Big Brother & Holding Company Fillmore East Poster 1968 Janis Joplin

Posted on May 23, 2013 by postercentral

This is an original Big Brother & The Holding Company concert poster from Bill Graham’s Fillmore East auditorium on March 8, 1968.

This is the one & only Big Brother and the Holding Company Fillmore East concert poster that was ever made, btw; by the end of the year, Janis Joplin had departed the group and set out on her solo career.

This Big Brother & The Holding Company show poster is horizontal in shape and B&W in tone… a very popular design pulled off by poster artist Charles Brandywynn.

Most Big Brother & The Holding Company tour posters tended to be of the psychedelic variety, as was the era, but this poster has a more conventional layout, with easily readable words and a photograph of the band.

In addition, other Big Brother & The Holding Company window displays contain bright psychedelic colors throughout, but artist Brandywynn opted for straight black & white to nice effect with this window sign.

Collectors regard this to be a Janis Joplin concert poster, because her image is front & center in the picture of Big Brother & The Holding Company, and she was definitely the “star of the show” by 1968. Notice that the band photo was taken by Linda Eastman – the future wife of Beatle Paul McCartney.

Unlike nowadays, back then the opening acts were an important part of any show, so many people would consider this to be a Janis Joplin, Tim Buckley & Albert King concert poster, not just BB&HC. After all, Buckley and King certainly helped draw customers.

The entire text, just as it reads on this 1960s Fillmore East concert poster, from left to right and top to bottom:

Bill Graham Presents In N.Y. – Big Brother & The Holding Company

(And then small credits to): Linda Eastman, Charles Brandywynn

[Additional acts]: Tim Buckley, Albert King and the Joshua Light Show

Friday, March 8 – 2 Performances… 8 P.M. & 11:15 PM… Fillmore East, formerly the Village Theater – Second Ave. & 6th St. in New York City – Advance Seats Available

This is the first poster that Bill Graham produced for his Fillmore East venue, formerly the Village Theatre in New York City, and it is sometimes known as the FE-1 poster.

This Big Brother & The Holding Company ticket poster is explained in great detail by long-time collector Peter J. Howard (I’m attainable at pete@postercentral.com or 805-540-0020). And yes, I pay TOP DOLLAR for vintage Sixties concert posters that I love, like this one.

To see more scarce and collectable rock-concert posters from the late ’60s (including a beautiful Janis Joplin solo one), just trip on over to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/rock.htm

Posted in **All Posters, **Psychedelic Posters Only, *Janis Joplin, Fillmore Auditorium | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Johnny Cash Window Card 1950s Grand Ole Opry Star In Person

Posted on May 20, 2013 by postercentral

An authentic, vintage Johnny Cash concert poster designed to advertise tickets for his Ventura, CA concert on December 9, 1956. Yes, 1956!!

If you have some recognition of this piece, the template found on this Johnny Cash show poster – red & yellow colors, an early picture of Johnny looking up, his name nice and big in red, and a few song titles down below – was used for The Man In Black’s concerts throughout much of the 1950s-early ’60s.

What makes this Johnny Cash placard so special is that his career was only about one year old at the time of this show… he had charted his first single just 13 months prior.

This Johnny Cash boxing-style poster was printed by the Colby Poster Printing Co. on cardboard (not paper) and measures the standard 14 by 22 inches.

This Johnny Cash display advertised tickets for a show that occurred only 5 days after “the Million Dollar Quartet” (a name given to them later) came together at Sun Studios in Memphis, Tennessee – with Johnny as one of the four.

Known in poster circles as a “tour blank,” this Johnny Cash tour poster was used for many concert dates in 1956 and perhaps ’57… with each concert’s specific ticket information printed in up at the top.

As you can see while I’m holding it, this Johnny Cash broadside is in darn good condition given its age, and this copy was restored somewhat to eliminate some of the wear & tear.

As I always do, what follows is the complete and entire text as it reads from top to bottom on this Johnny Cash concert placard:

(Red lettering in the venue info space): Sun. Dec. 9 – Moose Hall – Foster Park – Ventura – (black stripe): dance! show!

(Huge red letters): JOHNNY CASH *Grand Ole Opry Star in Person

Hear Him Sing: “I’ll [sic – should be “I”] Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I Get So Doggone Lonesome” [sic – the hit 45 was just called “So Doggone Lonesome”]

(Printer’s credit at the bottom): Colby Poster Co., 1419 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles 16, Calif.

You gotta love the way three hit song titles appear at the bottom of this Johnny Cash billboard… with two of them remaining in his repertoire for the rest of his career.

In case you weren’t impressed enough, Mr. Cash is a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.  Wow!

Any vintage Johnny Cash Sun Records sign is bound to be of interest to fans and collectors, given his long and storied career.

