Charlatans; Sparrow; Canned Heat; Griffin, Rick; Hunter, George; Greene, Herb; Hillyard, Roger; van Meter, Ben

Original Concert Poster: Charlatans, Sparrow, Canned Heat (April 7-8, 1967)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1967. First Edition. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 14" x 20") announcing a concert headlined by the Charlatans, along with Sparrow & Canned Heat, during April 7-8, 1967 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The legendary American psychedelic artist Rick Griffin (b. Richard Alden Griffin, 1944-1991) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, in collaboration with George Hunter (a musician-vocalist member of the Charlatans), & "George Hunter...Rick Griffin" in facsimile hand-lettering is found below lower border of main image near right corner (see image). Also credited for the old-style central photograph that takes up much of this poster is Herb Greene (b. 1942), the acclaimed American photographer known for his iconic images of the 1960s counterculture, & "Photo- Herb Greene" is found below lower margin of main image near left corner (again, see image). Credited for "Lights" is "The North American Ibis Alchemical Company," a memorably named incarnation of Roger Hillyard, Ben van Meter & their associates. Hillyard (b. 1942) was highly involved with the exemplary psychedelic light shows of this era, later became the proprietor of a popular coffee shop, & most recently the practicing resident of a Zen Buddhist center- all in San Francisco. Van Meter (b. 1941) was also a major light show producer & experimental filmmaker at this time, & still engages in cutting-edge creativity as of this writing. According to the Talmudic scholarship we have consulted regarding this poster (in this case with over three full pages devoted to it), this is, to the best of our understanding, a first printing, with lack of red printing flaws & absence of a tiny blue dot where King indicates it should be found on later printings, quite near lower right corner (there is a tiny blue dot immediately to the right of last digit "2" of zip code, a point unmentioned in this entry). King, FD-56-OP-1, pg. 116. King writes: "The central image is a photograph of members of the Charlatans posing on the front porch and steps of an old San Francisco Victorian house. Below the photograph is a drawing of a tin can. On the label of the can is a drawing of a sparrow and the words "Sparrow" and "Canned Heat." At the top of the photograph is the sentence "The Charlatans say,'when you camp out..cook with..Sparrow Brand Canned Heat.' " Although there were frequent visual puns on these posters on the names of the acts, this is the only occasion where the names of the acts were worked into a sentence." (pg. 116) An iconic combination of psychedelia, nostalgia & humor from the fabled era that would shortly reach its apex during the "Summer of Love" that year, in (we are substantially certain) its rarest contemporary form. From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a highly respected artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other riveting posters that symbolize a magical time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5008). In our eagle-eyed & experienced estimation, this poster is in relatively very fine condition with only light rubbing & browning mostly at blank white outer margins (central image is bright & pristine); a bit of wear & some tiny bumps, faint creases at/near edges & corners. This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping costs will be required. Very Fine. [Item #5686]

Price: $1,200.00