Sam & Dave; James Cotton Blues Band; Country Joe & the Fish; Loading Zone; Graham, Bill; MacLean, Bonnie

Original Concert Poster: Sam & Dave, James Cotton Blues Band, Country Joe & the Fish, Loading Zone (July 18-23, 1967)

San Francisco, CA: Bill Graham, 1967. First Edition. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 14" x 21") announcing a series of six concerts produced by the legendary impresario Bill Graham (1931-1991), with performances headlined by Sam (Moore, b. 1935) & Dave (Prater, 1937-1988), the acclaimed American R&B-Soul duo; along with the James Cotton Blues Band, during July 18-23, 1967 at the Fillmore Auditorium in San Francisco; with Country Joe & the Fish (July 18-20) & Loading Zone (July 21-23). The acclaimed American poster artist Bonnie MacLean (1939-2020, then-recently married to Graham) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, & "B. MacLean (c) 1967 Bill Graham/Neal, Stratford & Kerr (printers)" in facsimile hand-lettering & numbering is found just below dark green border of image near mid-lower right edge of poster (see image). According to the Talmudic scholarship we have consulted regarding this poster, this copy is a first-&-only printing. King, BG-73-OP-1, pg. 411. King writes (with unusual brevity): "The central image is a series of Northwest Native American designs." (pg. 411) An attractive exemplar of the MacLean psychedelic style as the "Summer of Love" reached its apex, in its singularly rarest contemporary form. From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a highly respected & prolific artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other iconic (in this case shall we say Totemic) posters that symbolize a fabled time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5008). In our sharp-eyed & seasoned estimation, this poster is in relatively fine-verging-on-very-fine condition with only a hint of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners (entire recto image appears bright & mint); one medium-sized, faint crease from upper left edge through upper edge near left corner, not effecting image & only going through dark & light purple backgrounds; small, faint creases at/near upper left corner only at dark purple background, again not effecting image except for small area of wear at upper left edge with miniscule loss of dark purple surface color. This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping costs will be required. Fine- Very Fine. [Item #5807]

Price: $200.00