Rock Promoter Bill Graham's memorabilia

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Squidgy
Posts: 278
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:25 pm

Rock Promoter Bill Graham's memorabilia

Post by Squidgy »

This link should keep y'all busy for awhile

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/

The late Bill Graham, as many of us fondly remember, was the San Francisco rock impresario who brought us the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, and many more. The psychedelic posters and t-shirts for these concerts became collector's items. Graham died in 1991 in a helicopter crash north of San Francisco, along with Texas bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughn. (I remember well---I was in Oakland at the time. The copter hit a major power line in the rain, and lights actually dimmed all over the Bay Area, no lie. The memorial concert the following weekend featured the Grateful Dead and dozens of others, none of whom I can remember now except for Joan Baez singing a heartwrenching rendition of Amazing Grace.)
Well, it seems a San Francisco millionaire has bought a warehouse filled with Graham's carefully squirrelled-away items, and it seems Graham saved EVERYTHING---posters, tickets, t-shirts.....and even sound and video recordings of EVERY concert he ever produced !!! They're available at the above link, many of them for sale.
Nostalgia anyone?
"If you can remember the 60's, you weren't really there."
Who said that? I can't remember. 8) 8) 8)

---Squidgy
dar
Posts: 530
Joined: Fri Aug 23, 2002 1:53 am

Post by dar »

Yes. I saw a brief interview with the man who bought the collection.
My first exhusband, Tony Perry, (who died in a drowning accident at 34 years old in Susanville), worked for Bill Graham for a years. My oldest daughter has several posters and some memorabilia from The Fillmore and The Grateful Dead.
Considering Tony never paid a dime in child support...I'm hoping those items may bring my daughter a few dollars some day!
May he rest in peace.
Squidgy
Posts: 278
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2005 9:25 pm

Post by Squidgy »

What a long, strange trip...those items are hot now. You could get them appraised or check the website & eBay to see what they're going for.
I wouldn't depend too much, though. The fellow who paid $6million said the entire collection is worth maybe 10 times that much. But the individual items are worth maybe $5-100 each, on average.
--Squidge
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