Chuck Berry 1955 "Big Rock & Roll Show" Rookie Concert Poster w/"Maybellene." ...

Description

Chuck Berry 1955 "Big Rock & Roll Show" Rookie Concert Poster w/"Maybellene." A remarkably early concert poster advertising the new teenage phenomenon of rock 'n' roll, headlined by one of the genre's founding fathers, Chuck Berry, and calling out Berry's first hit single, "Maybellene."

Eight other fine R&B musicians round out this jumbo advertising window card, but Berry more than steals the spotlight, so it's generally considered "a Chuck Berry poster." The other musicians had a lot of hits, but Mr. Berry shook the world on its axis as he co-invented rock 'n' roll at this very moment.

This is the only concert poster ever seen that used the term "Chuck Berry Trio," referring to piano player Johnnie Johnson and drummer Ebby Hardy. "Trio" was soon dropped and Chuck became a major star in his own right, although Johnson helped Chuck endlessly in the 1950's, resulting in Johnson's own induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The provenance of this poster is great, in that it came directly from the late show promoter Ted Bryant's daughter. Measures 22" x 28" and grades to Very Good Plus condition. COA from Heritage Auctions.

More Information: Rather than using a head shot or standard publicity photos like all the other musicians, fortunately we have Chuck playing his world-beating electric guitar and looking down at his fingers in the process. It's a prized action shot, and one we're lucky to have on the poster.

A great five-color cardboard window card skillfully utilizing red, yellow, black, white and blue lettering up in the venue box. Friday, October 14, 1955 at the Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Advance tickets a buck-and-a-half, and then they turned to $2.00 on October 14.

Chuck had a song in the 1950's called "Little Queenie," a popular tune covered by the likes of the Beatles and Rolling Stones. Take a look at Queenie Owens down in the lower right corner... could she have been the inspiration for that song? How could she not have been the inspiration for that song?

Truly a beautiful, early rock 'n' roll treasure and concert poster, and in such great, original, unused condition, too.

Condition details: The board sustained a 1" and another ½" crease in the upper left corner, nowhere near the "M." There's a very thin dark line of toning along the bottom edge, and on the verso it's along the top edge. Otherwise just light general toning throughout, with the red & yellow (and blue & black) colors as vibrant as the year it was printed.


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