Janis Joplin Big Brother Cardboard Window Card for Roller Rink Concert!

Posted on March 18, 2013 by

An authentic, big, 1968 cardboard window card for Janis Joplin with Big Brother & the Holding Company at the Alexandria Arena (Roller Rink) in Alexandria, VA on Sunday, October 20.

This Janis Joplin concert poster is my favorite billboard by her & Big Brother, due to its tasteful use of pink and purple Day-Glo colors. Also worked in nicely is photographer Thomas Weir’s well-known shot of Janis that was also used on Big Brother’s classic Cheap Thrills album.

In fact, concert promoter Durwood C. Settles put on this Janis Joplin with Big Brother & the Holding Company gig at the same time the group’s Cheap Thrills album was the best-selling LP in the U.S. – the very top of the Billboard charts.

Poster artist extraordinaire D.W. Beeghly designed this Janis Joplin concert broadside, as he often did for concert promoter Durwood Settles in the East and the South during this period.

This oversized Janis Joplin window display was printed up by Globe Posters of Baltimore, with dimensions of 22 x 28”.

Fortuitously, the Jeff Beck Group was the opening act for Big Brother at this show, with the added bonus of Rod Stewart being the lead singer for Beck! Who obviously would go on to great fame himself.

The entire text that can be seen on this Janis Joplin telephone-pole poster, including every word down to the finest detail:

(In tiny print, to his credit): Durwood C. Settles Presents – In Person – 2 Big Shows – (and then in fancy script): Janis Joplin and (bright pink Day-Glo letters): Big Brother and the Holding Company

(Then blue ink on the white cardboard): Special Extra Added Attraction – The Jeff Beck Group – Light Show by the Psychedelic Power & Light Co.

(And in the pink box below): Sun. Oct. 20, 4 & 8 P.M. – Alexandria Arena (Roller Rink) – 807 N. Saint Asaph Street, Alexandria, Virginia (abbreviated).

(And then the small print down at the bottom): No Seats – Dance & Show.  Tickets $4.00 in advance, $5.00 at the door.  Tickets are on sale at all Giant Music Centers: Falls Church, Arlington and Fairfax; all Montgomery Ward Stores; Soul Shack, 1221 G St. N.W.; Learmont’s, Georgetown; and Disc Shop, 1825 Conn. Ave. NW.

(Final credits buried at the bottom): Creative Signs – Designed by D.W. Beeghly – Copyright Durwood Settles, 1968

Finding vintage rock-concert posters such as this one is great fun.  Most of these old music window placards were made strictly as advertising signs, fully intended to be thrown away right after the show passed through town. Therefore, collecting scarce concert memorabilia such as posters, fliers, handbills, ticket stubs – as well as never-used tickets – is a really cool hobby, because you never know where & when the next one will turn up.

This quite big Janis Joplin 1968 window display video was conducted by vintage concert memorabilia collector Pete Howard (ring 805-540-0020, or cyber pete@postercentral.com). Pete (I) will pay the very best price for another copy of this poster, or most other rare 1960s rock posters.

And to gaze upon more Sixties rock-music window posters used to sell tickets, just slide over to this page right here on my web site: http://www.postercentral.com/rock.htm

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Hank Williams Show Window Card 1960s with Hank Jr. and Lefty Frizzell

Posted on March 14, 2013 by

A big, attractive concert poster for a Hank Williams tribute show in Manhattan (New York) in 1963, featuring Hank Williams Jr., Lefty Frizzell, Ernest Tubb and the Texas Troubadours, and Mrs. Hank (Audrey) Williams, Hank’s widow.

An authentic, vintage Hank Williams window card has never been found that used bright, Day-Glo colors such as the yellow and orange found on this placard.

Similarly, an old Lefty Frizzell concert poster would be a collector’s item for any collector of country music, but on this poster, Lefty shares the spotlight with a slew of other country musicians.

As most collectors have discovered, an original Hank Williams concert poster is difficult to find, because he passed away on January 1, 1953.  So a commanding window card like this from a decade hence serves as a nice substitute, particularly when it features his widow and his son.

Speaking of his son: Hank Williams Jr. was only 14 years old at the time of this concert, but he would go on to achieve great fame in the 1980s, winning the CMA Entertainer of the Year twice.

This enormous Globe concert poster measures 22 x 35”, is constructed of cardboard and displays bright Day-Glo colors.

The complete text found on this Grand Ole Opry country music broadside, reading it from top to bottom:

(First, blue ink on white): Manhattan Center, 34th St. & 8th Ave. – Sun. Nov. 24, 2 Shows, 2:00 (changed by hand from the original “4:00”) and 8:00 PM – Advance Admission $2.50 – At Door $3,00 – Special Rates for Students – Sponsored by The Musician’s Aid Society

(And now into the body of the poster): A Star-Studded Country Music Show! 17 Stars! All In Person…

(In bright orange Day-Glo): GRAND OLE OPRY (then tiny print): From Nashville, Tennessee – A Tribute To The Late, Great Hank Williams – the Opry’s All-Time Great Personality!

