Guy, Buddy; Captain Beefheart; Blue Cheer; Hatfield, Jack; Hillyard, Roger; van Meter, Ben

Original Concert Poster: Buddy Guy, Captain Beefheart; Blue Cheer (October 13-15, 1967)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1967. First Edition. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 13&5/8" x 20&1/4") announcing performances by Buddy Guy during October 13-15, 1967, along with Captain Beefheart (October 13-14 only) & Blue Cheer (October 15 only), at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The American artist Jack Hatfield (of whom we could not obtain any substantial biographical information) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, & "Jack Hatfield (partial underline)" in facsimile non-cursive upper-case black lettering is found just outside the thin black image border from lower right corner (see image). Credited for "Lights" is the "North American Ibis Alchemical Co(mpany)," 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, it is a first-&-only printing. King, FD-87-OP-1, pg. 153. King writes: "The central image is a drawing of a lion standing on grassland with a snow capped mountain in the background. The playing card symbol "spade" and the letter "K" appear in the upper left and lower right corners of the poster in the style of the king from a deck of cards. The artist who created this poster, Jack Hatfield, left the original artwork for this poster at the offices of the Family Dog so that the poster could be printed. When he returned two weeks later to retrieve his artwork, it was missing and had been taken by someone who did not have authorization to do so. Mr. Hatfield would greatly appreciate the return of his artwork. No questions will be asked. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of this artwork should contact the author of these descriptions (that is, Eric King at therose7@earthlink.net)." Come on, whoever you (or your heir by now) are- it's never too late to do the right thing. And Mr. Hatfield, could you contact US with some information about yourself? King has appropriately self-titled this poster "King of Spades." Another very compelling example of the elusive Hatfield's unique style of drawing & calligraphy from the autumn immediately following the "Summer of Love" in its singularly 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 eye-&-mind-blowing posters that symbolize an iconic time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5916). In our ever-sharp & seasoned estimation, this poster is in relatively fine-verging-on-very-fine condition with mild rubbing, browning to white areas within & outside the central colored image (which itself appears completely bright & substantially mint); a touch of wear & some tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners; small spot-stains from upper middle-right edge, chiefly upper & lower right side-edge (the latter very slightly extending into blank white area inside black image-border near upper right corner). 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 #6028]

Price: $300.00