There was an interesting tradition, in the early 60's. It was the time of the "folk boom," when bands such as Peter Paul and Mary and the Kingston Trio were popular.
Female folksingers would often perform live barefooted! This was usually done at beatnik coffee houses, where they performed.
Joan Baez was the best know of these. If fact, she is barefooted on the front cover of her very rare first album. Judy Collins may have also performed live barefoot, but I'm not completely certain.
Hollywood satirized this, in two movies. In the film TAKE HER, SHE'S MINE, Sandra Dee and a girlfriend form a folk duo and perform live barefooted--much to daddy Jimmy Stewart's dismay! And in PENEOPE, Natalie Wood performs a folk song in a coffee house--barefooted.
(I'll bet these ladies had very dirty feet! )

The barefoot spirit was very alive and strong at that time!! Lets not forget Kim Novak...a real life barefoot spirit.

When you said "Hollywood satirized this" - do you mean in a negative way? Like Hollywood made it ridiculous? Or do you mean that Hollywood just depicted it (neutrally)?

I think today there is still some remnant of that. Florence Welch and Tove Lo both still dress in the countercultural 60s style and go barefoot on stage (albeit their music is totally 21st century style)

It's been awhile since I've seen either movie, but as I recall it was very gentle satire. It was more "those wacky kids and their fads" than "this is disgusting and an offense to society."

Yes, I agree...it was a rather gentle, almost benign satire...perhaps there was more bemusement involved than anything else. Certainly there was no disgust or contempt involved....like they were just eccentric but harmless kids.....which they were really....(wish they were around today).

I didn't mean to suggest that the satire was mean-spirited. Like a couple of you said, it was done in a gentle way--a reflection of what was going on, at the time.

Here's a photo of Joan Baez barefoot, from her rare first album:
http://pics.wikifeet.com/Joan-Baez-Feet-1129825.jpg

There's definitely a link between musicality and being barefoot. I understand many folk musicians say that they simply perform better barefoot, although especially in the USA it is difficult to distinguish this from statements of cultural tradition (Southern poor white, of course).

Of course when you perform musically, you're not just hearing the sounds but feeling the vibrations and bare feet would improve the pickup of the latter. The percussionist Evelyn Glennie is that apparent oxymoron a deaf musician, but by performing barefoot she still experiences what she is playing.

There's a good blog page with a photo of her here:

http://djembeslappin.blogspot.co.uk/2007/1...-life-back.html

In fact, it is only recently that it's been worked out that elephants communicate long-distance using low-frequency sound, not by listening out for it by by transmitting and receiving it through the soles of their feet.

Sammie Jay is a recent barefoot street performer. She's not only very pretty, but a good singer!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXiHL9cGCmE&nohtml5=False

However she's not keeping with the barefoot theme in concert performances, I notice.