Jimi Hendrix 1968 Concert Poster by John Van Hamersveld – Shrine Aud.

Posted on May 2, 2013 by postercentral

An absolute first printing of the famous Jimi Hendrix Experience concert poster by John Van Hamersveld for Jimi’s gig at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on February 10, 1968.

This authentic Pinnacle Concert poster for Jimi Hendrix at the Shrine has dimensions of about 19 by 28”. Instead of being manufactured on cardboard, this poster was printed on paper.

Van Hamersveld’s Hendrix concert poster is widely regarded as a classic in the genre, primarily due to its stunning eye appeal… it’s simply as compelling as a concert poster can get.

You might note that this first-printing Jimi Hendrix Van Hamersveld concert poster has Jimi’s face drawn on a white background which turns creamy with the passage of time. After-show printings, even those done later in the year 1968, switched to a metallic-silver background color.

The bottom blue border is also a “tell” when determining first prints of this item. The original Hendrix concert poster has only the signature “J. Van Hamersveld” down in the lower right blue border; reproductions added words in the lower left blue border, such as Personality Posters as the distributor, and so forth.

The entire text found on this Jimi Hendrix window display, all coming below Van Hamersveld’s illustration of Hendrix:

Pinnacle Concert Sat Feb 10 (no year given, but 1968 of course) – JIMI HENDRIX & The Soft Machine with The Electric Flag and Blue Cheer (all in varying letter sizes, depending on space)

(Then below the orange stripe): Shrine Auditorium 8:30 PM – Reserved Seats Now Available At All Wallich’s Music City Stores (where I used to work, by the way!) and All Mutual Agencies

(Final line): Visuals by Thomas Edison Lights & Acme Cinema

I find it fascinating that this psychedelic concert poster by Van Hamersveld states only “Jimi Hendrix” and omits “Experience” from the headliner’s name, even though he was definitely touring as the Experience at the time.

All this poster-talk is about Hendrix, of course, but I dig the fact that this original tour poster shows that Jimi Hendrix was supported by Soft Machine, Electric Flag and Blue Cheer at the Shrine Auditorium in 1968. What a collection of late-sixties free-form rock ’n’ roll!

This authentic, first-printing Jimi Hendrix show poster is displayed and explained by music-memorabilia collector Pete Howard (locate me at 805-540-0020 or pete@postercentral.com). I pay the very best prices, period, for original 1960s concert memorabilia!

If you’d like to take in several other rare 1960s psychedelic rock-concert posters, just head on over to this page found here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/psychedelic.htm

Posted in **All Posters, **Psychedelic Posters Only, *Jimi Hendrix | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ruth Brown Window Card 50’s R&B Tour Poster – Wichita, Kansas

Posted on April 28, 2013 by postercentral

An authentic, original Ruth Brown concert poster advertising her performance at the Mambo Club in Wichita, Kansas on August 5, 1956.

As you can see, this item’s condition is really nice for an old cardboard telephone-pole concert poster.  The first term that comes to mind in seeing this is, “unused.”

This Ruth Brown broadside measures about 14×22” and was constructed on heavy-duty cardboard.

Vintage Mambo Club concert posters have popped up over the years for a wide assortment of R&B legends, because Wichita was an important stop on the “Chitlin circuit” in the 1950s.  This specific Mambo Club placard advertises just two artists, but others had three or four musicians on there.

On the other hand, I’ve seen a Mambo Club window card with just a single musician “carrying” the whole poster, if they’re big enough.

Ruth Brown was the biggest-selling Atlantic Records recording artist in the fifties, so that makes this vintage R&B boxing-style concert poster all the more collectible for music hounds.

Now, as I usually do, here is the entire text found on this vintage rhythm & blues billboard, as it reads from top to bottom:

(In the white space up top): Mambo Club – Sun. Nite, Aug. 5 – Wichita, Kansas – 9:PM to 1:AM – Adm. $2.50 (only one price level, that’s unusual)

(Black stripe): BIG Double Attraction – “Sweet Baby of Mine” RUTH BROWN “5-10-15 Hours”

(And below Ruth) – In Person – Billy Clark and his Orchestra

(And in the bottom white margin area): Tour Direction: Shaw Artists Corp., 565 5th Ave., N.Y.C. & 203 N. Wabash, Chicago

A vintage Ruth Brown concert placard from rock ’n’ roll’s first decade is pretty collectable because so many were discarded right after the concerts took place. Authentic R&B show posters for Ray Charles, Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, Lavern Baker and other Atlantic Records musicians are all pretty coveted by music freaks.

