in Berkeley, and the [[Free Speech Movement]] that was organizing demonstrations in [[University of California, Berkeley]], which opposed [[Vietnam War|the war in Vietnam]]. Not long afterwards, McDonald was inspired to record a "talking issue" of his magazine, and organized Country Joe and the Fish with Melton and fellow musicians Carl Schrager ([[washboard (musical instrument)|washboard]], [[kazoo]]), Bill Steele ([[bass guitar]]), and Mike Beardslee (vocals), out of both necessity of a recording alias and political device, to self-produce an [[extended play]].<ref name=rag>{{cite AV media notes|title=Collectors Items: The First Three EP's|others=Country Joe and the Fish|year=1994|type=CD booklet|publisher=One Way Records}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cincygroove.com/?p=5922|title=Interview with Country Joe McDonald|work=cincygroove.com|date=24 July 2008 |access-date=July 15, 2015}}</ref>

[[ED Denson]], the co-publisher of ''Rag Baby'', introduced McDonald to [[Chris Strachwitz]], who owned [[Arhoolie Records|Arhoolie Recording]] Studios, to self-produce the EP.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ed-denson-mn0000174581|title=ED Denson – Biography|work=allmusic.com|author=Unterberger, Richie|access-date=June 29, 2015}}</ref> Sensing the band's potential, Denson assumed management control, and was responsible for coining the group's name—a reference to [[Josef Stalin]] and to [[Mao Zedong]]'s description of revolutionaries as "the fish who swim in the sea of the people".<ref name=all/> McDonald, who had recording experience, began utilizing Arhoolie Recording Studios to record four songs split equally between the band and a local folk musician, Peter Krug. It was during this time at Arhoolie Records that Country Joe and the Fish's folk sound and political protest prowess—an amalgam of their own Guthrie-influenced material and their folk music roots—began to emerge. The band's side of the EP featured two originals by McDonald, an acoustic version of "[[I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag]]", and "Superbird".<ref name=rag/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/country-joe-mcdonald-mn0000131285|title=Country Joe McDonald – Biography|work=allmusic.com|author=Harris, Craig|access-date=July 3, 2015}}</ref> According to McDonald, "The Fish Cheer" was written in 30 minutes, with a purpose of expressing satiric and [[dark humor|dark]] commentary on the US's involvement in the [[Vietnam War]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countryjoe.com/howrag.htm|title=How I Wrote the Rag|work=countryjoe.com|access-date=July 4, 2015}}</ref> In October 1965, 100 copies of the EP, titled ''Rag Baby Talking Issue No. 1'', were distributed on McDonald's independent label at a [[Teach-in]] in UC Berkeley and [[underground music|underground]] shops selling ''Rag Baby'' magazine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deaddisc.com/ot/Talking_Issue_EP.htm|title=Rag Baby EP 1: Talking Issue|work=deaddisc.com|access-date=July 4, 2015}}</ref>

