The first 24 numbered Bill Graham handbills were originally printed in one color on thin 5 x 7 stock. Numbers 25 through 45, and 48, were originally printed in full color with a plain back, some numbers on thin stock and some on card stock. After BG#45, all were printed on card stock. The color postcard images of Numbers 1 through 45 were printed sometime later, circa 1966-68, for sale to collectors and as souvenirs, and are vintage items although technically they are not "originals" or "first printings." The original monochrome and plain-back handbills are far more valuable and sought after by serious collectors, though in many cases they are far less attractive than the more common color postcards.
"Show backs" are cards that have a listing of upcoming Bill Graham events on the reverse side. These cards were designed to be handed out at the shows or as promotional items in head shops, hip clothing stores, etc. in order to publicize upcoming gigs. Show backs are generally harder to find than "postcard backs," which have a "place stamp here" back and were designed to have a handwritten message written in, addressed, and mailed like any other postcard. Most of the later BG cards (post-200 or so) were produced as show backs or mailers only (see below).
"Mailers" were sent to people who had signed up on the Fillmore mailing list; these cards typically have a bulk rate stamp and are imprinted with the recipient's name and address on the reverse side. The first mailing list cards (prior to BG 68-69) were single-image cards, with one exception I can think of. Most of the cards thereafter were printed as double cards (2 different poster images on one card; for example, BG-109 and BG-110). The majority of mailers from BG 68 to BG 132 are printed with the bottom of one card joined to the top of the other, although there are a few side by side cards in that range as well. From BG 134 to the end of the series all mailers have 2 cards printed side by side. Because the postal service often folded them in half to fit them in mailboxes, and because the recipients more often than not put them up on walls and bulletin boards, clean high-grade mailers with the recipient's original address imprinted on the back are much harder to find than standard Fillmore cards, and assembling a set of them is a collecting challenge because you can't go to the big commercial dealers to find them. You have to find someone who has/had a family member who was on the original mailing list and took reasonably good care of his or her cards, or who acquired them from such a person.
WARNING: Beware of cards that are in fact double mailers that have been cut in half. Sadly, this was a common practice in the "good old days" as many recipients cut their cards in half to make single poster images for display. In my opinion and that of most other collectors, a "cut double" (half of a double mailer) has minimal collector value, except perhaps for display purposes or as a filler copy for a very rare card. When you are buying a rare later card, like 89, 105, 175, 199, 216, etc., LOOK CAREFULLY TO MAKE SURE IT IS NOT HALF OF A CUT MAILER (check the edges and reverse side very carefully). If the other side of a single post-BG 69 card has a bulk rate stamp or an imprinted address, it is almost always a cut double (with possibly 2 exceptions I can think of). There are other things to look for as well. If you have any questions about specific cards in this regard, you can ask me or, better yet, buy Eric King's guide, which has all the info you'll ever need to work your way through the myriad of poster and handbill variations in this series.BG #3, Butterfield Blues Band, Jefferson Airplane, 4/16-17/66, Fillmore; early red and orange design by Wes Wilson with head-shaped center, red background, red and orange lettering. I have 1beautiful NM ORIGINAL 6.5 x 9.25 black and white handbill; 1 copy that is maybe NM- ; no creases or pinholes but has just a hint of paper age around the edges, $150. (*)
BG #13, Lenny Bruce, Mothers, 6/24-25/66, Fillmore; orange and blue color card with image of Lenny Bruce; short margins top & bottom, West Coast Litho reverse, VG; light paper age and 2 small pinholes in image, $7.00.
No #, Allen Ginsberg. Sopwith Camel, others, 7/17/66, Fillmore; A.R.T.S. benefit; Wes Wilson design, this is the version that is dark purple on thin white paper; for illustration of the poster which is on blue stock, see The Art of Rock, pl. 2.75. This copy is in nice shape, no pinholes, front is solid VG+ or better with couple of minor marks; reverse looks like it was pasted in a scrap book at some point so it has some discoloration smears from some kind of adhesive; extensive but do not show through on front, very decent copy of a scarce handbill, $95.
BG #19, Michael McClure's "The Beard" (stage play), 7/24/66, Fillmore; line drawings of Billy the Kid and Jean Harlow by Wes Wilson; very rare 5.5" x 8.5" handbill, never reprinted as a postcard; comes in several different color variations. Reverse has a reprint of a newspaper article about the show. Blue on brown version, nice NM copy, my last one available, $750.
BG #23, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, 8/12-13/66, Fillmore; classic early Wes Wilson image with early photos of the Dead and Airplane and great swirly red lettering on purple background. 4 NM postcards, Creative Litho reverse, NM $22.00 each. (*)
BG#25, Great Society, Sopwith Camel, 8/26-27/66, Fillmore; beautiful red and blue image by Wes Wilson with classic photo of a beautiful smiling Grace Slick, shortly prior to the time she joined the Jefferson Airplane. 5 beautiful NM copies, West Coast litho card back, $27 each. (*)
No #, Jefferson Airplane, Great Society, Elvin Jones, Joe Henderson Quintet; Big Mama Thornton, others, 9/11/66, Fillmore; benefit for Both/And jazz club; 8 « x 11 black & white with dripping paisley doodads and small hand lettering; for illustration, see The Art of Rock, pl. 2.74. Solid VG+ copy, two staples at very top and lower center, not obtrusive; minor scuff mark top center, minor 1/8" drip mark or stain in RH margin; nice condition overall, $100.
BG #29, Jefferson Airplane, Muddy Waters, Butterfield Blues Band, 9/23-10/2, Fillmore & Winterland. Wes Wilson's iconic masterpiece "The Sound" with image of dancing nude woman; orange background. Discerning the differences among some of the 5 vintage printings of this poster can be a collector's nightmare. 6 "PC-3" versions with Creative Litho postcard reverse; NM $24.00. (*)
No #, Manitas de Plata, 10/20/66, Fillmore; this was a Bill Graham show although it was not a numbered series item; this version of the handbill is 5 x 7 black on brown stock and shows a photo of the artist playing flamenco guitar; reverse has a newspaper item about him. This is a hard handbill to find and is a necessary addition to the collections of hard-core completists who want to include the un-numbered Fillmore items in their collection. Nice NM- copy $150; slightly less VG+ copy $125. (*).
BG #32, Grateful Dead, Lightning Hopkins, Loading Zone, 10/21-22/66, Fillmore; B & W image with classic early photo of Jerry Garcia sans beard. West Coast Litho postcard, 2 NM copies avail. $22 each; 1 VG/VG+ light general age, $16. (*)
BG #33, Yardbirds, Country Joe & the Fish, 10/23/66, Fillmore; pink and black postcard with classic photo of Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page et al. 2 NM West Coast Litho cards, $20 each. (*)
BG #34, Captain Beefheart, Chocolate Watchband, Great Pumpkin, 10/28-30/66, Fillmore; beautiful red & blue Wes Wilson design with sort of an Egyptian lady; 2 NM copies of the PC-2 version of the postcard, $17.50 each. (*)
BG #35, Muddy Waters Blues Band, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Andrew Staples, 11/4- 6/66, Fillmore; red and green Wes Wilson card with photo of Muddy, typical lettering and background; original plain back handbill, 1 copy VG, pinhole tear at top center, otherwise clean, $30; second copy VG/VG+ lignt general age $35. (*).
