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