Fried, Bob; Julian, Jonathan; Graham, Bill; Big Brother and the Holding Company; Foundations; Crazy World of Arthur Brown et al.

Original Concert Postcard: Big Brother & the Holding Company, The Foundations, & The Crazy World of Arthur Brown (June 13-15, 1968)

San Francisco, CA: Bill Graham, 1968. Second Printing. Single Sheet. This original concert postcard promotes a historic three-night engagement at two of San Francisco’s most celebrated rock venues, the Fillmore Auditorium and Winterland, produced by legendary impresario Bill Graham (1931-1991). The bill united three acts at strikingly different moments in their careers: a San Francisco band on the verge of national stardom, a theatrically incendiary British arrival, and a London R&B ensemble riding a transatlantic hit. Together, they made for an evening that encapsulated the eclectic energy of the Summer of 1968. Formed in San Francisco in 1965, Big Brother & the Holding Company (guitarists James Gurley and Sam Andrew, bassist Peter Albin, and drummer David Getz) found their defining voice when Janis Joplin (1943–1970) joined as lead vocalist in June 1966. Joplin’s raw, blues-drenched delivery transformed the band into one of the most electrifying acts of the psychedelic era. By June 1968, the group was at the apex of their San Francisco celebrity and mere weeks from recording what would become their landmark Columbia Records debut, Cheap Thrills (1968). Arthur Brown (b. 1942) arrived in America in the summer of 1968 as one of rock’s most genuinely unclassifiable figures. His band, the Crazy World of Arthur Brown drew on psychedelia, R&B, and theatrical spectacle in equal measure. The Foundations were a London-based R&B and pop group who harnessed a distinctively soulful, integrated sound. By June 1968 they were recording what would become their second major hit, “Build Me Up Buttercup,” released later that year. Their appearance on this bill reflects the period’s easy cohesion between British Invasion pop, American soul, and the emerging rock world of the Fillmore circuit. Single Sheet: first edition, second printing (BG-124-OPC-B, pg. 463), indicated by the calendar of upcoming Bill Graham events printed on the verso. In relatively very fine condition with only mild age-toning visible on the once-white verso; edges and corners are crisp and sturdy. Very Fine. [Item #8721]

Price: $50.00