BG #37, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 12/30-31/66, Fillmore; classic beautiful design for the first Fillmore New Years' Eve show; purple, blue, orange, and silver design by Wes Wilson with side view of a woman's face and the lettering forming the shape of her hair; small hand holding hourglass at one side. ORIGINAL plain back handbill 10 copies of variant with bluish background, all basically NM/NM-; $50 each; also 1 VG/VG+ copy with light age and small white scuff in top edge area, $30. (*)
BG #38, Grateful Dead, James Cotton Blues Band, Lothar & the Hand People, 11/18-19/66, Fillmore; beautiful Wes Wilson design in black/yellow orange; postcard back; 3 beautiful NM original plain back cards, $50 each. (*)
BG #40, Love, Moby Grape, Lee Michaels, 12/2-4/66, Fillmore; green/blue Wes Wilson image of woman; decent, typical art. This is the scarce yellow and blue version, plain back original; condition VG+/VG, small staple tear in upper margin with very small piece loose or missing. 1 unobtrusive staple hold in lower right/center area, $75. Also have a green plain-back handbill in beautiful NM condition, $65. (*)
BG #41, Grateful Dead, Big Mama Thornton, Tim Rose, 12/9-11/66, Fillmore; nice Wes Wilson image featuring central face in purple/blue and orange and yellow lettering and colors. 2 NM Creative Litho postcard backs, $17.50 each. (*)
BG #44, Young Rascals, Sopwith Camel, The Doors, 1/6-7/67, Fillmore; pink and purple Wes Wilson design; with woman's face in the center and typical Wes Wilson lettering; the Doors' first performance in San Francisco. Original plain back handbill, VG+ with one almost invisible pinhole in top center of image, $65.
BG #45, Grateful Dead, Junior Wells, The Doors, 1/13-14/67, Fillmore; blue lettering; red face on green background; Wes Wilson art. NM original plain back handbill, $45; also have 5 NM postcards, West Coast Litho back, $20 each. (*).
BG #46, Butterfield Blues Band, Charles Lloyd, 1/20-21/67, Fillmore; black and purple card with gold lettering and photo of Butterfield band. 3 NM postcards, $17.50 each (*)
BG #47, Butterfield Blues Band, Charles Lloyd, 1/27-28/67, very bright card in yellow, dark orange, and black with photo of Charles Lloyd in lower center; Wes Wilson design. 5 copies available: (1) VG+ mailer with name on back, one age spot on reverse that doesn't show through, $15; (2) VG/VG+ mailer, staple holes top and bottom, $10; (3) one VG postcard; small white scuffs in each lower corner, $5.00; (4) VG, dirt smear on reverse and a wee bit of general age; otherwise clean $8; (5) standard NM postcard, $14. (*)
BG #48, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Dino Valenti, 2/3-5/67, Fillmore; red background, green & blue central image with distorted human figures; classic Wes Wilson art. NM- postcard with light blue-gray lettering, $20.00; NM postcard with blue lettering, $17.00.
No Number, Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Service, Country Joe & the Fish, Loading Zone, 2/5/67, Fillmore; strike benefit (not a Bill Graham show); nice color handbill by Gut; approx 6.5 x 10.75 (narrow margin variety), yellow, blue, red, and pink with scroll-type lettering and "turn on" in the center; for illustration, see The Art of Rock, pl. 2.87; condition VG+/VG; corner staple holes and one minor hard to see staple hole in lower image; still a nice looking item, scarce $135.
BG #49, Blues Project, Jimmy Reed, John Lee Hooker, 2/10-12/67, Fillmore; blue & turquoise-green design by John H. Myers features image of old bluesman blowing harmonica that blends into the lettering. 2 VG cards with general wear, $7.00; 1 badly damaged card with dark tape stains on reverse, $3.00. (*)
BG #50, The Blues Project, The Mothers, Canned Heat, 2/17-19/67, Fillmore; another classic Wes Wilson image with orange border typical pink lettering, and flesh colored psychedelic figures in center. 6 NM/NM- cards, $15 each; 1 mailing list with slight age basically NM- $ 20; second mailing list card card with name on back, VG+ minor staple holes, $15. (*)
BG #52, B.B. King, Moby Grape, Steve Miller, 2/26/67, Fillmore; red, yellow and black card by John Myers; nice image of distorted human figure and what looks like a smokestack belching smoke that has the show lettering; 2 copies NM $20 each. (*)
BG #53, Otis Rush, The Mothers of Invention, 3/3-5/67, Fillmore; nice image by Wes Wilson like a stained glass window with image of a man's face; black border and split fountain interior. This is the variant with blue & pink ink at the top, VG+ $27.
BG #55, Chuck Berry, Grateful Dead, Johnny Talbot & De Thangs, 3/17-18/67, Fillmore/Winterland; light olive background with black lettering; nude woman playing with snake; good Wes Wilson image. Creative Litho postcard back, 5 cards, NM $17.50. (*)
BG #56, Moby Grape, Chambers Bros., The Charlatans, 3/24-26/67, Fillmore/Winterland; tiki-like face with typical Wes Wilson lettering and split fountain lettering; several variants of the this card exist due to the split fountain printing; have 1 all-blue version, nice VG+; tiny almost invisible staple holes, $ 42.
BG #57, Byrds, Moby Grape, Andrew Staples, 3/31-4/1/67, Fillmore/Winterland; black border; orange interior border and lettering; blue background with stylized black drawing of peacock in center; Wes Wilson art. 2 NM cards, $15.00 each.(*)
BG #57, Byrds, Moby Grape, Andrew Staples; 3/31-4/1, Fillmore/Winterland; ALTERNATE VERSION ON THIN PAPER; 5.5" x 7.5" blue typewritten lettering on thin very pale blue paper; no art. Caption reads simply "Artist Timetable Misfired, Posters Late", with the show info in the center and venue info at the bottom. Uncommon alternate version, not much to look at, but a scarce and interesting item for the Fillmore completist, nice NM $75.
BG #58, Chambers Brother, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Sandy Bull, 4/7-9/67, Fillmore; Wes Wilson's classic "Madonna" poster with image of nude woman with halo and outstretched hands. 2 NM postcards, $17.00 each (*)
BG #60, Howlin' Wolf, Big Brother & the Holding Co., 4/21-23/67, Fillmore; yellow top & bottom borders, color image of orange nude woman with brick red hair, high-contrast blue-red background lettering; Wes Wilson design; 1 NM postcard, $13; original mailer sent to a San Rafael address, 2 addressed mailers, both VG+, light overall age on front but no pinholes, $22 each; 1 damaged mailer $7. (*)
BG #61, Buffalo Springfield, Steve Miller Band, 4/28-30/66, black border, silver-gray and yellow lettering; yellow lettering variant; 2 copies NM/NM- $15.00; one mailer NM on front, minor tape removal marks on reverse, $22; another mailer VG+ original mailer (clean, 1 pinhole) to New York Address (!) also $22.00. Also have 2 of the variant with the yellow-green lettering, $16 each. (*)
BG #62, Grateful Dead, Paupers, Collage, 5/5-6/67, swirly lettering, frontal nude drawing of woman holding yin/yang ball, snake with swastika and dollar sign in mouth at bottom; Wes Wilson's swan song to Bill Graham; last of his early posters. There are 3 versions of the first printing which are easy to understand when you consider how they were printed. The first printing poster was printed with a split fountain background that ranged from pale green at the top to pale pink at the bottom (or vice versa ). The posters were printed on a sheet with one or more rows of cards to the right, arranged in three columns top to bottom. Thus, the topmost row of cards came out in pale green, like the top of the poster. The middle row came out with some green at the top and some pink at the bottom, like the middle third of the poster. The bottom row came out all pink like the bottom of the poster. I have 1 rose-pink copy left, $35.00.
BG #63, Jefferson Airplane, The Paupers, 5/12-14/67, Fillmore; medieval looking design by Bonnie Maclean with center photo of Jorma Kaukonen wearing a cross. 3 NM postcards, $16 each; 1 VG+ mailer with name on back, $20; 2 more mailers VG/VG+; $15 each. (*)
BG #64, Martha & the Vandellas, The Paupers, 5/19-20/67, Fillmore; light olive background; blue filigree and central imago of the group (I think), red-orange lettering. I have always thought this was a tougher card to find; 6 copies NM/NM- $17.50 each. Also have a VG+ mailer, minor staple holes, otherwise clean $12.00, plus 1 VG/VG+ copy with pinhole at top center and a bit of paper age, $5.00. (*)
BG #66, Jim Kweskin Jug Band, Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The Sparrow (early Steppenwolf), 6/2-3/67, Fillmore; interesting turquoise, yellow, and green card by Bonnie Maclean; looks like a Wes Wilson design until you look at the signature; design of woman in center, etc. 3 NM caards, $12.50 each (*)
BG #67, The Doors, Jim Kweskin Jug Band, 6/6-10/67, Fillmore; olive-brown background; pink dragon figure with black faces, lettering; Bonnie MacLean card; generally regarded to be a scarce card. Mailer, with a clean NM-/VG+ front, but has some minor tape pulls on back, $75.
BG #68, The Who, Loading Zone, 6/16-17/67, Fillmore; great orange & purple Bonnie Maclean design with swirling faces; very nice art. 6 NM cards $25 each (*).
BG #72, Butterfield Blues Band, Roland Kirk Quartet, 7/11-16/67, Fillmore; odd design with blue central face; comets and other space bodies; pale yellow accent color; not especially attractive. 9 copies NM $14.00. (*)
BG #73, Sam & Dave, James Cotton, Country Joe & the Fish, Loading Zone, 7/18-21/67, Fillmore; Bonnie Maclean design with pink and blue background, tiki or totem pole type central art. 10 NM/NM- cards, $15 each. (*)
BG #76, Muddy Waters, Buffalo Springfield, Richie Havens, 8/1-6/67, Fillmore, Bonnie Maclean, central image of sun with human face, lime green and blue; nice design. 3 NM copies, $20 each. (*).
BG #77, Electric Flag, Moby Grape, Steve Miller, 8/8-13/67, Fillmore; nice red, brown, and black design by Bonnie Maclean with photo of the Electric Flag (Mike Bloomfield et al) in the center; NM $15.
BG #78, Count Basie, Chuck Berry, Charles Lloyd, Young Rascals, others 8/15-21/67, bright red background, brown & bright green art by Jim Blashfield; 5 copies NM/NM- $17.50 each; 1 NM- with slight stains on reverse, $10. (*)
BG #79, Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Cream, South Side Sound System, 8/22-27/67, Fillmore; historic first Cream concerts at the Fillmore; purple, brown and orange Bonnie MacLean design with hooded seer waving hands over crystal ball. 2 NM copies; $27.50 each. (*)
BG ##79-80, uncut double vertical mailer with both cards; #79 is Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Cream, South Side Sound System, 8/22-27/67, BG #80 is Cream, Electric Flag, Gary Burton, 8/29-9/3/67, Fillmore; mailer for the first two historic Cream runs at the Fillmore, together on one vertical card as mailed to the Fillmore mailing list. I have 5 original NM cards, unmailed, $75 each. (*)
BG #81, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Big Brother & the Holding Co, 9/15/67, Hollywood Bowl; nice Jim Blashfield card; green background with orange/yellow outline of Victorian house and photo of the Airplane in the center; 6 copies, NM $30 each. (*)
BG #82, The Byrds, Loading Zone, LDM Spiritual Band, 9/7-9/67, Fillmore; green/orange art with photo of Byrds in center; NM card $15.
BG #83, Electric Flag, Mother Earth, LDM Spiritual Band, 9/14-16/67, Fillmore; orange, black with green lettering and design of two odd stylized peacocks or something of that sort; 3 copies, NM $15 each; 1 copy NM- on front, minor water stain on reverse lower margin that doesn't show through, $7.50 (*)
BG #86, Donovan, 9/22/67, Cow Palace, S.F.; light orange-red border; yellow and pink and olive-brown floral garland surrounds a very mod and vintage photo of the ole' Electrical Banana himself. 2 NM copies $35 each (*)
BG #88, Jefferson Airplane, Charlatans, Blue Cheer, 10/11-14/67, Fillmore/Winterland; brown background; yellow/purple portraits of the bands; Bonnie Maclean art. NM $15.00. (*)
BG #92, Procol Harum, Pink Floyd, H.P. Lovecraft, 11/10/11/67, Fillmore/Winterland; figure of Gandalf the wizard in various hues of red and pink; somewhat harder to find early Pink Floyd card. NM- $45.
BG #93, The Doors, Procol Harum, Mt. Rushmore, 11/16-18/67. Fillmore; Jim Blashfield design with orange border, orange/pink stooping figure, yellowish lettering. 2 postcard backs, $25 each; 1 addressed mailer with name on back (somewhat uncommon), ; has a bunch of pen scribbles on the back, $20 (*)
BG #94, Donovan, H.P. Lovecraft, Mother Earth, 11/23-25/66, Fillmore/Winterland; "queen of clubs" design like a playing card with a purple background; addressed mailer, with name on back, 2 copies VG + $18; NM card $12.50. (*)
BG #95, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Clear Light, Blue Cheer, 11/30-12/2/67, Fillmore; colorful drawing of guy who looks like one of the 3 Musketeers. 6 copies NM $15.00. (*)
BG #96, The Byrds, Electric Flag, B.B. King, 12/7-9/67, Fillmore/Winterland; beautiful odd watercolor image by Bonnie Maclean with swirling faces, American flag, guitar, a rooster; a personal favorite. 2 NM cards, $20.00 each. (*)
BG ##97-98; uncut double vertical mailer with both cards, addressed to original mailing list recipient (right here in San Rafael, no less) n reverse; #97 is Tim Buckley, Chambers Bros., Mothers of Invention, 12/14-16/67, Fillmore/Winterland; odd Mouse Studios design with gray border, center collage with skeleton hand; #98 is Buffalo Springfield, Collectors, Hourglass, 12/21-23/67, Fillmore; Kelley-Mouse image with pink/yellow bar background and central photo of huge piece of machinery. Very nice mailer in virtually NM condition, asking $78 for this gem.
BG #100, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & the Holding Co., Quicksilver Messenger Service Freedom Highway, 12/31/67, Winterland; peace sign with stained glass look to lines, over may of earth; white dove spreading its wings at the top; nice art. NM postcard $20.
BG #101, Vanilla Fudge, Steve Miller Band, Sunny Terry & Brownie McGhee, 1/4-6/68, Fillmore/Winterland; Lee Conklin's first poster; "clasped hands" design in B & W; fantastic image and a little tougher card to find; 3 NM cards $25.00 each (*)
BG ## 101-102, uncut double vertical mailer with both cards, addresed to original mailing list recipient on reverse; #101 is Vanilla Fudge, Steve Miller Band, Sunny Terry & Brownie McGhee, 1/4-6/68, Fillmore/Winterland; Lee Conklin's first poster; "clasped hands" design in B & W; fantastic image; #102 is Chambers Brothers, Sunshine Company, Siegel-Schwall, 1/11-13/68, Fillmore; black and white background with alternating checkerboard and swirl patterns, red lettering. Very nice addressed NM- mailer, $55.
BG #106, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Arlo Guthrie, Loading Zone, 2/8-20/68, Fillmore; Stanley Mouse's "tavern sign" poster; 4 NM copies, $15 each. (*)
BG #107, Butterfield Blues Band, James Cotton, Albert King; purple & blue Lee Conklin card featuring central image of figure made up of human hands; 7 copies, NM $18.00 each; 1 NM- $13.00. (*)
BG ## 111, 112; uncut vertical mailer with both cards, addressed to original mailing list recipient; #111 is Traffic, H.P. Lovecraft, Blue Cheer, Mother Earth, 3/14-16/68, Fillmore & Winterland; blue "fun house" poster by Mouse & Kelley done in imitation of old-style boxing poster with weird surrealistic photo of Kelley, Mouse, Rick Griffin et al in strange surreal fun house setting; #112 is Moby Grape, Traffic, Lemon Pipers, Spirit, 3/21-23/69, Fillmore/Winterland; orange background with background line drawings of hundreds of faces by Lee Conklin; white lettering. Nice original mailer, couple of tiny age spots in the white # 111 border, otherwise very clean, $40.
