Chicago; Guess Who; Seals & Crofts; Graham, Bill et al.

Original Concert Postcard: Chicago, Guess Who, Seals & Crofts (Fillmore West, January 8-11, 1970)

San Francisco, CA: Bill Graham, 1970. First Edition, Second Printing. Single Sheet. This postcard designed by David Singer (b. 1941) promotes a concert series which took place on January 8-11, 1970 at the Fillmore West featuring The Guess Who, Seals & Croft, and Chicago produced by the legendary impresario, Bill Graham (1931-1991). After his discharge from the Navy in 1964, Singer settled in San Francisco, working at various jobs and ultimately working as an assistant to a sales promotion manager for an advertising company. He became interested in graphic art but was unsuccessful in gaining admission to two commercial art schools in Los Angeles or in finding work in commercial design in San Francisco. He quit his job, began browsing through his collection of magazine images and taught himself collage by trial and error. Not initially interested in making posters, Singer assembled a portfolio of collages that he envisioned as "greeting cards or something." His work was rejected by most of the publishers in San Francisco but in May of 1969 and encouraged by Victor Moscoso and other San Francisco poster artists, Singer showed his portfolio to concert promoter Bill Graham. Singer recalled that Graham studied the works in silence for twenty minutes, and then commissioned Singer to create twelve posters. Singer’s collages, influenced by Max Ernst, René Magritte and other Surrealists, and the Art Deco influenced lettering style on his posters turned the medium away from the wilder psychedelic style of Moscoso, Rick Griffin and Wes Wilson. To a great extent, Singer was a transitional rock-poster artist; his works possessed a refinement, even a polish that would dominate the 1970s rock world. During that decade he produced significant posters for the Rolling Stones, the Who, and Santana. Per Eric King’s collector’s guide: “This poster is several shades of gray, yellow, red, black, pistachio, strawberry, chocolate, flesh tones, light brown, white and blue in a blue frame. The central image is a human hand holding a triple decker ice cream cone in front of an American flag on a background that is abstract in design.” (BG-211, p. 549). Single sheet: First edition, second printing with all points in King’s Collector’s Guide (BG-211-OPC-A, pg. 549). As described in King’s Collector’s Guide, on the verso of this postcard is a calendar of events then occurring in the upcoming series of months. A classic Singer collectible. In relatively very fine condition with only minor wear to fine edges, and the slightest age-toning. Very Fine. [Item #8971]

Price: $50.00