A vintage, authentic 7^th Annual Shower of Stars concert poster with Otis Redding as the headliner, from the Boston Arena in Boston, MA on Aug. 4, 1967.

This Otis Redding placard has stunning visual appeal, largely due to its captivating colors of green, yellow and red.

There is a tragic undercurrent to this 7^th Annual Shower of Stars street poster; just a few months after this concert, Mr. Redding and several members of his back-up band, The Bar-Kays, were killed in a Wisconsin plane crash.

One of the things I like about this Otis Redding broadside is that every musical artist has a little nameplate by their photo… except for Otis, because everyone knew who he was!

It’s sort of a shame that the Bar-Kays didn’t get a picture on this 7^th Annual Shower of Stars tour poster, despite having a Top 20 hit of their own with the instrumental “Soul Finger.”

Here’s a quick run-down of the musicians on this Otis Redding concert placard: Otis of course, then Percy Sledge, Arthur Conley, the Bar Kays, the Manhattans, James Carr, Bettye Swann, Betty Harris, the 5 Stair Steps and Master of Ceremonies Sad Sam.

I must give credit to Globe Posters in Baltimore for making this 7^th Annual Shower of Stars show poster. They manufactured it on cardboard, so it’s rigid enough to stand up on its own when leaned against a wall.

Globe was well known for their jumbo-sized posters… this Otis Redding billboard clocks in at 22” x 29”, quite a hefty size.

On first glance, some might assume this was a Stax/Volt Revue concert poster, but that’s not the case. The only artists signed to Stax/Volt were Redding and the Bar-Kays; everyone else recorded for other labels, including Atlantic.

This 7^th Annual Shower of Stars boxing-style concert poster fell during a wonderful point in Otis’s too-brief career… he had just wowed audiences at the Monterey Pop Festival less than two months prior.

Also, at the time of this Otis Redding show placard, Mr. Redding had accomplished seven Top 10 R&B hits, and his eighth one was right on the horizon: “Knock On Wood.”

And then there’s Percy Sledge, who has a very prominent spot on this 7^th Annual Shower of Stars event poster, in the yellow stripe directly under Otis’s name. Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman” was a #1 hit across the board the previous year.

And coming next is Arthur Conley, who was actually discovered by Otis and who had a big hit that spring with “Sweet Soul Music.” It’s unfortunate that this Otis Redding tour placard doesn’t give song titles like so many of these posters did.

It’s really weird how Carla Thomas is shown at the bottom of this 7^th Annual Shower of Stars appearance poster, but without her name mentioned anywhere on the poster. I explain this aberration in my video; it turns out she is mentioned, twice, on some copies of this poster, and I show you one via a picture.

I love the way the 5 Stair Steps included their newest member, a five-year-old brother, in their photo on this Otis Redding sign. He had just joined his siblings in the group earlier this year.

I like the way some of the coloring is Day-Glo-ish throughout this 7^th Annual Shower of Stars ticket poster, such as the red on Bettye Swann’s top and the yellow of Betty Harris’ gown.

The Manhattans are listed halfway down on this Otis Redding concert announcement, but in a few years, they’d be headliners themselves, with #1 hits in the 1970’s.

This 7^th Annual Shower of Stars poster is considered a “tour blank”… the info printed up at the top would change from city to city and date to date. This particular tour blank was used for at least six weeks, and probably two months, in the summer of 1967.

You’ll notice that down at the bottom of this Otis Redding street sign, it says: Tour Direction – Universal Attractions, 200 W. 57^th Street, New York City. And that’s followed by Globe Posters – Baltimore.

I just adore the large, dominating picture that Otis gets on his 7^th Annual Shower of Stars in-person poster. Rather than just the standard head shot, Otis gets a live-on-stage picture complete with big smile. It’s a gem.

Being the poster collector that I am, I would venture to say that this Otis Redding window display is truly one of the best soul-music concert posters of the entire decade… but being art, others might think it too gaudy or busy, preferring toned-down simplicity.

Globe was known for making a lot of attractive, colorful R&B concert advertisements throughout the fifties and sixties, but having seen most of them, I still feel like this 7^th Annual Shower of Stars window poster takes the cake; it’s a classic.

So I’m a bit enthusiastic when I show off this Otis Redding fence poster. I’m serious concert-poster collector Pete Howard, and I can be reached at pete@postercentral.com or by telephone at 805-540-0020.

I have more really nice vintage soul-music concert posters shown on this page of my Web site; have a look: http://www.postercentral.com/rhythmnblues.htm