Ernest Tubb and the Texas Troubadours – “Walkin’ the Floor Over You” – Hank Williams, Jr. – First Time On Tour! – Lefty Frizzell – and Jean Shepard, The Opry’s favorite Girl!

Mrs. Hank (Audrey) Williams – Patti White – (and then down in the bright orange box): Billy Byrd, Former Guitar Player with Ernest Tubb -  – Jack Drake – Buddy Charlton – Cal Smith – Jimmy Orr – Leon Rhodes – Curtis McPete – Billy Moore – George McCormick – Peanut Montgomery.

(And last but not least, down at the bottom): Special Added Attraction – Wilma Lee, Stoney Cooper and the Clinch Mountain Clan – Plus – the Smokey and Shorty Warren Show (and then in very small print): and the Entire Copa Club Gang.  (Printer’s credit at very bottom): Globe Posters – Baltimore.

Sadly, this show was scheduled to occur two days after President Kennedy was assassinated, and therefore fell on the night before the country’s national day of mourning. So it’s not even known if this scheduled date actually happened, or if it was postponed.

While this poster is not as cool as finding an authentic Hank Williams concert billboard or broadside, this tribute to the king of country music is nonetheless great to have. This in-tribute Hank Williams telephone-pole poster is lectured about by collector Pete Howard (805-540-0020 or pete@postercentral.com). And I will pay TOP DOLLAR for any vintage, original Hank Williams concert poster or advertising piece of any kind.

To see a few other original C&W concert posters from the 1950s-60s, saddle up the palomino and ride on over to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/country.htm

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Fantabulous Rock ’N’ Roll Show of ’57 Window Card w/R&B Stars

Posted on March 10, 2013 by

An old, collectible concert poster known as the Fantabulous Rock ’N Roll Show of ’57, with a great line-up of rhythm & blues musicians including Bo Diddley, The Coasters, The Drifters and Ruth Brown.

This scarce, collectable rock ’n’ roll window card functioned as a “tour blank” which traveled from town to town in the spring & summer of 1957, with differing ticket-sales information printed in the white space up top for each individual show along the tour. This poster shown today was for a gig in Charleston, West Virginia.

Globe Posters drew up this gorgeous concert placard using bright colors, pictures of each musician, some song titles and even each artist’s corresponding record label.

This authentic Globe Posters cardboard concert poster advertised tickets to a traveling group of all-African-American musicians who also helped form the basis of rock & roll.

For my money, it’s the riveting colors on the Fantabulous Rock and Roll Show of 1957 concert placard that makes it better than most. The look of the yellows and reds alternating on the light-blue backdrop… is just lovely design work.

And it’s fascinating the way this concert billboard states “Mr. Bobby Parker – Blues Guitar.” I haven’t seen Bobby Parker’s name on a concert poster very often… he was mostly in the background. But what an illustrious career! Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page stole a Parker lick for “Moby Dick” on Led Zeppelin II, and subsequently tried to sign Parker to Zep’s Swan Song label. And Carlos Santana has cited Bobby Parker as his main influence for picking up a guitar. (P.S. I could be wrong, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Bobby Parker concert poster where he’s the headliner.)

And a Smiley Lewis concert poster is not something you see every day, either, but here Smiley is, on this poster, at 44 years of age. It’s a shame that “I Hear You Knocking” and “One Night (Of Sin),” his two recent rock ‘n roll classics, weren’t used on this poster  – instead, they opted for his current single, which went nowhere.

And then there’s The Spence Twins on a concert window card! They weren’t musicians per se, but rather exotic dancers who often created a hubub whenever they performed – especially in the conservative 50’s.

As for its size, this Globe Posters of Baltimore concert broadside tapes out at 22 x 28 inches.  Globe would usually make two different sizes of their concert posters; this and a smaller size.

Here is the exact wording on this vintage, seminal rock & roll window display, just as it reads from the top down to the bottom:

(Tiny print at top): Coleman Attractions present (and then) CONCERT & DANCE – Charleston Municipal Auditorium – Saturday, June 22, 1957 – (back to the tiny print) 10 P.M. ’til 2 A.M. – Tickets On Sale at the usual places – Advance $2.00 – at Door $2.50

(And then the key line, and the first line of the permanent body of the poster): Danceland Attractions Presents “Fantabulous” Rock ’N Roll Show of ’57

(The top three superstars): Ruth Brown – The Mama Girl – “Lucky Lips,” “When I Get You Baby” – Atlantic Records.  The Coasters – “Searchin,” “Young Blood” – Atlantic Records. Bo Diddley and His Trio – “Hey Bo Diddley,” “Mona” – Checker Records

(The next three, middle level): The Schoolboys – “Please Say You Want Me,” “Shirley” – Okeh Records. The Drifters – “Fools Fall In Love,” “Hypnotize” – Atlantic Records. The 5 Satins – “Wish I Had My Baby,” “Oh Happy Day” and “Wonderful Girl” – Ember Records

(Third & final row, starting with blue area, lower left, neither one pictured): Johnny Hartman – M.C. – Vocalist – “All Of Me” – Bethlehem Records.  Mr. Bobby Parker – Blues Guitar.