BG #112, Moby Grape, Traffic, Lemon Pipers, Spirit, 3/21-23/69, Fillmore/Winterland; orange background with background line drawings of hundreds of faces by Lee Conklin; white lettering. NM postcard 9 copies, $15.00 each. (*)
BG #114, Eric Burdon & the Animals, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Sons of Champlin, 4/4-6/68, Fillmore/Winterland, yellow/black/pale green design with mustached face at top; fantasy building scene at bottom; NM card $18.00.
BG #116, Love, Staple Singers, Roland Kirk, 4/18-20/68, Fillmore/Winterland, white background with large blue center silhouette of psychedelic butterfly; olive lettering. 9 copies, 12.50 each. (*)
BG #117, Albert King, Electric Flag, The Collectors, 4/25-27, Fillmore & Winterland, purple and blue design by Mari Tepper with typical childlike male and female figures. 3 copies, NM $15 each. (*)
BG ##119 & 120, uncut vertical mailer with both cards, addressed to original mailing list recipient; #119 is Loading Zone, H.P. Lovecraft, Crome Cyrcus, Tiny Tim, 5/9- 11/68, Fillmore; yellow and black circular checkerboard background; brownish silhouette of dancing woman, circular lettering. #120 is Country Joe & the Fish, Incredible String Band, Albert Collins, 5/16-18/68, Fillmore; black background with central image of red octopus whose tentacles form the lettering; nice NM- addressed copy, $45.00.
BG #121, Yardbirds, Cecil Taylor, It's a Beautiful Day, 5/23-25/68, Fillmore; very nice Lee Conklin design with large feet, writhing human figures; dark blue and black background with yellow and white lettering and image; 1 NM show back $25.00, 1 damaged card, $7 (*)
BG #122, Buffalo Springfield, Chambers Brothers, Richie Havens, 5/29-6/1/68, Fillmore/Winterland, purple and black Lee Conklin image with reclining view of nude woman whose toes all have their own faces, etc. 2 NM show backs $ 22.00; 1 NM-/VG+ show back (spot on reverse) $15.00; 3 postcard backs, $20 each. (*).
BG #126, Albert King, Ten Years After, Canned Heat, Loading Zone, Dan Hicks, 6/27-30/68, Fillmore; another Lee Conklin design with red background and blue/black hills that are also faces and other anatomical parts; half-man, half-motorcycle figures lurk in the hills; another neat and imaginative Conklin design. 2 NM/NM- show backs, $22.00 each. (*)
BG #127, Creedence Clearwater, Steppenwolf, It's a Beautiful Day, Butterfield Blues Band, Ten Years After, 6/2-4/68, Fillmore; still another Lee Conklin design, blue & green background; floral scene with reclining figure, lotsa the usual Conklin images. 10 show backs, $22.00. (*)
BG #128, Electric Flag, Blue Cheer, Ike & Tina Turner, Buddy Guy, Freddy King, 7/9-13/68, Fillmore; "Blues Bash" flesh and pink background with two blue animals butting heads; their antlers intertwining to form part of the show; other Conklin images. 13 show backs, $20 each. (*)
BG #129, Big Brother & the Holding Co., Richie Havens, Illinois Speed Press, Sly & the Family Stone, Jeff Beck Group, 7/16-21/68, Fillmore West, another Conklin design, harvest brown colors, 2 large pink globes with tiny eyes, lots of small figures in the background. 3 NM postcard back $17.00. (*)
BG #131, Butterfield Blues Band, Santana, Iron Butterfly, Canned Heat, Initial Shock, 7/30- 8/4/68, Fillmore West; neat, harder to find Conklin card with two hands pointing at each other and optical illusion fingers in center (point your fingers and cross your eyes and you'll understand where the image came from...); NM card $20.
BG #133, The Who, James Cotton, Magic Sam, Creedence Clearwater, others, 8/13-18/68; Grateful Dead, Kaleidoscope, Quicksilver, others, 8/23-25/68, Fillmore West; classic Griffin/Kelley collaboration; Bloom" poster with evil insect at top and nuclear explosion, evil red & black psychedelic borders and lettering; double-size card. Everything you could want in a '60s rock poster...not rare as a card, but an absolutely wonderful image; 2 cards, NM $45.00 each; 1 VG + (light crease) mailer with name on back, $35.00; 1 VG copy with pinholes top and bottom and light paper age, $15. (*)
BG #135, Chuck Berry, Steve Miller, 9/5-7/68, Fillmore West; great B & W Lee Conklin design with moose and skull. 12 NM show backs (full show back), $20 each; 2 showbacks with some kind of a weird yellow partial overprint on the reverse, from another poster, $17; 5 NM "place stamp here" backs with show info on RH side, $ 17.50 each.(*)
BG #138, Super Session (Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper & Friends), It's a Beautiful Day, Loading Zone, 9/26-28/68, Fillmore West; another Lee Conklin image with writhing images all over the place; pink border, cream/blue/black art. 8 NM show backs, $17.50 each. (*)
BG #141, Iron Butterfly, Sir Douglas Quintet, Seatrain, 10/17-19/68, Fillmore West; the other "dancing bugs" card; not as popular as the Hendrix one, but the artwork is just as good; VG+ showback card; minor tape stains on reverse that don't show through, $20.00.
BG #142, Jefferson Airplane, Ballet Afro-Haiti, A.B. Skhy, 10/24-26/68, Fillmore West; elaborate Lee Conklin image with black background and typical lettering in red, central image of woman with airplane body and "motorcycle centaurs" in gold; NM show back $25.00.
BG #143, Procol Harum, Santana, Salloom, Sinclair, and Mother Bear, Fillmore West; very psychedelic Lee Conklin design in red and black with swirling lettering, unusual faces popping up in unusual places, all the usual one would expect... 2 NM card backs, $20. (*)
BG #144, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Grateful Dead, Linn County, 11/7-10/68, Fillmore West; classic blue/silver-gray/red Lee Conklin design with melting face and snakes wrapped around skull with bat wings (like a staff of Hermes). Very cool card; I have 8 show backs, NM $36 each; also 3 card backs, NM $25 each. (*)
BG ##144-145, uncut double mailer with mailing list name on back; #144 is Quicksilver Messenger Service, Grateful Dead, Linn County, 11/7-10/68, Fillmore West; classic blue/silver- gray/red Lee Conklin design with melting face and snakes wrapped around skull with bat wings (like a staff of Hermes); #145 is Ten Years After, Country Weather, Sun Ra, 11/14-17/68, red, blue, and silver-gray poster by Lee Conklin with tree-shaped figure and the entwined branches of the tree forming the lettering; well executed but very hard to read. Mailer is in nice condition with the usual vertical fold, $45.00.
BG #146, Moody Blues, Chicago Transit Authority, Frumious Bandersnatch, 11/21-24/68, Fillmore West; Kelley/Griffin design with silly comic-strip type character waving a board with a nail in it. 2 NM show backs, $25 each; 2 card backs, NM/NM-, $20 each. (*)
BG #147, It's A Beautiful Day, Deep Purple, Cold Blood, 11/28-12/1/68, Fillmore West; black & yellow card by Kelley designed to look like Abba-Zaba candy bar wrapper with some kind of a gorilla-like thing in the center. 3 NM show backs, $20.00 each; 1 VG show back $10. 1 NM postcard back $15.00; significantly off center and odd looking. 1 filler copy with minor scuff on front, $6.00 (*).
BG #148, Jeff Beck Group, Spirit, Sweetwater, 12/5-8/68, Fillmore West; purple and black checkerboard border; red background; lettering formed from Lee Conklin figures, 4 show backs, NM $20.00 each; 1 card back NM $15; 1 card back with teeny weeny staple holes at bottom, otherwise very clean, $10. (*)
BG ##152-153, uncut double cards for the 1968-69 New Years' Eve show; BG #152 is Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 12/31/68, Winterland; classic full color Lee Conklin image with baby emerging from hole in top of skull; BG #153 is Vanilla Fudge, Richie Havens, Youngbloods, Cold Blood, 12/31/68, Fillmore West; green background with Lee Conklin image of bodies falling through hourglass like grains of sand; I have 8 copies of this very pooular double card with the "Peace on Earth" show back; these copies are basically clean but were stored in damp conditions and therefore have light rippling and some varying degrees of storage age and discoloration on the reverse. They grade from VG+ down to about VG- or so, with the majority in the lower end of VG+/upper end of VG range. Decent overall, offering them at a very good price of $20. They look better than I'm making them sound. (*)
BG ##160-161, uncut double mailer; BG #160 is Santana, Collectors, Melanie, 2/13-16/69, Fillmore West; nice card by Greg Irons with yellow background, black/orange urban drawing in center with photo of original Santana band at top; BG #161 isThe Move, Cold Blood, Albert King, 2/20-2/23/69, Fillmore West, odd Greg Irons design with pink-red background and sort of a mandala shape with four faces, one on each side, sharing a common circular mouth in the center, with black lettering top and bottom against a yellow background. Original mailing list double card addressed to San Rafael record store on reverse; creased horizontally as is common for double sized mailer cards, some wear and paper thinness in the L corner; looks like maybe a liquid stain in the distant past, filler copy $10.00.
BG #160, Santana, Collectors, Melanie, 2/13-16/69, Fillmore West; nice card by Greg Irons with yellow background, black/orange urban drawing in center with photo of original Santana band at top. NM show back $20; damaged card, staple tear at bottom right, $7.00. (*)
BG #161, The Move, Cold Blood, Albert King, 2/20-2/23/69, Fillmore West, odd Greg Irons design with pink-red background and sort of a mandala shape with four faces, one on each side, sharing a common circular mouth in the center, with black lettering top and bottom against a yellow background. Attractive, typically quirky Greg Irons design. Nice NM- copy $20.00.
BG #164, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Jethro Tull, 3/13-16/69, Fillmore West; odd Randy Tuten design with sort of a monument pointing into a psychedelic sky; red background and white lettering; 1 NM postcard $22.50.
BG #166, Butterfield Blues Band, Mike Bloomfield & Friends, 3/27-4/3, Fillmore West; nicely colored Greg Irons design with vague guitar shape and mirror-image lettering; 2 NM postcard back cards, $ 17.50 each (*)
BG #167, Procol Harum, Buddy Miles Express, Blues Image, 4/3-6/69, another nice color Greg Irons design with huge pink mountain monster devouring a train. 2 NM postcard backs, $17.50 each.
BG #170, Led Zeppelin, Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger, Colwell-Winfield, 4/24-26/69, Fillmore West/Winterland; Randy Tuten's "avocado" poster featuring silly image of avocado with eyes. NM show back, first I've listed in some time, $60.
BG #171, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead Mongo Santamaria, Cold Blood, Elvin Bishop Group, 5/1-4/69, Fillmore/Winterland; slate blue background with central image of man reaching his hands up to the sky; old time airplane flying over; very nice lettering; one of the better Randy Tuten designs; 1 VG/VG+ showback with pinhole at top center and light paper age, $20.
BG ## 170-171, uncut double mailer; # 170 is Led Zeppelin, Julie Driscoll & Brian Auger, Colwell-Winfield, 4/24-26/69, Fillmore West/Winterland; Randy Tuten's "avocado" poster featuring silly image of avocado with eyes; #171 is Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead Mongo Santamaria, Cold Blood, Elvin Bishop Group, 5/1-4/69, Fillmore/Winterland; slate blue background with central image of man reaching his hands up to the sky; old time airplane flying over; very nice lettering; one of the better Randy Tuten designs; slightly off register showing mainly in the #171, otherwise basically NM, $65.
No. #, Aum, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bangor Flying Circus, Elvin Bishop Broup, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, 5/28/1968, People's Park Bail Ball benefit; what an incredible lineup. This rare horizontal card is black on textured white thick card stock (comes on other stock too) and has the band listing in old English script on the left hand side and the right had side looks like a road sign with the words "Park here any time" and the image of a tree, and the dove & peace logo from the BG#100 card in B & W in the upper corner of the sign image. This is a hard to find card; one copy with significant staple damage with missing paper in 3 corners and a hole in the 4th corner, a touch of rust around the damaged areas, looks somewhat better than it sounds, price $30. Second copy on pale blue-gray card stock, intact but has a «" dark blue ink squiggle (non-removable) in center, $40. (*)
BG ## 180-181, uncut double mailer; BG #180 is Johnny Winter, Lonnie Mack, Rockin' Foo, 7/1-3/69; Eric Burdon & His Band, It's A Beautiful Day, Taj Mahal, 7/4-6/69, Fillmore West; David Singer collage design with a field of tulips and two lips (get it?) in the center collage. BG #181 is B.B. King, Aum, The Frost, 7/7-9/69, Santana, Taj Mahal, Flamin' Groovies, 7/11- 13/69, Fillmore West; David Singer collage card with dark purple background and center collage of face of statue looking out window at war scene outside. VG mailer, some overall age but basically OK as a filler, $12.
BG ## 182-183, uncut double mailer with name on back; BG #182 is B.B. King, Country Joe & the Fish, Joe Cocker; BG #183 is Ten Years After, Steve Miller, Albert King, Ike & Tina Turner; condition VG/VG-; tape on left hand edge of mailer; otherwise fairly clean, $10.; second copy that looks NM but has 3 small holes in the LH image, $22. (*)
BG ##184-185 uncut double card, BG # 185 is Canned Heat, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Southwind, 7/29-31/69; Everly Brothers, Sons of Champlin, Baby Huey and the Babysitters, 8/1- 3/69; early David Singer collage image with dark purple black color and stone hand reaching out of a lava flow. BG #185 is Fleetwood Mac, SRC, Jr. Walker & the All-Stars, Lee Michaels, Tony Joe White; 8/5-10/69, Fillmore West, David Singer image with olive green background and collage of odd arches, moon, and red sky. Nice condition double card, 1 small bit fclear taape in lower LH edge (possibly removable) otherwise clean, $25
BG #188, John Mayall, Mother Earth, NY Rock and Roll Ensemble, 8/19-21/69, Fillmore West; The Wild West Show in Golden Gate Park, 8/22-24/69; David Singer image with pink background and collage of stairs and the moon in the background. VG/VG- showback copy; tack holes top and bottom; irregular horizontal crease across upper portion of image, decent filler copy $17.
BG ##191-192, uncut double mailer; #191 is Steve Miller Band, James Cotton Blues Band, Keef Hartley, 9/11-1469; black and white poster by Randy Tuten featuring typical lettering, center image of gears on machinery; # 192 is Taj Mahal, Buddy Guy, Spooky Tooth, 9/18-20/69, Fillmore West, dumb B & W Randy Tuten card with Mickey Mouse clock in background and man with Disneyland button and Mickey Mouse cap holding out his hands. Nice, clean original mailing list card with name on back; front is NM, minor writing on reverse; still nice for a mailer overall, $30.
BG ## 193-194, uncut double mailer; BG # 193 is Chuck Berry, Aum, Loading Zone, 9/25- 28/69, Fillmore West/Winterland; great Greg Irons image of Chuck Berry playing guitar, doing the splits while leaping in mid air, city building underneath; great bright colors; BG #194 is Crosby Stills, Nash & Young, Blues Image, John Sebastian, 10/2-4/69, another great image of man and woman kissing; their torsos turn into tree trunks and cross in the ground; great bright colors. Copy 1, NM-; very clean for a mailer, unfolded and with name on back; $40; copy 2, decent overall condition but has the usual horizontal fold across the image, $20. (*)
BG ##199-200, uncut double mailer; BG #199 is Led Zeppelin, Bonzo Dog Band, Roland Kirk; 11/6-8/69; Winterland; attractive red, white, and blue poster by Randy Tuten with striking image of huge Zeppelin in hangar; lettering in style of riveted metal. BG #200 is Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Cold Blood, Joy of Cooking, Lamb, 11/13-16/69, Winterland; red background with individual B & W photos of each band member; black & blue lettering; Randy Tuten design. Uncut mailer, typical vertical fold between the two images, light scuff in RH margin; overall pretty decent copy of this popular card, $60.
BG #195, Country Joe & the Fish, Blodwyn Pig, 10/9-12/69, Fillmore West; green & red Randy Tuten design with statue of man on horse; show back. 5 copies, show backs NM $17.50 each. (*)
BG #206, Chambers Brothers, The Nice, King Crimson, 12/11-14/69, Fillmore West; David Singer collage with nude woman walking in sand dunes with trees coming out of her head like antlers; VG+/VG showback card, very teeny pinholes and light general aage, $13.
BG #208, Sly & the Family Stone, Spirit, Southwind, Ball 'n Jack, 12/26-28/69, Winterland, David Singer image with center collage of moon, a 5 copies, NM $20.00 each. VG+/VG card with minor staple holes and light paper age, $10; damaged copy, poossibly a cut double, with general wear $4.00(*).
BG #209, Santana, Its A Beautiful Day, Elvin Bishop Band at Fillmore West; Jefferson Airplane, Quicksilver Messenger Service, The Sons, Hot Tuna at Winterland; 12/31/69; double sized card with image by Bonnie MacLean Graham, with a watercolor image of the earth with a large peace sign superimposed on the top; portraits of two hippie looking guys at the left, and a dove at the top; very nice, attractive image; VG mailer with typical vertical fold in the middle; otherwise clean with light age, $18.00.
BG ##210-211, uncut double card. BG #210 is The Byrds, Fleetwood Mac, John Hammond, 1/2-4/70, Fillmore West; David Singer card with brown border, and collage of hawk holding an upside down American flag in its teeth, BG #211 is Chicago, Guess Who, Seals & Crofts, 1/8- 11/70, Fillmore West; David Singer collage poster with blue background, red lettering, center image of child's hand holding up 3-scoop ice cream cone with American flag in background. Mailing list card with name on back, unobtrusive vertical crease in center, but doesn't show through much. $38.
BG #214, Steve Miller Band, Sha Na Na, Ten Wheel Drive, 1/29-2/1/70, Fillmore West; powerful David Singer image with gray background, center collage of hand holding cutaway diagram of earth showing its molten interior, scene of earth or field in background. Show back card with fair amount of paper age and old tape pulls on back; decent filler copy, $6.
BG #215, Laura Nyro, 1/24/70; The Band, 1/31/70, Berkeley Community Theatre, B & W horizontal card by Bonnie MacLean with ornate reversed white-on-black block lettering and two center photos of the artists listed. Semi-scarce card, nowhere near as rare as #215A, but still a relatively difficult card to find since it is not part of the regular run of shows. Very nice NM copy, $125.
BG ##217- 218, uncut double mailer; #217 is Country Joe & the Fish, #218 is Delaney & Bonnie with Eric Clapton, blue/gray, cream and brown cards by Singer; #217 has a photo of a soldier with a dove over his gun; #218 shows a graveyard. Original mailer with name on back; very solid NM-/VG+ condition, $55.00
BG #221, Butterfield Blues Band, Savoy Brown, Keith Relf's Renaissance, 3/5-8/70, Fillmore West; striking David Singer card with background photo of sea and clouds in orange and yellow; purple photo of huge statue of Jesus like it is rising from the sea. VG+; vertical crease in RH of image, card # written on back in ink, $15. (*)
BG ##232-233, uncut double mailer; #232, Lee Michaels is Small Faces with Rod Stewart, Catfish, Shorty; 5/7-10/70, Fillmore West; David Singer design with black background, old engraving of church or similar building with huge purple raindrop coming through hole in roof; printing press inside the raindrop; blue lettering; #233 is Spirit, Poco, Gypsy, 5/14-17/70, Fillmore West; David Singer image with pink background, white image of a cat in the center, looking at a small globe (the world) like it was about to pounce on it like a ball of string. Uncut double mailer with address on back, minor age, pretty clean $30.
No #, James Taylor, The Pentangle, 5/29/70; JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE, 5/30/70, both at Berkeley Community Theatre; 5.5" x 8.5" fold over handbill/program (one sheet of 8.5" x 11" paper printed on both sides and folded in half), dark gray printing on pale yellow stock; no artwork, just typeset block lettering; inside has bios and photos of the performers; reverse has photos advertising upcoming shows by the Who and CSNY. Scarce original Hendrix item $110.
BG #238, John Sebastian, Buddy Miles, Rig, 6/11-14/70, Fillmore West; khaki green background with David Singer collage of the Statue of Liberty under a bridge; VG+/VG card; minor overall wear, $12.
BG ## 237-238, uncut double maiiler; # 237 is Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Southern Comfort, 6/4-7/70, Fillmore West; khaki green border and B & W collage featuring a hawk's head and sand dunes; #238 is John Sebastian, Buddy Miles, Rig, 6/11-14/70, Fillmore West; khaki green border with center collage featuring the Statue of Liberty sinking into the water with a winding highway leading to the mouth.... have 2 of these; copy 1 has no folds but there is a bit of staining on the reverse, $35; copy 2 is cleaner on the reverse but has the usual vertical fold in the center; also $35. (*)
No #, The Who, Rig, 6/15-16/70, Berkeley Community Theatre; 5.5" x 8.5" fold over handbill/program (one sheet of 8.5" x 11" paper printed on both sides and folded in half), front has reverse block lettering over a black background photo of the Who playing on stage; inside has bios and photos of the performers; reverse has photos advertising upcoming shows by CSNY and LED ZEPPELIN. Scarce original Who/Zeppelin item; VG+; old horizontal fold across image, otherwise clean $70.
BG #239, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Don Ellis Orchestra, 6/18-20/70, Fillmore West, black and silver David Singer collage with buffalo nickel held by upside-down female legs, cavalrymen riding through the hills; nice NM showback copy; no rubbing which is a problem on many of these cards, $25.
BG ##239-240, uncut double mailer; #239 is Quicksilver Messenger Service, Don Ellis Orchestra, 6/18-20/70, Fillmore West, black and silver David Singer collage with buffalo nickel held by upside-down female legs, cavalrymen riding through the hills; #240 is Sha Na Na, Pacific Gas & Electric, Dan Hicks, Traffic, Leon Russell, 6/25-7/2/70, Fillmore West, silver-gray background, collage at left with horseman on cliff, old lamp, people in gully. Nice mailer with usual horizontal fold, but very hard to see; nice copy $35; second copy, mailer with name on back and the usual vertical fold in the center, otherwise fairly clean, $25. (*)
BG #242, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Mott the Hoople, Silver Metre, 7/9-12/70, Fillmore West, David Singer collage poster with blue border, center B & W; jumping figure with neat photo of droplets of liquid in a perfect crown shape; total eclipse in background. Damaged filler card, $4.00
BG #246, The Byrds, Poco, Commander Cody, 8/13-16/70; Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, 8/30/70 (Berkeley), LED ZEPPELIN (9/2/70 (Oakland), Albert King, Cold Blood, Mason Proffit, 8/20-23/70, Iron Butterfly, Aum, Black Oak Arkansas, 8/24-26/70, Fillmore West except as otherwise noted, very popular (due to the Zeppelin billing) double sized card by David Singer with gray background, black lettering on an off-green background, and a center collage with a globe and ancient ruins with a baby and mother. Mailer with name on back; clean except for the usual vertical fold; $35.00 (good price).
BG #247, Iron Butterfly, Aum, Black Oak Arkansas 8/24-26/70; John Mayall, Elvin Bishop, Herbie Hancock, 8/27-29/70; Savoy Brown, Fairport Convention, Chicken Shack, 8/30-9/1/70; Johnny Winter, Boz Scaggs, Freddy King, 9/3-6/70, Fillmore West; double-sized card by Kelley with black background and odd lizard-like animals, center image of woman's face in pink and orange, unreadable nonsense lettering at the top in yellow; bands in typeset lettering. 1 VG+ addressed mailer, $35; second copy, also an addressed mailer, with horizontal crease across the image, $20. (*)
BG 247A, Jefferson Airplane, 9/14-15/70, Fillmore West, midweek show, somewhat crudely drawn card with photo of the Airplane in the center and ornate medieval style lettering with crude floral border, fairly scarce card; this exists only as a card, no corresponding poster exists, NM- /VG+, very light corner wear, minor tape removal stain on back that doesn't show through, $85.
No #, Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, 8/17-19/70, Fillmore West; midweek card (no poster made) featuring a crude drawing of a skull with photos of the band members pasted in; crude brown lettering on lighter yellow brown background. NM card $40.
BG #250, Chuck Berry, Buddy Miles, Loading Zone, 9/24-27; Eric Burdon & War, Seals & Crofts, Clover, 10/1-4/70, Fillmore West; nice David singer double-size card with powerful collage of Greek statue, birds, and skeleton in road. 1 VG+/VG copy fairly clean, no pinholes but with a couple storage wrinkles & light age, $10; slightly better copy $15. (*)
BG ##251-252, uncut double card with mailing list name on back; BG #251 is Van Morrison, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, Jerry Hahn Brotherhood, 10/8-11/70, yellow background; image of old black minstrel troupe; top lettering virtually illegible; #252 is Leon Russell, Miles Davis, Seatrain, 10/15-18/70, Fillmore West; color design by Norman Orr with image of baby dressed as Uncle Sam in the classic "wants you" pose, odd images abound as is typical for this artist's work; NM-/VG+ card in good condition, $25; lesser copy with age and stains, filler copy $7.00.(*)
BG #251, Van Morrison, Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, Jerry Hahn Brotherhood, 10/8-11/70, yellow background; image of old black minstrel troupe; top lettering virtually illegible, damaged filler card $4.00
BG #252, Leon Russell, Miles Davis, Seatrain, 10/15-18/70, Fillmore West; color design by Norman Orr with image of baby dressed as Uncle Sam in the classic "wants you" pose, odd images abound as is typical for this artist's work; VG+ copy $16.
BG ##253-254, uncut double mailer; BG #253 is Bo Diddley, Lightning Hopkins, New York R & R ensemble, 10/22-25/70, Fillmore West; powerful David Singer image with black background, yellow lettering, and central collage featuring nautilus; script at bottom also mentions upcoming Pink Floyd show. BG #254 is Procol Harum, Poco, Mungo Jerry, 10/29-11/1/70, Fillmore West; yellow background, black David Singer lettering, center collage featuring astronaut holding monkey. Uncut double card with ugly nonremovable tape stain in lower center margin, otherwise clean $7.00
BG #255, Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention, Boz Scaggs, Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, 11/5- 8/70, Fillmore West; white background, black lettering by David Singer, center collage featuring woman, hummingbird, and snake. 1 copy with paper age; otherwise clean, $7.00.
BG ##255-256, uncut double mailer with address on back; #255 is Frank Zappa/Mothers of Invention, Boz Scaggs, Ashton, Gardner & Dyke, 11/5-8/70, Fillmore West; white background, black lettering by David Singer, center collage featuring woman, hummingbird, and snake; #256 is The Kinks, Elton John, Ballinjack, Juicy Lucy, 11/12-15/70, Fillmore West; white background, black elegant lettering by David Singer; center collage in blue featuring face of Michaelangelo's David. Very nice clean mailer with address on back, $48.
BG ## 257-258 (So numbered, uncut oversize poster), Love, James Gang, Black Sabbath, 11/19-22/70; Sha Na Na, Elvin Bishop, Tower of Power, 11/26-29, Fillmore West; large double sized poster by Norman Orr; one of his best designs with a center image of an Indian breaking an arrow, cool image. Two mailers; one with the usual vertical mailing crease and the other with a bit of general age, your choice $15. (*)
BG ##259-260, uncut double mailer; #259 is Savoy Brown, Sea Train, Ry Cooder, Humble Pie, 12/3-6/70, Fillmore West; nice David Singer design with gray border, black lettering, center collage with sunset in background and statute of Jesus with arms outstretched reaching out of the desert towards a silver dollar in the sky; #260 is Lee Michaels, Albert King, Atlee, 12/10-13/70, Fillmore West; nice later David Singer design with yellow background, black lettering, and center collage of man walking through desert with strange object above him in the sky. Usual vertical crease but the crease is fairly unobtrusive, and otherwise in good shape, $30.
BG #262, Delaney, Bonnie, & Friends, Voices of East Harlem, 12/26-29/70, Fillmore West; another yellow and brown Norman Orr design with drawing of Jesus in center; 1 copy VG+ $10.
BG ##261-262, uncut double mailer with name on back; #261 is Butterfield Blues Band, Buddy Miles, Quatermass, Incredible String Band, 12/14-20/70, Fillmore West (various gigs), yellow and brown Norman Orr art with elaborate drawings of Indian chief, Buddy miles, musicians with top hats, defies description; #262 is Delaney, Bonnie, & Friends, Voices of East Harlem, 12/26-29/70, Fillmore West; another yellow and brown Norman Orr design with drawing of Jesus in center; faint almost invisible horizontal fold, otherwise very clean, $27.50.
BG #263, Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Cold Blood, Elvin Bishop, Stoneground, Boz Scaggs, 12/31/70, Fillmore/Winterland; last Fillmore New Years' Eve show; collage by David Singer. Double-size image with photo of San Francisco Ferry Building. Last New Years Eve show at the Fillmore. 7 copies, NM $25 each; 1 NM-/VG+ mailer with name on back, $20; 1pinholed mailer, $7.00. (*)
BG #264, Cold Blood, Boz Scaggs, Voices of East Harlem, Stoneground, 12/31-1/3/71, Fillmore West; black & red Norman Orr design with images of Indians. NM $ 15.00..
BG #265, Spirit, Elvin Bishop Group, Kwane & the Kwanditos, 1/7-10/71, Fillmore West; Norman Orr design with pyramids and cartoon character. NM $15.00; VG with light age, $8.00 (*)
BG##264-265, uncut double mailer; BG #264 is Cold Blood, Boz Scaggs, Voices of East Harlem, Stoneground, 12/31-1/3/71, Fillmore West; black & red Norman Orr design with images of Indians; BG #265 is Spirit, Elvin Bishop Group, Kwane & the Kwanditos, 1/7-10/71, Fillmore West; Norman Orr design with pyramids and cartoon character. VG/VG- mailer witih a bit of general age, $7.00.
BG ##266-267, uncut double mailer; #266 is Free, Bloodrock, Edward's Hand, 1/14-17/71, Fillmore West; silver, blue & orange design by David Singer; diagonal collage shows one-half of the Milky Way; the other half is on #267, Spencer Davis, Taj Mahal, Fox, 1/21-24/71, Fillmore; VG or so mailer with address on back, minor but noticeable scuffing on front, $ 8.00.
BG ##268-269, uncut double mailer; BG #268 is Hot Tuna, Allman Brothers Band, Trinidad Tripoli Steel Band, 1/28-31/71, great Norman Orr design in full color with drawings of nude woman, Allman-like musician, very electric looking indeed. Better card; this was Allman Bros. first appearance in SF; BG #269 is B.B. King, Ballinjack, Christian Rapid, 2/4-7/71, Fillmore West; great color Norman Orr image of B.B. King playing guitar; real nice later Fillmore image. VG-; used copy with paper discoloration and a couple of pinholes, $20.
BG #269, B.B. King, Ballinjack, Christian Rapid, 2/4-7/71, Fillmore West; great color Norman Orr image of B.B. King playing guitar; real nice later Fillmore image. 7 NM copies available; damaged copy, rippling with tape stains on the reverse, $4.00.
BG #270, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Rush, Clover, It's A Beautiful Day, Blues Image, Tower of Power Steppenwolf, Cold Blood, Shiva's Headband, others (various shows), 2/11-21/71, Fillmore West/Winterland' double size card by Jake Pierre with B & W drawing of knights and scantily clad ladies on horses in hippified battle dress; 2 castles in background; red & yellow lettering. Addressed mailer, VG+ or so with light paper age, $ 18.00.
