THIS IS PART TWO of a two-part video in which I discuss this big, beautiful 1950s R&B and rock & roll concert poster, known as The Biggest Show of Stars For ’57, with the star musicians including Chuck Berry, The Moon Glows, LaVern Baker, Fats Domino, Clyde McPhatter, Charles Brown and several others.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I accidentally refer to this as a “1956” concert poster from the beginning to the end of this video, but I meant 1957 all along, of course – for heaven’s sake, “’57” is right there on the poster. (my bad – blush)
This tour’s line-up featured all African-American performers, SIX of whom eventually wound up in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame… can you identify who they are?
Right up top, it’s interesting to note how this poster has no song titles listed for Fats Domino, when at this moment he had “Blueberry Hill,” “I’m Walkin’” and “Blue Monday” all in the nation’s Top 50 pop singles.
And it’s great to have Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven” named on a concert poster, as that was a seminal rock & roll hit covered by The Beatles years later.
And it’s ironic to note how the two musicians with the longest stretch at #1 on the R&B charts are the most buried on this advertising poster. Charles Brown may be tiny on this poster but his “Trouble Blues” spent 15 weeks at #1 and “Black Night” was #1 for 14 weeks. And do you see Paul Williams and his Big Orchestra along the bottom of this multi-act window card? His “The Huckle-Buck” was #1 for 14 weeks in 1949. Those figures beat anyone above them on this broadside.
The precise wording found on this Globe Posters window card, from top to bottom: (in blue block letters) CPS Field House – Tacoma (Wash. state) – Monday, March 4 (1957) at 8:00 P.M. – Tickets Now: Bon Marche (a famous Pacific Northwest chain of department stores)
Super Attractions present The Biggest Show of Stars (but note the “s” missing, like only one of these people was a star!) for ’57. In Person -
Fats Domino and his Orchestra (zero song titles); Bill Doggett – “Honky Tonk” and then it says, featuring “Crying” Tommy Brown; “Jim Dandy” LaVern Baker; Clyde McPhatter (formerly of The Drifters) – “Without Love”; The 5 Keys, with “Wisdom of a Fool” the song listed; The 5 Satins (like Fats, no song title); “Roll Over Beethoven” – Chuck Berry, of course; The Schoolboys (no song title OR picture); Eddie Cooley and the Dimples, with “Priscilla”;
And then the bottom row, sort of given short shrift with no song titles at all: Ann Cole, The Moon Glows and Charles Brown; and then in the bottom black stripe, Paul Williams and his Big Orchestra. And then the printer’s plug must always be there: Globe Posters – Baltimore.
Why do old telephone-pole concert posters like this give song titles for some artists, and not others? Or even pictures of some musicians, but not others? Good question… probably just a matter of space. You could say, “It depends on how famous they were,” but look at Fats Domino – zero song titles, even with four hits currently on the charts.
Like all traveling-caravan rock & roll concert posters I happen upon, this one is happily explained in great detail by me, Peter Howard (805-540-0020 or pete@postercentral.com). As a serious collector, I will pay a better price than anyone for an original cardboard version of this poster from any stop along the 2-month tour.
And you’re heard me say it before, but: if you love multi-act concert heralds like this from a bygone era, you can see a few more choice ones on this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/multi-act_1950s.htm