For a brief period, McDonald and Melton performed together as a duo at college campuses in the Northwest on behalf of [[Students for a Democratic Society]] before returning as regulars at the Jabberwock cafe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chickenonaunicycle.com/Country%20Joe%20Shows.htm|title=Country Joe Shows|work=chickenonaunicycle.com|access-date=July 6, 2015}}</ref> The two were joined by local jug band musicians, including Melton's roommates, [[bass player]] [[Bruce Barthol]] and guitarist Paul Armstrong, and blues guitarist [[David Bennett Cohen]], with whom Melton played in another jug band. The addition of [[drummer]] John Francis-Gunning rounded out the six-piece ensemble.<ref name=sixties>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qwOyZukEwD4C&q=country+joe+and+the+fish&pg=PT465|title=''Echoes of the Sixties''|author1=Childs, Marti|author2=March, Jeff|publisher=EditPros LLC|year=2011|isbn=9781937317027}}</ref> It was during their residency at the Jabberwock that Country Joe and the Fish learned to play as a group and expand their repertoire. Within months, based on McDonald and Melton's interest in the live performances of the [[the Paul Butterfield Blues Band|Paul Butterfield Blues Band]], the recordings on [[Bob Dylan]]'s [[album]], ''[[Highway 61 Revisited]]'', and their use of the mind-altering drug [[LSD]], the group began equipping themselves with electric instruments and delving more into [[psychedelia]].<ref name=folk>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/eightmileshighfo00sanf|url-access=registration|quote=country joe and the fish i feel like i'm fixin to die.|title=''Eight Miles High: Folk-rock's Flight from Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock''|author=Unterberger, Richie|pages=[https://archive.org/details/eightmileshighfo00sanf/page/26 26]–30|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=0879307439|year=2003}}</ref> As a result, Cohen was moved over to the [[organ (music)|organ]]. Cohen's experience with [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]] was limited to having played [[piano]] at a semiprofessional capacity at the Jabberwock, but, nonetheless, he quickly adapted to the qualities of the instrument.<ref name="psych">{{cite web|last=Breznikar|first=Klemen|author-link=Klemen Breznikar |date=October 14, 2012|title=Country Joe & The Fish interview with David Bennett Cohen|url=https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2012/10/country-joe-fish-interview-with-david.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160728044332/http://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2012/10/country-joe-fish-interview-with-david.html|archive-date=July 28, 2016|access-date=July 7, 2015|website=[[It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine]]}}</ref> Melton describes the change of the group: "Once we hit into the electric medium and into the rock medium, we were pandering to the public taste. We became extraordinarily popular. The little folk club where we used to play once every two weeks, we played every single night for a month, or something like that, and filled it. And after a while we filled ''two'' shows every single night".<ref name=folk/>

Incidentally, the song "Who Am I" was written by McDonald for a play called ''Change Over'', written by Fred Hayden. Each of the three verses was to be considered as sung by a different character.

===Electric music (1966–1968)===
As Country Joe and the Fish's popularity grew, the band relocated to San Francisco in early 1966 and became popular fixtures at the [[Avalon Hollywood|Avalon]] and the [[Filmore Auditorium]]. On June 6, 1966, the band recorded a second self-produced EP, which was packaged separately from the ''Rag Baby'' magazine and, upon its release, debuted the new [[psychedelic rock]] incarnation of the group.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/collectors-items-the-first-three-eps-mw0000120101|title=''Collector's Items: The First Three EPs'' – Review|work=allmusic.com|author=Planer, Lindsay|access-date=July 11, 2015}}</ref> The EP fulfilled the band's ambitions to incorporate electric instruments into their music, effectively melding the instrumentals and pioneering an early template for the musical subgenre of [[acid rock]]. It included McDonald's compositions "(Thing Called) Love" and "Bass Strings" on the [[A-side]] and the six-minute "Section 43" on the B-side.<ref>{{cite book|last=Cabral|first=Ron|title=Country Joe & Me|year=2004|publisher=1st Books Library|isbn=1-41076-537-7|pages=73–74}}</ref> Music historian [[Richie Unterberger]] praised "Section 43", saying its "Asiatic guitar, tribal maracas, devious organ, floating harmonica, and ethereal mid-sections of delicate [[Koto (instrument)|koto]]-like guitar picking rivaled the Paul Butterfield Blues Band's ''East West'' as the finest psychedelic instrumental ever".<ref name=folk/> Within three months, airplay of the EP spread across the new so-called progressive radio stations, reaching as far as New York City, and establishing Country Joe and the Fish as a nationally relevant musical act.<ref name=mara>{{cite web|url=http://www.countryjoe.com/cjmbio.htm|title=Country Joe McDonald, Biography |work=countryjoe.com|access-date=July 12, 2015}}</ref>