BG #271, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Boz Scaggs, James and the Good Brothers, 2/25- 28/71, Fillmore West; great political theme with central image of Uncle Sam sending huge fleet of ships and aircraft across the sea towards Asia, where a single small Asian man awaits. Singer/Satty art, damaged VG/VG- copy with bad tape stains on reverse, $5.00.
BG #272, Aretha Franklin, King Curtis & the Kingpins, Tower of Power, 3/5-7/71, Fillmore West; large color photo of Aretha; 2 copies, both damaged; tack holes and reverse paper age, $7.00 eaach (*)
BG ## 271-272, uncut double mailer; #271 is New Riders of the Purple Sage, Boz Scaggs, James and the Good Brothers, 2/25-28/71, Fillmore West; great political theme with central image of Uncle Sam sending huge fleet of ships and aircraft across the sea towards Asia, where a single small Asian man awaits; BG #272 is Aretha Franklin, King Curtis & the Kingpins, Tower of Power, 3/5-7/71, Fillmore West; large color photo of Aretha; VG used copy with tack holes top and bottom; light paper age, $10.
BG##273 & 274 (single double-sized card with two numbers), Siegal-Schwall, Wishbone Ash, 3/11-14/71; Sons of Champlin, Mark-Almond, Commander Cody, 3/18-3/21, Fillmore West; double sized image by Normal Orr with complex lettering and designs throughout, featuring a center drawing of a very beautiful innocent looking young woman with a pipe in her hand; VG+ mailer with address on back, 2 mailers with name of back; copy 1 is VG+/VG, yellowish with ligh paper age, $18; copy 2 is more pink-red; VG- with a fair amount of wrinkling and paper age, $12. (*)
BG #275, Eric Burdon & War, Santana, Buddy Miles, Wayne Cochran, others, 3/25-4/4/71, Winterland/Fillmore West; double size card with collage of cat dressed up like one of the 3 musketeers and some kind of winged figure riding a hawk; pale blue and brick red with black lettering; VG+ addressed mailer, $20.
BG #276, John Mayall, Sha Na Na, Grand Funk, Dave Mason, Johnny Winter, J. Geils Band (various shows), 4/9-18/71, Fillmore West & Winterland (various shows); version without crossed-out gig; so-so double size card with couple of bluejays, vaguely art-deco shapes in back. 2 copies Copy #1, Dave Mason not crossed out; VG mailer with name on back, horizontal and vertical folds and some overall paper age, used copy $8.00. Copy #2, Dave Mason crossed out and overprinted with Van Morrison, VG with tape stains on back, general light paper age, $12. (*)
BG ## 277-278, uncut double card; see below for #278; #277 is Taj Mahal, Stoneground, Ten Years After; Tuten design showing hippie couple pulling Airstream trailer; nice Tuten image. VG mailer with name on back, vertical folds, a couple of fairly minor staple holes and some overall paper age, used copy $8.00.
BG #279, Miles Davis, Elvin Bishop Group, Mandrill, 5/6-9/71, Fillmore West; the "moon" half of this David Singer "sun and moon" pair (the other half is #280); beautiful image, I recently acquired a small stash of this popular card and am offering beautiful NM show back copies for $40 each. (*)
BG ##281-282, uncut double card. BG #281 is The Rascals, Grootna, Grin, 5/20-23/71, Fillmore West; B & W Randy Tuten design with nice lettering; picture of tomatoes in background, BG #282 is Cold Blood, Joy of Cooking, Sweathog, 5/27-30/71, Fillmore West; Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, 5/28-29/71, addressed but with some significant paper age/discoloration in the 282 card, $10. (*)
BG #284, Cactus, Flamin' Groovies, Redeye, 6/10-13/71, Fillmore West; a truly odd design with center image of man with rose-colored glasses holding a small dog while some weird psychedelic amoeba-like thing emanates from his head...go figure. Damaged filler card, $3.00
BG #285, Boz Scaggs, Tower of Power, Mason Proffit, 6/17-20/71, Fillmore West, silver, orange & blue David Singer design with central photo of dancing nymphs, nice. 3 nice NM/NM- cards, $17.00 each. (*)
BG #286, Moby Grape, Spencer Davis & Peter Jameson, Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, 6/24-27/71, Fillmore West; orange border, blue & silver inner Singer/Satty design with tropical scene, 1 NM- card $15; 1 VG mailer, front OK but has some tape/tape stain along back edges, $8.00 (*)
BG ## 285-286, uncut double mailer (last in the Fillmore series), #285 is Boz Scaggs, Tower of Power, Mason Proffit, 6/17-20/71, Fillmore West, silver, orange & blue David Singer design with central photo of dancing nymphs, #286 is Moby Grape, Spencer Davis & Peter Jameson, Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids, 6/24-27/71, Fillmore West; orange border, blue & silver inner Singer/Satty design with tropical scene, above average wear for a mailer, VG+ with a small light indentation on left hand portion of image, not bad. $18.00.
No number, BB King, Freddie King, Copperhead, Malo, 2/4-5/1972, Winterland; Quicksilver, Taj Mahal, Commander Cody, 2/11-12/72, Winterland; Laura Nyro, 2/26/72, Berkeley Community Theatre, Allman Brothers, 3/3-4, Winterland; Black Sabbath, Yes, Wild Turkey, 3/10-11/72, Winterland; Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, 3/11/72, Berkeley Community Theatre; Emerson, Lake & Palmer, 3/24-25/72, Winterland; Sha Na Na, 4/7-8/72, Winterland; Humble Pie, 4/21-22/72, Winterland; this is a 5.5 x 8.5" flyer of the type commonly produced by Bill Graham Presents after the Fillmore closed and they stopped issuing the poster series. White lettering on black background; lettering by Randy Tuten, NM $17.
King Crimson, Malo, Fairport Convention, 3/17-18/1972, Winterland; Don McLean, 3/19/1972 Berkeley Community Theatre; Emereson, Lake and Palmer, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Blues Project, 3/24-25/72, Winterland; Lee Michaels, Mark-Amond, Jo Jo Gunne, 3/31-4/1/72, Winterland; West, Bruce & Laing, Cold Blood, 4/2/1972, Winterland; Sha Na Na, Malo, Sweathog, 4/7-8/1972, Winterland; Deep Purple, Buddy Miles, Atlanta Rhythm Section, 4/14/72, Berkeley Community Theatre; J Geils Band, Elvin Bishop, 4/14-15/1972, Winterland; Joe Cocker, 4/16/1972, Oakland Stadium; Humble Pie, Edgar Winter, Osibisa, 4/21-22/1972, Winterland; Richie Havens, Jimmie Spheeris, 4/22 1972, Berkeley Community Theatre; Dave Mason, Kenny Loggins, 4/28-29/1972, Winterland; It's A Beautiful Day, Cold Blood, 5/5-6/1972, Winterland (whew!). This is another of the generic mailers that were mailed or handed out to Bill Graham's patrons after the closing of the Fillmore; they have generic lettering by Randy Tuten with the "Bill Graham presents" logo at the top. This particular one is kinda cool because it was actually mailed and postmarked to someone here in San Rafael back in the day. Nice VG+ $20.
Note that I have quite a few of these Bill Graham post-Fillmore flyers from 1972-1975 or so that I have never gotten around to listing because there are so many groups and individual shows to type out. If you are interested, drop me an email and I can send you an image or otherwise discuss them.'
Original Artwork by famous rock and roll/psychedelic artists
Posters--Bill Graham and Miscellaneous Fillmore Auditorium
Posters--Family Dog and Related
Posters--Miscellaneous California (1960's and early '70's)
Posters--Miscellaneous Non-California (1960's and early '70's)
Posters --More Recent Stuff (late 1970's to the present)
Handbills--Family Dog and Related
Handbills--Miscellaneous California (1960's and early '70's)
Handbills--Miscellaneous Non-California (1960's and early '70's)