As a cute little side note, it’s odd the way this Ruth Brown window display features two song titles from the “Mama girl” and zero from the opening act, Billy Clark.

This Ruth Brown concert placard video was filmed and presented by me, Pete Howard in California, a serious music collector since 1972! (805-540-0020 or pete@postercentral.com). I pay the very best prices for almost any vintage concert poster used to sell tickets.

Additionally, I have a web site page that shows only these vintage R&B window broadsides, so to view those, just click over to this page right here on my site: http://www.postercentral.com/rhythmnblues.htm

Posted in **All Posters, Boxing-Style Concert Posters, Soul and R&B | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bob Dylan Concert Flyer 1960s w/Joan Baez + Unused Tickets

Posted on April 24, 2013 by postercentral

An authentic, vintage Bob Dylan & Joan Baez concert handbill and two unused tickets for their performance on March 5, 1965 at the Convention Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This Dylan-Baez handbill was drawn up by graphic artist (and folk musician) Eric Von Schmidt. The very same artwork was also used for bigger concert posters, printed on card stock, for this same event (and a handful of others).

A never-used Bob Dylan concert ticket from 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 or 1966 is pretty collectible because promoters usually threw away unsold tickets once a tour was over and the paperwork was settled up.

This particular poster design by Eric Von Schmidt was used for 4-5 different Dylan-Baez concerts in March 1965. Larger broadsides (14×22”) have been seen for a couple of those gigs, but I have not yet seen the full-sized window card for this particular Dylan-Baez show on March 5 in Philly.

It is safe to conclude that this Dylan-Baez concert flier and poster were also produced for their performances in New Haven on March 6, 1965; Pittsburgh on March 17 and 18, 1965; and Raleigh, NC on March 19, 1965. A Dylan-Baez concert poster and handbill were also printed up for the pair’s concerts in Seattle and Portland the following month, but a B&W photo of the pair was used instead of the Von Schmidt painting (which had been discontinued by that point).

The brief text as it reads on this original 1960s folk-music handbill (Dylan had yet to go electric):

(In the blank white area up top): Friday, March 5, 8:30 P.M. – At Convention Hall, 34th & Spruce Sts. – Seats: $4.50, 3.50, 3.00, 2.50, 1.75

(And then down in the colored area, in Von Schmidt’s creative script): In Concert – Joan Baez & Bob Dylan

And then at the very bottom, there’s a circled “VS” for Von Schmidt.

As for the never-used concert ticket, I won’t go into minute detail such as the row and seat numbers, but it basically says this:

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, March 5, 1965, Friday evening at 8:30 P.M., $2.50 (one of the cheaper tickets), Convention Hall, 34th & Spruce Sts., Phila., PA.

Original Dylan concert leaflets like this were saved much more often than their larger poster counterparts, because they easily fit into books for long-term safe storage – and then sometimes completely forgotten about.

AND, you could always discover an unused Dylan concert ticket in the same fashion as this old folk-music concert flyer… placed into a book many years ago and then lost to time.

You might also notice that both the flier and the ticket clearly say “Joan Baez & Bob Dylan,” giving Joan top billing of sorts, although Dylan would surely become the bigger name later this year when his “Like a Rolling Stone” became one of the summer’s biggest hits.

This pint-sized Dylan-Baez handout can actually be given any one of a number of descriptions… it could be labeled a Dylan-Baez appearance sheet; I’ve heard Bob Dylan-Joan Baez herald used on rare occasion; and one guy recently referred to it as a Dylan-Baez slinger, a very different term that I was unfamiliar with… but sure, I can see how they were “slung” across counters or into the hands of people on street corners!

This Baez & Dylan 1960’s concert handbill & new, unused ticket are happily displayed and discussed by collector Pete Howard – a Dylan fan since the late ’60s.  I can be reached through pete@postercentral.com or by telly at (805) 540-0020. And remember, I pay the VERY BEST PRICES for any vintage Bob Dylan concert memorabilia that you or a friend may possess.

