Bill Graham Poster Series'
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Bill Graham was the founder and CEO of the world famous music
production company Bill Graham Presents, or BGP. BGP helped launch and
carry forth the 1960's Psychedelic Era and the San Francisco
Haight-Ashbury music scene. Bill Graham's music concerts and concert
posters will continue to significantly forward Rock & Roll, Jazz, R &
B, Blues, and Folk Music throughout time. Bill Graham devoted his life
to the business of music until his tragic death in 1991.
Bill Graham wanted all aspects of his concerts to be of the highest
quality. Production values, including the treatment of performers, the
adventurous combination of bands on a bill, and the audience experience
are all examples of things he was impassioned about. In addition, Bill
was a genuine lover of the arts, thereby he commissioned posters for
each of his concerts. The result is the largest cummulative concert
poster series in the world. Bill Graham Presents established five
official series of posters numbered in chronological order, and one
un-official series of un-numbered posters. BGP posters capture the art,
energy, and musical aura of three generations. Each poster series is
described below.
BG Series
Some Featured Poster Artists:
Alton Kelley , Stanley Mouse , David Singer , Rick Griffin , Wes Wilson
, Lee Conklin , Randy Tuten
Some Featured Perfomers:
Grateful Dead , Santana , Jefferson Airplane, Moody Blues, Steve
Miller, Frank Zappa, Led Zeppelin , and Miles Davis.
Featured Venues:
Fillmore East , Fillmore West
This Bill Graham poster series commemorates concerts in New York at the
Fillmore East and in the San Francisco Bay Area, Haight-Ashbury music
scene at the Fillmore West from 1966 to 1971. These renowned concert
posters helped define the Psychedelic Era and feature the vintage
artwork of many famed poster artists, launching the careers of such
artists as David Singer. There are 287 posters in the BG Series which
are featured in the book, "The Art of Rock." The BG Series ended when
Bill Graham decided to close the Fillmore East and Fillmore West in
June, 1971. However, BG #288 was added to the series in 1973, as were a
coulple others here and there.
BGP Series
In addition to those listed above:
Some Featured Poster Artists:
Jim Phillips , Chuck Sperry , Randy Chavez , Chris Shaw , Arlene
Owseichick , Harry Rossit , Rex Ray
In addition to those listed above:
Some Featured Perfomers:
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus, Phish, Eric Clapton, Hot Tuna, Indigo
Girls, Gov't Mule, The Residents, Nirvana, Guns and Roses, and RatDog.
Some Featured Venues:
The Warfield, Shoreline Ampitheatre, Oakland Coliseum, Oakland Stadium,
and Arco Arena amoung others.
After the closing of the Fillmore theaters, Bill Graham Presents
continued to grow. Starting in 1985, the BGP poster series kept up the
tradition of excellence in, and a demand for, poster art. A new
generation of artists where given the opportunity to strut their stuff.
There are 331 concert posters in this series, many of which are
featured in the book, "The Art of Modern Rock."
New Fillmore
In addition to many listed above:
Some Featured Poster Artists:
Kent Myers, Whit Clifton, Joel Elrod, Frank Weidman, John Howard, Craig
Howell
In addition to many listed above:
Some Featured Perfomers:
Les Claypool, Neville Brothers, White Stripes, Gregg Allman, Tom Petty,
Zero, MOE, George Clinton, Galactic, Metallica, and Jerry Garcia Band.
Featured Venue:
The Fillmore, San Franciso, California.
Fillmore posters are known under many names: F Series, Bill Graham
Fillmore, Fillmore Series, and New Fillmore Series. The term "New
Fillmore" came from the re-opening of the Fillmore on March 4th, 1988.
The first concert at the "New Fillmore" featured Hot Tuna, and
Jefferson Airplane members Grace Slick, Paul Kanter, and Marty Ballin.
This historic event also marks the first poster in the F series, F001.
The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 which collapsed the Bay Bridge, also
closed the New Bill Graham Fillmore for five years. Re-opening on April
27th, 1994, the F Series picked up where it left off: F123 Smashing
Pumpkins. Visual Tranformation features Fillmore posters through F676;
however, this Bill Graham poster legacy continues to grow to this very
day.
Fillmore Denver
An additional Fillmore Auditorium was opened in Denver, Colorado, in
May of 1999 in a restored ice skating arena. This poster series
represents that venue only. Harry Rossit, Joel Elrod, Chris Shaw, Rex
Ray, and Dennis Loren were participating artists for such performers as
Bob Dylan, Phil Lesh and Friends, Alicia Keys, No Doubt, The White
Stripes, Paul Simon, and Leftover Salmon. The Fillmore Denver still
houses concerts today.
BG Special Events
BGSE, or Bill Graham Special Events, was the corporate event division
of Bill Graham Presents well after Bill Graham's passing on. The art
and entertainment values of the parent company carry over into these
concerts as well. The BGSE poster series represents many venues, not
including either Fillmore. Randy Tuten, Chris Shaw, Chuck Sperry, and
Rex Ray were all remaining members of the BGP artist family for these
concert posters. Some of the performers include: Stevie Wonder, Doobie
Brothers, John Lee Hooker, The Who, and James Brown.
Un-numbered Bill Graham Presents Posters
Some posters commissioned by Bill Graham, for various reasons, were not
included in any of the poster series. They stand alone.