An original, authentic 1958 Sam Cooke window card with a total of six hit-making acts on the bill.

You have to admire the way the blues, reds and yellows accentuate the message on this Sam Cooke show poster, making it quite eye-catching from a distance.

Unfortunately, this particular Sam Cooke broadside was trimmed down from its original 22 x 28” dimensions; it originally had a white border all the way around.

When whoever it was (not me!) did the trimming of this Sam Cooke sign a long time ago, they cut a somewhat jagged edge all the way around. One would have to even out those edges if they wanted to frame it.

The upper portion of this Sam Cooke concert placard was originally about six inches of blank white area, which would have then been used to print the concert’s date and ticket information.

What’s left of this Sam Cooke telephone-pole poster is roughly 21 by 22 inches.  Still, I’d rather have this than nothing!

I really get a kick out of the way all six musicians on this Sam Cooke announcement have a song title credited to them, with Cooke the only one to get two. It’s a shame they didn’t use a hit for The Drifters like the #1 “Money Honey,” instead of that song title nobody knows!

This Sam Cooke placard was manufactured on cardboard material, not paper, the standard practice of the day.

Although I don’t have a concert date to go by because the top was trimmed off, it’s easy to deduce that this Sam Cooke poster dates to the Spring of 1958. One of our biggest clues is that the latest-charting song shown on the poster, “Get a Job” by the Silhouettes, first entered Billboard’s charts in January 1958.

If you’re a regular visitor to this Web site, you’ll know that I’ve already blogged a Sam Cooke in-person poster a couple of times before. This 1958 specimen, however, is the earliest one chronologically.

It can be tough to find an original Sam Cooke boxing style concert poster because unfortunately, Mr. Cooke was tragically killed under mysterious circumstances in December 1964.

So that leaves collectors only seven calendar years in which to find an authentic Sam Cooke event poster… from 1958-1964 inclusive.

Every one of the six acts on this Sam Cooke billboard had at least one Top 40 national hit record. The Dubs barely qualify for that, but the other five had some very recognizable hits.

Most fans are aware that the legendary soul singer was a member of The Soul Stirrers gospel group before he embarked on a solo career. But the designers of this Sam Cooke window display decided not to mention that on this poster; what’s the point? It’s a totally different audience.

In fact, the very designer and the printer of this Sam Cooke show placard is unknown, because the printer’s credit was obliterated when the border was shaved off all around.  Globe Posters of Maryland is a very good guess, however.

I brought up the colors before… I really dig the way the only blue color used on this Sam Cooke ticket poster is to provide a backdrop for three of the opening acts near the bottom: Thurston Harris, the Drifters and the Dubs.

You rarely find old ticket placards like this in mint condition, and sure enough, there is a big tear in this Sam Cooke tour poster… it’s in the bottom middle portion. The rip goes up through “Raunchy” and the Drifters’ picture, stopping just before “Silhouettes.” This imperfection would mostly disappear once the poster is framed, leading collectors to sometimes say, “That damage would ‘frame out’ nicely.”

This Sam Cooke tour placard is happily explained and shown by collector Pete Howard (at 805-540-0020 or pete@postercentral.com). As a side note, I pay the very best prices, anywhere, for old, original R&B concert advertisements such as this.

If vintage rhythm & blues concert posters like this “send you,” then head on over to this page right here on my hobby Web site for more eye candy: http://www.postercentral.com/rhythmnblues.htm