Now, if you’d like to view some more mid-60’s Bob Dylan advertising broadsides and telephone-pole posters, head over to this page located right here on my web site: http://www.postercentral.com/bobdylan.htm

Posted in **All Posters, *Bob Dylan, Handbills & Flyers, Tickets & Programs | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Led Zeppelin Concert Poster 1970 European Tour – Frankfurt

Posted on April 20, 2013 by postercentral

An original 1970 Led Zeppelin concert poster from July 18, 1970 for a show at the Messegelande in Frankfurt, West Germany.

This European Led Zeppelin advertising poster was used to sell tickets for just one of four West German dates the band played on its 1970 tour of Europe. Presumably, posters were made for the other three dates as well.

This German Led Zeppelin tour poster represents the group touring behind its latest album Led Zeppelin II, released the previous fall.

Directly below the large silver dirigible, this Led Zeppelin show poster states in German language, “Samstag, 18 Juli 1970, 20 Uhr, Messegelande, Frankfurt – Festhalle” and then a price of “DM 12.-”

In English, this translates to Led Zeppelin In Concert on Saturday, July 18, 1970, at 8 P.M. at the Messegelande [trade-show fairgrounds], Frankfurt – Festhalle.” The Festhalle was a multi-purpose hall within the sprawling Messegelande fair complex. And then the ticket price was 12 Deutsche marks, back before the Euro existed.

This item of fun & collectable Led Zeppelin concert memorabilia is displayed and lectured on by American collector Pete Howard (805-540-0020, or also pete@postercentral.com). Pete pays the VERY BEST PRICES for old, original Led Zeppelin concert posters from their earlier days.

Now, to see one more scarce Led Zeppelin concert poster also dating from 1970, along with other cool rock posters, jump over to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/the1970s.htm

Posted in **All Posters, *Led Zeppelin | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ray Charles Concert Poster ’50s Window Card – Atlantic Records

Posted on April 15, 2013 by postercentral

An original, fifties-vintage Ray Charles concert poster from the deep south – Clarksville, Tennessee – for a gig on March 27, 1956.

You know this is an early Ray Charles broadside when it refers to Ray as “blind,” a specification that was done away with by 1957. From that point on, Mr. Charles was advertised simply as a “Sensational Vocalist-Pianist.”  What difference does it make if he was blind or not?

This ’50s Ray Charles window card has great colors – a splashy pink & yellow design, and then red venue lettering up at the top. The end result, in my humble opinion, is simply the best-looking Ray Charles concert placard from his entire career.

Another thing that one has to love about this Ray Charles window display is the way it lists many of his key songs for Atlantic Records up to that point, with a big highlight given to his current #1 hit, “Drown In My Own Tears.”

Another thing worth noting about this specific Ray Charles window sign: Clarksville, Tennessee was a stone’s throw from Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, which was a U.S. Army outpost. I can just see their uniforms in the audience now!

The entire text as it reads on this Ray Charles billboard:

(Up top, in red ink): Clarksville Armory – Clarksville, Tennessee – Tuesday, March 27th – 9:00 ’til (and then left blank) – Adm: $1.00 Advance – $1.50 Door – For Table Reservations call 9867 or 9095

(And then huge letters in the poster’s color portion): RAY CHARLES And his Orchestra – Atlantic Records. Sensational Blind Vocalist-Pianist. “It Should’ve Been Me,” “This Little Girl Is Mine,” “I’ve Got a Woman,” “A Fool for You,” “Come Back” and in its own white box, “Drown in My Own Tears.”

(The fine print): Tour Direction: Shaw Artists Corp., 565 5th Ave., NYC & 203 N. Wabash, Chicago. (No poster printer’s credit is given.)

This Ray Charles telephone-pole poster has the most common dimensions used for posters of the day (and any era, really) – 14 inches wide and 22 inches tall.  And it was printed on cardboard stock.

This Ray Charles show poster is enthusiastically dissected by long-time collector Pete Howard (reachable on 805-540-0020 or thru pete@postercentral.com). I happily pay TOP DOLLAR for any & all 1950s-60s soul, R&B and rock ’n’ roll concert advertising posters.

If you want to see some more of the best R&B concert placards from long ago, just click over to this page right here on my Web site: http://www.postercentral.com/rhythmnblues.htm

Posted in **All Posters, 1950s Rock ’N' Roll, Boxing-Style Concert Posters, Soul and R&B | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment