The Rolling Stones Civic Hall, Guildford UK Double-Sided Concert Poster (1963)....

Description

THE ROLLING STONES PERFORMING A MONTH BEFORE THE RELEASE OF THEIR DEBUT EP

The Rolling Stones Civic Hall, Guildford UK Double-Sided Concert Poster (1963). An extremely rare and early vintage original concert poster promoting the Rolling Stones' performance on Sunday, December 15, 1963. Measuring approx. 20" x 29.5", the poster design was printed in two variations: black with white text (the present lot being one such example), and orange with black text. Tickets were available from Ricky Tick Club in Windsor, which was notable for hosting some of the Stones' first shows on their 1963 British tour. Lower down on the bill are the Yardbirds, with one of Eric Clapton's earliest appearances with the group. What makes this poster even more impressive is that it is double-sided: the reverse depicting an unmistakable Ricky Tick face, promoting Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames at the Pearce Hall, Maidenhead UK, commencing January 18, 1964. Inspired by the success of the Ealing Club in early 1962, John Mansfield and Philip Hayward launched The Ricky Tick in Windsor, quickly establishing it as a key venue in the 1960s British R&B scene. In addition to the Rolling Stones, it attracted such legendary acts as the Who, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and Cream. Riding on this momentum, the duo went on to open and promote Ricky Tick clubs in 27 towns, with Guildford emerging as their second and most consistently active location after Windsor. The Ricky Tick's "screaming face," seen on the reverse of this poster, was designed by Bob McGrath (aka "Hogsnort Rupert"), a staple of the club. By the time of this December 1963 gig, the Stones were still a month away from the release of their debut EP and were steadily climbing the charts with their second single, the Lennon/McCartney-penned "I Wanna Be Your Man." To give a sense of the band's schedule during this era, the Stones played 30 shows in the month of December, while still finding time to take Christmas off. Literature: Rolling Stones 50, 2012, p. 45 (illustrated). Concert poster with bold text, exhibits light handling creases and fold lines, some visible surface smudges or color run to the white lettering. Professionally restored to preserve both sides, including some paper replacement to the right edge of the Rolling Stones side. Comes with COA from Heritage Auctions.

More Information: In Rolling Stones 50, Mick Jagger recalls of the Stones' frantic touring schedule in 1963:

"Everything happened quickly. But you had to be quick in those days because there was so much going on and you could get lost in the rush. There were so many bands around - nearly all of them terrible and most of them sort of manufactured."

Charlie Watts also reminisces about the mostly covers-based setlists around this time:

"... the show would be a Jimmy Reed number, then a Bo Diddley number. The kids had never heard of these things."


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