(And then): Smiley Lewis – “Sweeter Words,” “You Are My Sunshine” – Imperial Records. (And finally, with no fanfare): The Spence Twins.

(Red stripe at bottom): Paul Williams and his Hucklebuck Orchestra.  Globe Poster – Baltimore.

Scarce, collectible Fifties rock-concert window cards are tough to find, because poster collectors like me grab them whenever they come up for sale. And as you know, most of these old rock & roll posters were thrown away back in the ’50s; no one was thinking ahead back then.

This collectable rock n’ roll concert poster is happily presented by collector Peter Howard (cell phone 805-540-0020 or email pete@postercentral.com).  I pay the best prices in the world for old concert placards like this, or a finder’s fee if you point me to one!

To see more great examples of early, vintage telephone-pole posters from rock’s earliest days, just dial up this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/multi-act_1950s.htm

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The Animals Window Card 1960’s British Invasion Concert Poster

Posted on March 6, 2013 by

A 1960s-vintage British Invasion large cardboard concert poster for The Animals in concert in the U.S. in Spring 1966.

This Globe Posters window card was used to sell tickets for The Animals’ show at the Winchester Roller Rink in Winchester, Virginia on April 28, 1966.

The band was still known by its original, simpler name, without lead singer Eric Burdon being singled out yet.

Fans of hit-makers Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs will surely notice that Globe switched the photographs of the bottom two acts on this poster – oops!

The exact wording found on this classy rock ‘n roll window card: (In orange block): Winchester Roller Rink – (then in white area): Thur. Apr. 28 – 8:30 P.M. ’til 1:00 A.M. – Advance Tickets $4.50 – At Door $6.00 – Tickets Now On Sale at Shenval Music Co. (short for “Shenandoah Valley”)

Huebren (the promoter’s first & last names combined) Presents His 2nd Singing Spectacular – (and now in the large orange “cloud”) From England and Ed Sullivan’s TV Show! England’s No. 1 Authentic Rhythm & Blues Group – THE ANIMALS – “House of Rising Sun,” “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and Their Latest Hit, “Inside Looking Out.”

(And then the two opening acts): From Texas and The Studios of M.G.M. – Sam the Sham and The Pharoahs – Wooly Booly – Juju Hand – Red Hot – Ring Dang Do – and Winchester’s Own Brutus and The Roamin’s (the band in which the promoter belonged, btw). Globe Poster – Baltimore

This exact “cloud” type of Globe Posters rock concert poster was utilized for a lot of pop & rock acts in the sixties, selling tickets to many big U.S. tours. Most of them were, sadly, torn down and discarded after the concerts.

This Animals / British Invasion broadside is happily narrated by concert memorabilia collector Pete Howard (805-540-0020 by telly or pete@postercentral.com by e-mail). I will pay the very BEST prices for original vintage 1950s-60s rock concert posters!

To see a few other scarce, collectible ’60s concert posters by British Invasion acts like The Who, Cream and others, head over to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/rock.htm

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First Known Jimi Hendrix Experience Concert Poster 1967 England

Posted on March 2, 2013 by

A Jimi Hendrix Experience concert poster dating to February 1967 at the Plaza Newbury venue in Berkshire, England, located about an hours’ drive east of London. This is the earliest known Hendrix concert-poster image to have surfaced thus far.

This big poster was printed using black ink on a thin yellow paper stock.  Don’t be confused by the image of James Brown at the very top – huh? – perhaps he played there recently, or was on the schedule to play there soon.

This February 10, 1967 Jimi Hendrix concert poster is actually the middle date of three consecutive Experience gigs that used basically the same poster image. A week earlier, there exists a Hendrix concert poster at the Ricky Tick club in Windsor dated February 3, 1967 that looks basically the same. And a week later, there’s another such poster with the same artwork – “Jimi Hendrix Experience,” large image of his face – for February 17, 1967 at the Ricky Tick.  All three dates were Fridays in 1967. So I’m counting all of those when I proclaim this to be the first known Jimi poster.

This Jimi Hendrix British concert poster is displayed and discussed by Pete Howard (phone me at 805-540-0020 or email pete@postercentral.com). I pay the very best prices!! for rare and collectible 1960s rock concert posters, especially Hendrix.

To see other English rock-concert posters from the Sixties, such as one from 1967 that found Hendrix down-billed to The Walker Brothers, just move over to this page right here my web site: http://www.postercentral.com/britishpaper.htm

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