Through connections that Cohen had with [[record producer]] [[Samuel Charters]], the group signed a [[recording contract]] with [[Vanguard Records]] in December 1966, just as the label, which had primarily released [[folk music]], was attempting to branch out into the growing psychedelic rock scene.<ref name=psych/> While the band waited to record their debut [[album]], they were present at the [[Human Be-In]], along with other influential San Francisco musical acts, including [[Jefferson Airplane]], [[Big Brother and the Holding Company]], and [[Quicksilver Messenger Service]]. The event was a prelude to the [[Summer of Love]] and helped publicize [[counterculture]] ideals such as [[ecology]], [[free-love]] and the use of illicit drugs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/country-joe-mcdonald-no-ordinary-joe-135887.html|title=Country Joe McDonald: No Ordinary Joe|work=The Independent|date=21 January 2014|access-date=July 15, 2015}}</ref>

In February 1967, Country Joe and the Fish entered Sierra Sound Laboratories to record their debut album, ''[[Electric Music for the Mind and Body]]'', with Charters and Denson overseeing the process. Prior to their studio work, Armstrong left the group and began a two-year alternative assignment as a [[conscientious objector]], driving a truck for [[Goodwill Industries]].<ref name=sixties/> Francis-Gunning was involved in the beginnings of the album's development but left when the rest of the band complained about his drumming technique. He was replaced by [[Gary "Chicken" Hirsh]]. The next recording session was postponed for three days as the most recognizable lineup of Country Joe and the Fish rehearsed with their new drummer at the Barn, in Santa Cruz.<ref name=before>{{cite book|title=''1,001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die...And 10,001 You Must Download''|url=http://www.listology.com/thisisentertainment/list/1001-songs-you-must-hear-you-die|page=902|year=2014|edition=4th|publisher=Universe Publishing|location=New York|author=Viscounti, Tony|isbn=9780789320896|access-date=2015-07-30|archive-date=2012-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031002140/http://listology.com/thisisentertainment/list/1001-songs-you-must-hear-you-die|url-status=dead}}</ref> Hirsh's abilities were immediately distinguishable on the album, as he demonstrated an acute and articulate drum beat that [[music critic]] Bruce Eder praised as "some of the best drumming on a psychedelic record this side of the late [[Spencer Dryden]]".<ref name=chicken>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gary-chicken-hirsh-mn0000777148|title=Gary "Chicken" Hirsh – Biography|work=allmusic.com|author=Eder, Bruce|access-date=July 15, 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Ad for the first Country Joe and the Fish album, 1967.jpg|thumb|An April 1967 ad for ''Electric Music for the Mind and Body'' in the Seattle underground paper ''[[Helix (newspaper)|Helix]]''.]]
''Electric Music for the Mind and Body'' was released on May 11, 1967. Much of the album's material continued to expand upon the band's new psychedelic medium, with it embracing all facets of the members' influences, which ranged from their folk roots, [[blues]], [[raga rock]] and [[hard rock]].<ref name=mind>{{cite AV media notes|title=[[Electric Music for the Mind and Body]]|others=Country Joe and the Fish|year=2013|last=Palao|first=Alec|author-link=Alec Palao|type=CD booklet|publisher=Ace Vanguard Masters}}</ref> The album also saw Cohen coming forward in a larger role with inventive distorted-organ melodies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/electric-music-for-the-mind-and-body-mw0000193777|title=Electric Music for the Mind and Body – Review|work=allmusic.com|author=Unterberger, Richie|access-date=July 15, 2015}}</ref> In addition, McDonald's lyrical content, which brazenly pronounced topics of [[political protest]], [[recreational drug use]], and love, augmented by satirical humor, clearly introduced the band's orientation and message. The compositional structures followed discrete movement patterns emulating the style of [[John Fahey (musician)|John Fahey]], whom McDonald admired.<ref name=mind/> Though ''Electric Music for the Mind and Body'' was among the most complex works to date, it possessed the quality that several other San Francisco acts shared of being recorded mostly live, with only the vocals being [[overdubbed]] after the instrumentals were completed.<ref>{{cite web|last=Breznikar|first=Klemen|author-link=Klemen Breznikar |date=February 15, 2015|title=Country Joe and the Fish interview with Joe McDonald|url=https://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2015/02/country-joe-and-fish-interview-with-joe.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160916172255/http://www.psychedelicbabymag.com/2015/02/country-joe-and-fish-interview-with-joe.html|archive-date=September 16, 2016|access-date=July 15, 2015|website=[[It's Psychedelic Baby! Magazine]]}}</ref>

''Electric Music for the Mind and Body'' was a success upon release, charting at number 39 on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]], and remains one of the most enduring psychedelic works of the counterculture era. A [[single (music)|single]], "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", was distributed a month prior to the release of the album and became the only Country Joe and the Fish single to chart, peaking at number 98 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], in large part a culmination of its airplay on [[FM broadcasting]] and college stations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.well.com/~cjfish/bandbio.htm|title=A History|work=well.com|author=Belmount, Bill|access-date=July 15, 2015}}</ref> A reworked version of "The Fish Cheer" was intended to be released as a track on the album. However, Charters vetoed the decision to see whether the controversial song "Superbird" would face a radio ban.<ref name=notorious>{{cite web|url=http://www.countryjoe.com/cheer.htm|title=The Notorious Cheer|work=countryjoe.com|access-date=July 16, 2015}}</ref> Nonetheless, the band was considered a forerunner in the emerging [[San Francisco Sound|music scene in San Francisco]], exhibiting one of the more polished debuts, just as its contemporaries were still refining their own sound.<ref name=mind/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/country-joe-the-fish-electric-music-for-the-mind-and-body|title=Country Joe & The Fish – Electric Music For The Mind And Body|work=uncut.co.uk|author=Torn, Luke|access-date=July 16, 2015|archive-date=March 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082057/http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/country-joe-the-fish-electric-music-for-the-mind-and-body|url-status=dead}}</ref> Melton attributes the album's success, particularly in San Francisco, to the band's appearance at the [[Monterey Pop Festival]] in June 1967. Subsequently, the group toured the East Coast with an elaborate psychedelic [[laser light show|light show]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cjfishlegacy.com/meltoneightmiles.html|title=Barry Melton Interview for Turn! Turn! Turn!/Eight Miles High|work=cjfishlegacy.com|author=Unterberger, Richie|access-date=July 15, 2015}}</ref>

The band returned to the studio, this time at Vanguard Studios in New York City, between July and September 1967. When "Superbird", a tune mocking [[President of the United States|President]] [[Lyndon Johnson]], was not banned from radio promotion, the band was given the go-ahead to record "The Fish Cheer", which saw the group moving away from the original folk composition toward electric instrumentals more synthesized toward psychedelia. The song became the title track of the band's second album, ''[[I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die]]'', released in November 1967. The album was not as successful as its predecessor, but still charted at number 67.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://acerecords.co.uk/i-feel-like-im-fixin-to-die-1|title=I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die|work=acerecords.co.uk|access-date=July 19, 2015}}</ref> The composition represented growing anti-war sentiment expressed by [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|those opposing the Vietnam War]], and is often considered one of the most recognized and celebrated protest songs of the era.<ref name=conflict>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HHQqoUcbd8gC&q=country+joe+and+the+fish+i+feel+like+i%27m+fixin%27+to+die+rag&pg=PA40|title=''Songs of the Vietnam Conflict''|author=Perone, James E.|page=40|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=2001|isbn=0313315280}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/readers-poll-the-10-best-protest-songs-of-all-time-20141203/country-joe-and-the-fish-i-feel-like-im-fixin-to-die-rag-20141203|title=Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Protest Songs of All Time|work=rollingstone.com|date=3 December 2014|access-date=July 19, 2015}}</ref> "The Fish Cheer" was also pivotal in communicating the attitude against the war, but was set apart from other anti-war songs for its use of sarcastic humor and satire on the controversial conflict.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/i-feel-like-im-fixin-to-die-rag-mt0004368315|title=I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die – Review|work=allmusic.com|author=Unterberger, Richie|access-date=July 19, 2015}}</ref> Writer Lee Andresen reflects on the song's meaning, saying, "the happy beat and insouciance of the vocalist are in odd juxtaposition to the lyrics that reinforce the sad fact that the American public was being forced into realizing that Vietnam was no longer a remote place on the other side of the world, and the damage it was doing to the country could no longer be considered collateral, involving someone else."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OY_vXvXtiToC&q=country+joe+and+the+fish+i+feel+like+i%27m+fixin%27+to+die+rag&pg=PA90|author=Andresen, Lee|title=''Battle Notes: Music of the Vietnam War''|publisher= Superior: Savage Press|year=2000|page=62|isbn=1886028605}}</ref>

The song met unprecedented exposure among the band's young audience after a performance at the [[Schaefer Music Festival]] in New York City, in the summer of 1968.<ref name=chicken/> Hirsh suggested that instead of the opening chorus spelling "fish", it would spell "[[fuck]]", giving birth to the infamous "Fuck Cheer".<ref name=chicken/> The crowd of young teenagers and college students applauded the act; however executives from ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' barred Country Joe and the Fish from their scheduled appearance on the program, and any other possible events.<ref name=notorious/> Hirsh never explained why he recommended the change in lyrics, but the act is seen as a social and political statement advocating [[free speech]].<ref name=conflict/> The recorded version of "The Fish Cheer" received airplay, even on mainstream radio stations, which contributed to the success of the band's third album, ''[[Together (Country Joe and the Fish album)|Together]]'', its most commercially successful. The album, released in August 1968, featured songwriting by all of the band members and charted at number 23 nationally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/together-mw0000616364|title=Together – Review|work=allmusic.com|author=Ruhlmamn, William|access-date=July 26, 2015}}</ref>

===Lineup changes and Woodstock (1969–1970)===
In September 1968, Barthol left the band, just prior to their fourth album. His departure was due to the rest of the band's unwillingness to partake in the Festival for Life, an event established by the [[Youth International Party]] in Chicago that was intended to have the participation of several well-known musicians attract thousands of spectators for the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]].<ref name=sixties/> However, the city refused to issue any [[Protest permit|permits]], and the band members, by majority vote, decided to withdraw out of fear that their equipment would be damaged.<ref>{{cite book|last=Farber|first=David|title=Chicago '68|url=https://archive.org/details/chicago6800farb|url-access=registration|year=1988|publisher=University of Chicago Press|pages=[https://archive.org/details/chicago6800farb/page/177 177–178]|isbn=9780226238005}}</ref> After the festival resulted in riots and violent clashes between demonstrators and the police, Barthol's conviction that Country Joe and the Fish should have held a larger role precipitated his departure from the group and move to England.<ref name=sixties/>

Between January 9 and 11, 1969, the band performed at the [[Fillmore West]] as a farewell to the group's most famous lineup, with [[Jack Casady]] of [[Jefferson Airplane]] standing in as the bass player. The band was joined by [[Jerry Garcia]], [[Jorma Kaukonen]], [[Steve Miller (musician)|Steve Miller]], and [[Mickey Hart]] for the 38-minute finale, "Donovan's Reef Jam". Recordings from the concerts were later assembled on the [[live album]] ''Live! Fillmore West 1969'', released on March 12, 1996.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TbRsHp57CqwC&q=country+joe+and+the+fish+live+fillmore+west+1969&pg=PA249|title=''The American Book of the Dead''|author=Trager, Oliver|page=249|publisher=Simon & Schuster Inc.|year=1997|isbn=9780684814025}}</ref> Hirsh and Cohen left soon after recording the group's next album, ''[[Here We Are Again (Country Joe and the Fish album)|Here We Are Again]]'', and a new lineup was configured with Casady and David Getz, who formerly played drums with Big Brother and the Holding Company. The group released ''Here We Are Again'' in July 1969.  It charted at number 48, and saw Country Joe and the Fish moving to a [[pop music|pop]]-oriented approach. Country Joe and the Fish's personnel remained relatively stable for the next six months, though Peter S. Albin, also an alumnus of Big Brother and the Holding Company, replaced Casady at bass.<ref name=all/>

However, when McDonald reassembled the band for a last-minute scheduling at the [[Woodstock Festival]], another personnel change resulted in the group's final lineup, which included recruits Mark Kapner on keyboards, Doug Metzner on bass, and Greg Dewey on drums. Among the festival's most memorable moments was McDonald's unexpected solo performance on August 16, 1969, which included "The Fuck Cheer" as a finale.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/feel-like-im-fixin-for-a-comeback-1159597.html|title=Feel Like I'm Fixin' for a Comeback|author=Johnson, Phil|work=independent.co.uk|date=23 October 2011|access-date=July 28, 2015}}</ref> The audience receptively responded by chanting along with McDonald. McDonald's rendition of "The Fuck Cheer" propelled the song into the mainstream culture in the U.S., and was featured on the [[Woodstock (film)|''Woodstock'' film]], which was released on March 26, 1970. Radio stations regularly played both versions of the cheer, though the opposition to "The Fuck Cheer" limited its exposure to underground stations.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2013/01/07/country-joe-fish-the-greatest-protest-song-of-the-60s/#sthash.fYljCdCD.dpbs|title=Country Joe and the Fish, the Greatest Song of the '60s? (Interview)|work=rockcellarmagazine.com|access-date=July 28, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722192757/http://www.rockcellarmagazine.com/2013/01/07/country-joe-fish-the-greatest-protest-song-of-the-60s/#sthash.fYljCdCD.dpbs|archive-date=July 22, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> In December 1969, McDonald began his own career outside the band, releasing [[cover versions]] of Guthrie-penned songs on ''[[Thinking of Woody Guthrie]]'', and [[country music|country]] standards on ''Tonight I'm Singing Just For You''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countryjoe.com/guthrie.htm|title=Country Joe McDonald's Tribute to Woody Guthrie|work=countryjoe.com|access-date=July 28, 2015}}</ref> All the while, the group looked to capitalize on the momentum from Woodstock and their appearance in the film, ''[[Zachariah (film)|Zachariah]]'', by releasing their fifth album, ''[[CJ Fish]]'', in May 1970. The album was a moderate success, reaching number 111 nationally. However the band members lacked the motivation for touring and recording, which led to their disbandment in mid-1970.<ref name=mara/>

===Aftermath and reunions===
McDonald pursued his solo recording career, which spans over 30 albums, and remains an active anti-war campaigner. He has also appeared in every Woodstock reunion festival since [[Woodstock Reunion 1979|1979]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countryjoe.com/woodxxx.htm|title=Country Joe McDonald, Woodstock XXX|work=countryjoe.com|access-date=July 28, 2015}}</ref> Melton performed solo as well, under the moniker "The Fish", and later became a member of the [[Bay Area]] [[supergroup (music)|supergroup]], [[Dinosaurs (band)|Dinosaurs]], in the 1980s. Since 1982, Melton was able to practice law in California and became a [[Public Defender]] of [[Yolo County, California]] until his retirement in June 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.counterculture.net/thefish/biography.html|title=Barry "The Fish" Melton|work=counterculture.net|access-date=July 28, 2015}}</ref> Country Joe and the Fish members sporadically reconvene, most notably when the classic 1967 lineup recorded ''[[Reunion (Country Joe and the Fish album)|Reunion]]'' in 1977.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cjfishlegacy.com/bminterview.html|title=Singular Fish|work=cjfishlegacy.com|access-date=July 28, 2015}}</ref> The lineup, except Melton, came together again as the Country Joe Band in 2004. In the same year, the group resumed touring, released the Barthol-penned single, "Cakewalk to Baghdad", and the live album ''Live in Berkeley''. Though the Country Joe Band disbanded in 2006, some of the members still occasionally tour together.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.countryjoe.com/cjb.htm#about|title=The Original Country Joe Band|work=countryjoe.com|access-date=July 28, 2015}}</ref>

Hirsh died on August 17, 2021, at age 81.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://bestclassicbands.com/gary-chicken-hirsh-obituary-country-joe-fish-8-20-21/|last1=Tamarkin|first1=Jeff |title=Gary 'Chicken' Hirsh, Country Joe & the Fish Drummer, Dead at 81|website=Best Classic Bands|date=August 21, 2021|access-date=April 3, 2023}}</ref> Barthol died on February 20, 2023, at age 75.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tamarkin|first1=Jeff|title=Bruce Barthol, Country Joe & the Fish Bassist, Dies at 75 |url=https://bestclassicbands.com/bruce-barthol-obituary-2-21-23/ |website=Best Classic Bands|date=February 21, 2023|access-date=April 3, 2023}}</ref>

==Discography==

===Singles===
* "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine" b/w "Masked Marauder" (1967) – #98 [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]]
* "Janis" b/w "Janis (instrumental)" (1967)
* "Who Am I" b/w "Thursday" (1968)
* "Rock and Soul Music (Part 1)" b/w "Rock and Soul Music (Part 2)" (1968)
* "Here I Go Again" b/w "Baby You're Driving Me Crazy" (1969)
* "[[I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag]]" b/w "Janis" (1969) - AUS #60<ref name=aus>{{cite book |last=Kent |first=David |author-link=David Kent (historian) |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |edition=illustrated |publisher=Australian Chart Book |location=St Ives, N.S.W. |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6}}</ref>{{rp|184}}
* "Hang On" b/w "Hand of Man" (1971)

===EPs===
* ''Talking Issue #1: Songs of Opposition'', Rag Baby (1965)
* ''Country Joe and the Fish'', Rag Baby (1966)

===Studio albums===
* ''[[Electric Music for the Mind and Body]]'' (1967) – #39 US
* ''[[I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die]]'' (1967) – #67 US
* ''[[Together (Country Joe and the Fish album)|Together]]'' (1968) – #23 US
* ''[[Here We Are Again (Country Joe and the Fish album)|Here We Are Again]]'' (1969) – #48 US
* ''[[CJ Fish]]'' (1970) – #111 US, #34 AUS<ref name=aus />{{rp|74}}
* ''[[Reunion (Country Joe and the Fish album)|Reunion]]'' (1977)

===Live album===
* ''Live! Fillmore West 1969'' (1994)
* ''Flyin' Back Home Again (San Francisco '68)'' (2020)

===Compilations===
* ''Greatest Hits'', Vanguard (1969)
* ''[[The Life and Times of Country Joe and the Fish]] From Haight-Ashbury to Woodstock'', Vanguard (1971)
* ''The Best of Country Joe & the Fish'', Vanguard (1973)
* ''[[Collectors Items: The First Three EPs]]'', Rag Baby (1980)
* ''Vietnam Experience (The Vietnam War, Dec 22 1961-May 7, 1975)'', Rag Baby (1985)
* ''The Collected Country Joe and the Fish (1965 to 1970)'', Vanguard (1987)
* ''Time Flies By'', Rag Baby (2012)<ref>{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p103837/discography}}: Discography</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.well.com/~cjfish/ }}
* [http://www.countryjoe.com/ Country Joe McDonald's Website]
* [http://www.counterculture.net/thefish/ Barry "The Fish" Melton's Homepage]
* [http://www.cjfishlegacy.com/ Country Joe & the Fish Legacy]
* {{Discogs artist|Country Joe And The Fish}}
* {{IMDb name|id=1278966}}

{{Country Joe and the Fish}}
{{Woodstock}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Country Joe and the Fish}}
[[Category:1965 establishments in California]]
[[Category:1970 disestablishments in California]]
[[Category:American acid rock music groups]]
[[Category:Musical groups established in 1965]]
[[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1970]]
[[Category:Musical groups from Berkeley, California]]
[[Category:American political music groups]]
[[Category:Psychedelic rock music groups from California]]
[[Category:Vanguard Records artists]]