FD-20 Bo Diddley, Little Walter 1966 Longshoremen's Hall Poster Signed by Stanley Mouse, Graded 9.8. ...

Description

"FIVE MEN" FLOATS ANYONE'S BOAT IN THIS CONDITION

FD-20 Bo Diddley, Little Walter 1966 Longshoremen's Hall Poster Signed by Stanley Mouse, Graded 9.8. First-and-only-printing San Francisco concert poster for Bo Diddley, Little Walter and the Sons of Adam playing at Longshoremen's Hall on Friday and Sunday nights, August 5 & 7, 1966. Known as FD-20 in the Family Dog numbered series, this poster was designed by Stanley Mouse and Alton Kelley, and was signed by Mouse down in the lower margin in pencil. Nicknamed "Five Men in a Boat," this has happily been rescued with a leakproof 9.8 Near Mint/Mint grade by CGC (the Certified Guaranty Company).

The two primary images are that of a Ying-Yang symbol giving the concert information, and five older men disproportionally crammed into a tiny boat that never would have floated with that load. And wait - isn't that a sixth little man with his nose on the back edge of the boat? It sure is.

Interestingly, this early poster was never reprinted by the Family Dog, so anybody who wants a decent print of it has to pay the first-printing price. And only 1,000 were made, so there's barely enough to go around. Measures 14 1/4" x 20". COA from Heritage Auctions.

More Information: This poster was printed using the split-fountain technique, which was usually reserved for boxing-style posters of the day. As such, the colors morph from the top down from green to blue to red to orange. (When the blue and red mix, some people see rust.)

Diddley & company moved over to the Avalon Ballroom to play this show on the Saturday night, in between the two Longshoreman's dates. That's odd enough, but somehow the poster omitted that important fact. So the FD-20 handbill was redesigned to add the "Aug. 6 Avalon" information to the left of the boat. But appearance-wise, the monochromatic handbill doesn't hold a candle to this split-fountain poster.

Bo Diddley is a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Blues Hall of Fame and R&B Hall of Fame member, of course, who originated the famous "Bo Diddley beat" which drove the Rolling Stones nuts as teenagers. Harmonica player, Chess Records labelmate and fellow Rock Hall and Blues Hall member Little Walter appeared with Bo on Sunday night only, a pretty heavy R&B night well-placed in the gritty Longshoreman's Hall instead of the psychedelic Avalon. On both nights, the Sunset Strip/L.A. garage band Sons of Adam opened up.


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