BG-29 Jefferson Airplane 1966 "The Sound" S.F. Poster Signed by Wes Wilson, Graded 9.8. ...

Description

BG-29 Jefferson Airplane 1966 "The Sound" S.F. Poster Signed by Wes Wilson, Graded 9.8. First-printing San Francisco concert poster, color version, for the Jefferson Airplane, Butterfield Blues Band and Muddy Waters playing at both the Fillmore Auditorium and Winterland ballroom on consecutive weekends in early fall 1966. Designed by Wes Wilson and known as BG-29 in the Bill Graham numbered series, this poster was signed by Wes in the lower right. It's nicknamed "The Sound" and is easily one of the more popular of the early BG concert posters, both for its sublime artwork and its triple-threat talent lineup. Measuring 13 5/8" x 24 1/2", this specimen was graded a re-sound-ing 9.8 Near Mint/Mint by CGC (the Certified Guaranty Company). From the David Swartz Concert Poster Collection. COA from Heritage Auctions.

More Information: This says "OP-2" in the grading strip because OP-1 is the B&W version, and both were done before the shows for promotion.

Eric King fairly raves about BG-29 in his book. "This poster is revolutionary in its depiction of Woman. Throughout the 1940's and 1950's, artists drew women as small, thin, weak, powerless and restrained. Here Wes [Wilson] has given us a woman who is muscular, powerful and dancing in wild abandon. She is fully nude and unashamed."

The Airplane, still with Signe Anderson at this point, must have been positively giddy about playing alongside two blues powerhouses. And the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, in turn, were surely going bananas over sharing the bill with blues super-legend Muddy Waters.

On vinyl, the Airplane's debut RCA waxing, Takes Off, had been in stores for only a month. Grace Slick would replace Signe in just a couple of weeks' time after these shows. Meanwhile this was the month (September) RCA tried with a third single on the group, "Bringing Me Down" b/w "Let Me In," but still no breakthrough toBillboard's singles chart.

The Butterfield Blues Band had just released their second album, the classic East-West, on Elektra Records in August. Speaking of Muddy, the LP had been recorded in July at the famed Chess Studios on So. Michigan Ave. in Chicago. It remains very highly regarded to this day.

And what can you say about the master himself. Muddy Waters had benefited greatly from, and in fact contributed substantially to, the blues resurgence of the mid-60's, especially in England. Chess Records had released the highly popular The Real Folk Blues album in January and were coming with a second volume at the end of the year. In between, Chess released the album Muddy, Brass & the Blues, with Muddy joined, of course, by Otis Spann on piano and James Cotton on harmonica.


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