This Johnny Cash window display is discussed, dissected and raved about by veteran collector Pete Howard (pete@postercentral.com or by Ma Bell at 805-540-0020). Yep, I will pay top dollar, period for any vintage tour placard like this used to sell tickets back in the day.

Now then, to see more rare and collectable C&W concert posters from the 1950s-60s, just point yourself over to this page on my hobby Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/country.htm

Posted in **All Posters, Boxing-Style Concert Posters, Country | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thelonious Monk Concert Posters Harlem 1940s Bebop Jazz Legend

Posted on May 14, 2013 by postercentral

Today we look at two vintage, original Thelonious Monk window cards from the late 1940s in the Harlem section of New York City.

The first of these Thelonious Monk placards hails from 1948 and lists five other band members which formed Monk’s All-Stars. The other Thelonious Monk boxing-style poster is from 1949 and does away with the All-Stars in favor of “His New Sextet.”

Both of these vintage bebop jazz concert placards are quite worn out and fragile, as often is the case with paper materials so old.

That’s a common denominator about collecting old concert signs, used to sell tickets from over 50 years ago: it’s not often you find them in pristine condition.

You have to get a kick out of the ticket prices on these old jazz show placards: $1.35 and $1.50. You can’t get a bottle of water at today’s shows for that price!

Both of these 14×22-inch cardboard jazz tour placards were designed and manufactured by Prince & Maxwell Displays of New York City. I had never heard of that company before, so it’s probable that they specialized only in printing vintage jazz concert ticket posters, and not necessarily a broader range of music such as R&B.

A small handful of vintage jazz billboards from Harlem recently turned up with Macbeth the Great listed as the opening act.  It’s funny the way he’s referred to in two differing ways on these two vintage jazz window displays, since they’re only one year apart.

Taking a look now at the complete script found on both of these vintage jazz displays, starting with the 1948 one:

The San Juan Hill Assoc. Presents Thelonious Monk – “The High Priest of Bebop” – [and his] All-Stars: Art Blakey, Curley Russell, Idrees Sulieman, Ike Quebec and Danny Quebec.

[Plus] MacBeth “The Great” and his Calypsonians. April 30th, 1948, Friday Night – Golden Gate Ballroom – 142nd St. & Lenox Ave. in New York City. Tickets $1.35, or at the door, $1.50. Reservations: [I will spare you that.)

And then on the green poster, from a year later:

The San Juan Hill Assoc. Presents Thelonious Monk and His New Sextet

And Macbeth “the Great” and his Calypso Serenaders – Saturday Night, October 1st [1949], at the Rockland Palace Ballroom, 155th & 8th Ave.  Tickets $1.50 in Advance [no Door price given]. Reservations: [and once again, I won’t waste your time listing all that.]

Any vintage Thelonious Monk show poster from the pre-rock & roll era is a cool jazz collectable to acquire, because most old jazz broadsides were torn down and tossed out right after the shows.

Both of these scarce, collectible bebop jazz concert placards are enthusiastically discussed by memorabilia collector Pete Howard; hook up with me at either 805-540-0020 or pete@postercentral.com. And please keep in mind that I pay the very best prices for vintage concert window placards by any of musical heroes, in any genre.

To see some other rare jazz boxing–style concert posters (including the big band era), go ahead and bop over to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/bigbandvocalists.htm

Posted in **All Posters, Boxing-Style Concert Posters, Jazz & Big Band | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Beatles 1964 Window Card for Closed-Circuit Concert Broadcast

Posted on May 10, 2013 by postercentral

A vintage, authentic Beatles poster advertising a closed-circuit broadcast of the Fab Four’s February 11, 1964 concert in Washington D.C., which was subsequently transmitted to movie theaters across the U.S. on March 14 and 15, 1964.

This vintage Beatles placard is, in fact, a hybrid advertising poster, because it informs the public that the event is both a tape-delayed concert on the big screen (with the Beatles, Beach Boys and Lesley Gore) and a live stage show, too (the Orlons, Tymes and Frankie Lymon, all genuine hit-makers hailing from the Philly / NY area)

The Beatles’ February 11, 1964 Washington D.C. concert is hands-down one of their finest hours, and their first show ever in North America.  However, due to their wild popularity, concert posters never had to be used to sell tickets – the boys sell out everything instantly by word-of-mouth.

So it stands to reason that a genuine Beatles boxing-style concert poster of any design is pretty unusual, which gives this particular poster its unique feeling.

Now, if this was a real Beatles show poster for their Washington, D.C. concert, it would be extremely collectible and worth a lot… but as I said, that poster doesn’t exist (except in bootleg form, of which there are actually many).

As a matter of fact, vintage Beatles tour posters were not really printed up with any sense of normalcy until the Fabs’ 1966 U.S. tour, when they started playing venues so big that they needed to enlist marketing tools to move all the tickets.

Naturally, it would have been nice if this Beatles billboard had photographs of Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr on it, but alas, no picture of the group was used. Not enough room!

