An authentic and highly collectible Louis Jordan window card from Richmond, Virginia on Halloween night, 1951.

This beautiful poster is simply riveting with its bright colors, splashy graphics, multiple cool pictures of Jordan and plenty of song titles. It’s a real winner.

Now the bad news: my Louis Jordan show placard is not complete… the bottom third or so was torn off somewhere along the line (I suspect back in 1951).

I’m guessing that’s the result of a construction worker finding this poster under several layers of plaster and sheet rock in a building that was being torn down. That’s why you see all the dripping paint, plaster and other stuff on two edges of the poster. This thing was hammered, but at least it survived! (Sort of.)

Some collectors might, indeed, complain about not being able to see the missing portion of this awesome Louis Jordan tour placard… but my position is, until I find a fully intact one, this is better than nothing. (smile) And in my video, I take the trouble to show you a picture of a complete one, and linger on it for a little while.

In fact, this is comparable to a concert ticket that’s been torn in half, isn’t it?  I felt this Louis Jordan street poster was worth keeping – and putting in my video blog – because Jordan’s name is fully intact, it has not one but five pictures of him, and the complete ticket information is still there in the upper right.

So what I’ll do here is give the complete wording found on this poster as it read originally, including the words missing from the bottom:

Mosque Ballroom / Richmond – Wed. Oct. 31, 8:30 to 12:30 / Advance Admission $1.75 – at door $2.00

The Greatest “Little” Band Becomes a Great BIG Band – In Person! – Louis Mr. Personality Jordan

(And now in the red stripe, which is partially gone): For the First Time… His Exciting New Full Size 14 piece Band – Featuring Musical Entertainment At Its Best! – With 14 Music Makers, Hand Picked by Jordan Himself

“Run Joe,” “If You’re So Smart, Why Ain’t You Rich?,” “Louisville Lodge Meeting,” “How Blue Can You Get?” (those four are on my poster piece, whereas the following two are missing): “Three-Handed Woman,” “Fat Sam (From Birmingham)” – Globe Poster Corp. – Baltimore

One of the most amazing things about this Louis Jordan fence poster is how they so portrayed his zaniness… Jordan is shown as a bow-legged pirate, wearing a sombrero and playing maracas, wearing oddball glasses and reading from a book, etc. Jordan obviously believed in offering a full range of entertainment!

Actually, the craziness of this piece nicely matches the occasion on which this particular concert was held… Halloween 1951. But remember, this poster was a “tour blank,” used for much of ’51 and likely beyond. The only information that changed from show to show was the red printed text in the upper-right white box.

And speaking of that area, did you notice the cheap ticket price on this Louis Jordan street sign? It’s extra amazing when you realize that was for a full 14-piece outfit, not just a solo artist!

Jordan had achieved three Top 10 R&B hits earlier in 1951, btw. But going forward from the date of this poster, Louis’s charting days were over… he’d never show up again. But he definitely kept on performing.

This Louis Jordan appearance poster is examined and discussed by collector and poster enthusiast Peter Howard in California. I can be contacted by calling 805.540-0020 or by email at pete@postercentral.com.  As a serious poster collector and fan, I will pay TOP DOLLAR for a fully intact copy of this vintage Louis Jordan boxing-style concert poster – or any others of this era.

If you’d like to see some more cool, old jazz & big-band concert signs, head over to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/jazz.htm