BG-3 Paul Butterfield, Jefferson Airplane 1966 Fillmore Poster Signed by Wes Wilson, Graded 9.8....

Description

BG-3 Paul Butterfield, Jefferson Airplane 1966 Fillmore Poster Signed by Wes Wilson, Graded 9.8. First-printing San Francisco concert poster for the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and Jefferson Airplane playing at the Fillmore Auditorium on Friday and Sunday, April 15 and 17, 1966 and on the Saturday night in between at Harmon Gymnasium on the UC Berkeley campus. The Sunday show was a 2:00-8:00 PM matinee at the Fillmore.

Known as BG-3 in the Bill Graham numbered series, this "Blues-Rock Bash" was designed by Wes Wilson and signed by him in pencil in the lower right margin. It was then graded a smooth-as-butter 9.8 Near Mint/Mint by CGC (the Certified Guaranty Company). Laid out by Wilson symmetrically and comprised of very catchy orange & red colors, this cool early piece measures 14" x 20". From the David Swartz Concert Poster Collection. COA from Heritage Auctions.

More Information: This was the first time Chicago's Butterfield played for Bill Graham after blowing the roof off the Avalon Ballroom three weeks earlier for Chet Helms and the Family Dog (FD-3 poster). Graham swooped in and stole the band's attention and exclusive rights going forward, then chided Helms for sleeping in (as hippies did) and missing business opportunities like this.

Besides Paul Butterfield on vocals and harmonica – "Nobody could blow like Butter," Bonnie Raitt once said – the BBB also featured stellar guitarists Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop, later stars in their own right. The Elektra Records band was midway between its self-titled debut album from fall 1965 and the classic East-West, to be recorded and released this summer.

By having the unusual in-between Saturday night date at Harmon Gym at UC Berkeley, the Airplane were returning to the site of one of their very first gigs ever. As complete unknowns, they had appeared there on October 30, 1965 with Larry Hankin (of the improv group The Committee). A few weeks before this gig, the band had finished recording their debut album, Takes Off, for RCA Records, which would be released in August - the same month that East-West came out.

This was also partly a charity event... at the bottom it states, "Part of the Proceeds Go to Univ. Friends of SNCC," pronounced "snick" and referring to the Student Nonviolent Coordination Committee.


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