All of the text found on this authentic Beatles concert placard, just as it reads from top to bottom:

Jerry Blavat (a local DJ) Presents The BEATLES – Lesley Gore – The Beach Boys – Plus – In Person – The Orlons – The Tymes – Frankie Lymon

Sat. & Sun. March 14 & 15 – Shows at 11:45 (AM) & 2:15 PM – Delaware Valley Garden – Brace & Berlin Roads – Cherry Hill, New Jersey – $2.00 Per Ticket

(And then in smaller print at the bottom) Tickets Available at: Delaware Valley Garden – Pennsauken Mart Record Dept. – Buddy’s Ticket Agency, Hammonton – Calico Kitchen Restaurants, Camden – Airport Circle & Cherry Hill Mall. (And then tiny print in lower right corner) Posters Inc., 835 Cherry St., Philadelphia

Posters Inc. was located right across the river from Cherry Hill, NJ., so it makes perfect sense that they produced this poster.

This old, original Beatles window display was taped and shown here by collector Pete Howard of San Luis Obispo, California (805-540-0020, pete@postercentral.com). As a first-generation Beatles fan and collector, I will pay TOP DOLLAR for any original 1960s Beatles concert poster that I don’t have. I once had three of my original, authentic Beatles English concert posters on display in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum for years, so I’m quite serious and sincere!

To cast your eyes upon a few other original Beatles ticket posters, just head on over to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/beatles.htm

Posted in **All Posters, *Beatles, Boxing-Style Concert Posters, British Invasion | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Biggest Show Of Stars Window Card – Teen Idols Avalon, Rydell, etc.

Posted on May 6, 2013 by postercentral

An original Biggest Show of Stars concert poster for the 1960 Winter Edition of BSOS from Lansing, MI on Feb. 28, 1960.

Frankie Avalon held down the headline slot on this multi-artist, touring caravan concert poster from the 60’s.

This specific Biggest Show of Stars show placard (1960 Winter Edition) is probably one of my five favorite BSOS posters in the 10-year series, because of its striking colors.

This cardboard boxing-style poster was actually conceived as a “tour blank” that was used for a lot of shows along the tour. Each city’s unique information would be printed up above in the “venue info” area.

This specific Biggest Show of Stars show poster was most likely printed in two different sizes… jumbo, which I show here, and a smaller size.

Here is the exact wording as it reads on this Biggest Show of Stars billboard, from top to bottom:

(Blue lettering at the top): CIVIC CENTER Lansing, Michigan – Sunday February 28 ….. 1 Show – 7:00 P.M. ….. Prices: $2.75 – $2.10 – $1.75 Tax Included – Tickets On Sale: Civic Center Box Office, Paramount News

(Into the colorful portion now): GAC Super Productions Presents – The Biggest Show of Stars for 1960! Winter Edition – Starring Frankie Avalon – “Why”  and “Just Ask Your Heart”

All In Person: Clyde McPhatter “Let’s Try Again,” The Crests “A Year Ago Tonight,” Bobby Rydell “We Got Love,” Freddy Cannon “Way Down Yonder in New Orleans,” Johnny and the Hurricanes “Reveille Rock,” Sammy Turner “Always,” Linda Laurie “All Winter Long,” Isley Bros. “Shout” and The Clovers “Love Potion No. 9”

(And then the bottom row of artists): Dick Caruso. (In big orange starburst): Extra Added Attraction – England’s No. 1 Singing Sensation Cliff Richards; Harold Cromer M.C.  Paul Williams and his Show of Stars Orchestra.  (And in the small white border area): Globe Poster – Baltimore

GAC Super Productions had this Biggest Show of Stars tour poster manufactured in large quantities when the tour was being planned, and then dropped in specific information on perhaps 50-100 posters for each stop along the tour, such as Lansing.

Collectors like to say that a Biggest Show of Stars telephone-pole poster from any year between 1957-65 is a challenge to hunt down, because so many were discarded after the concerts.

Splashy Day-Glo colors of green, orange and yellow make this Biggest Show of Stars placard one of the finest-looking ever produced.  And in a really odd twist, I’ve seen this exact Biggest Show of Stars broadside (Winter ’60) with bright PINK ink instead of the orange!

Not surprisingly, Globe Poster of Baltimore designed and printed this Biggest Show of Stars concert placard, possibly even in late 1959.

This Biggest Show of Stars ticket poster is (video) blogged and discussed by well-known collector Pete Howard (contact me:  pete@postercentral.com or by phone at 805.540.0020). Pete (yes, me) pays the BEST prices anywhere for rare, collectible 1950s and 1960s concert posters, tickets and handbills.

To see a handful of other scarce, collectable multi-artist window displays for some Biggest Show of Stars tours from different years, be sure to stop by this page of my web site: http://www.postercentral.com/multi-act_1960s.htm

Posted in **All Posters, Boxing-Style Concert Posters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment