A pair of dramatically different Lloyd Price concert posters from the late 1950s, when Price was hitting his commercial peak with hit singles on both the R&B and pop charts.

On first blush, it would appear that one of these is vastly superior to the other. But tastes in concert posters run the gamut, and if you’re deeply familiar with Price’s body of work, you might choose the poster that lists 10 of his fun songs, not just two like the other one does.

The first Lloyd Price concert announcement I show you today hails from Louisville, KY, although you wouldn’t know that from the poster itself; there are almost no clue. But we know because it turned up in a small stash of posters from Louisville and even from the same venue.

This handsome red & black poster is unusual in that it promotes a hit song title over the artist himself: “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” a giant R&B hit from 1952, gets the screaming headline here, whereas Lloyd’s name is relegated to the lower half. Funny!

There’s no printer’s credit given on this Lloyd Price boxer-style concert poster, so where it was printed, nobody knows. Most collectors really appreciate it when they can find out who printed an old, cool poster like this.

It’s interesting how one of the Price photos is a head shot and the other has him in action, playing at the piano. It’s a great one-two visual punch for the New Orleans music star.

The second Lloyd Price pole poster is dramatically less attractive to the eye, but carries a lot more music on it: 10 song titles! That’s huge, among the most I’ve ever seen on a poster before.

Those 10 consist of his four most recent hits, both the A- and B-sides; his 1952 monster, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”; and an obscure number from his own record label a couple of years prior, “Hello Little Girl.”

The Tilghman Press poster company out of Oakland, CA made up this second concert poster, and interestingly, they used green ink up in the venue area to advertise this show in Seattle, WA.

These two Lloyd Price concert cards were displayed and narrated by long-time collector and music historian Pete Howard, of California’s central coast. If you wish to discuss, you can reach me through (805) 540.0020 (I also text) or by emailing pete@postercentral.com. Most importantly, please know that I pay the BEST PRICES IN THIS HOBBY, PERIOD, for vintage R&B (and other formats) concert-advertising placards such as these two Price’s.

And if you’d like to see a few more dramatically cool, rare, vintage boxing-style R&B concert posters, just step over one page to this set of beauties: http://www.postercentral.com/rhythmnblues.htm