B.B. King 1960 Topeka, Kansas Meadow Acres Ballroom Concert Poster....

Description

Blues / Jazz

B.B. King 1960 Topeka, Kansas Meadow Acres Ballroom Concert Poster. An original cardboard window card advertising blues great B.B. King playing a show in the Midwest on Sunday, December 11, 1960. Terrific-looking poster with B.B. looking so young and healthy, picking out some notes for a studio photographer, decked out in a plaid sports jacket and bow tie. And then that alternating orange & blue coloring all the way down the poster... this just has very strong eye appeal and wicked charisma. Saxophonist Jonny Board and vocalist Mildred Jones were not opening acts, they were in B's "Sensational" band (although they probably took solo turns before he walked out). We love this piece, and think it's one of the two or three best B.B. concert posters we've ever encountered - and we've seen 'em all. Measures 14" x 22" and grades to Very Good condition. COA from Heritage Auctions.

More Information: Poster is quite toned throughout. Corner tack holes as follows: Two in the upper left, one of them falling on the "D"; two in the upper right; two in the lower left, in the blue under "M"; and one in the lower right, also in the blue but not touching anything else. The upper two also left a dark thumbtack "halo" effect. Some drops of moisture once hit the board, leaving very, very light brown, circular water stains in various places, most visible on half-a-dozen letters of "Sensational Band," two on the margin to the left of the "Jonny Board" orange stripe, on the "IL" of "Mildred" and "E" of "Jones," and in the white margin below "Vocalist." There's another one in the white to the right of "W" in the venue box's top line. These are all fairly innocuous but needed to be mentioned. There's also a two-inch surface through "MI" in "Mildred." Corners are all bumped, soft and slightly creased, with the lower left having a ¾" diagonal crease which doesn't touch the blue.

On the verso, you have the highly unusual instance of the board being run through the (second) printing press upside-down, so the customized venue information – remember, this is a tour blank – was accidentally printed all by its lonesome on the back. This is not damage, it's a printer's anomaly, and frankly we find it quite charming.


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