LOT #89030 |
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Miles Davis, Wynonie Harris 1954 Jazz and R&B Cardboard Concert Poster.. ...
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Description
Miles Davis, Wynonie Harris 1954 Jazz and R&B Cardboard Concert Poster.A highly unusual vintage concert poster from Pontiac, Michigan on January 23, 1954 featuring three headliners "competing" with each other, including the soon-to-be "King of Cool," Miles Davis; R&B legend Wynonie Harris; and Blues Hall-of-Fame member Big Maybelle.
From today's perspective, the showstopper here is surely "Downbeat's Jazz Award Winner" Miles Davis. Miles was living in Detroit for a short spell, avoiding New York to kick his heroin habit. Soon after this concert he returned to the Big Apple and recorded The Miles Davis Quartet for Blue Note Records. Within five years he would record the biggest-selling jazz album of all time, Kind of Blue.
Top-billed above him was Wynonie Harris, who was an important figure in nurturing R&B music into the world of rock 'n' roll in the late '40s. His two R&B #1's were "Good Rocking Tonight" and "All She Wants to Do Is Rock." On the poster it says "Blood Shot Eyes," a Top 10 R&B hit for him three years earlier. And then Big Maybelle rounds out the trio; "My Country Man" had been a Top 5 R&B hit for her just a couple of months earlier.
This a boxing-style concert poster that took the boxing concept literally. "The Battle Royal!" it says across the top. And then that unique, startling graphic of a fist busting through the middle of the poster is a conversation piece that surely drew everyone's attention. As did the horizontal layout and prominent rust-orange color. Everything about this poster is out of the ordinary.
Two bucks in advance or $2.50 at the door got you admitted to the five-hour show which ran until 2:00 AM. Another interesting feature of this poster is the blank space at the bottom, above which it says, "Limited Number of Advance Tickets On Sale At." Nothing has been filled in.
Most old posters of this ilk were 'tour blanks,' where the design was used over many shows and the local info stamped in show-to-show. But this fascinating jumbo window card gives no indication of that; the venue and date appear pretty set as part of the original artwork. All the more reason to call this poster very rare, because our guess is that it doesn't exist from any other cities - this was the one shot.
Classified in Good condition with a crease down the middle, evident on both sides of the poster, but doesn't break the color on the front and the poster remains fairly strong. A second crease also appears in the bottom half. Water staining and discoloration along the right-hand side, with the paper peeling off the board a couple of inches on both the front and back. (Some cardboard posters like this were actually printed on very thin paper and then glued down to a backing board for rigidity and durability.) Staple holes in all four corners. Measures just a shade under the standard 22x28". COA from Heritage Auctions.
Auction Info
2019 July 20 - 21 Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction - Dallas #7201 (go to Auction Home page)
Auction Dates
July, 2019
20th-21st
Saturday-Sunday
Bids + Registered Phone Bidders: 14
Lot Tracking Activity: N/A
Page Views: 1,920
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