velvet on the page: Rockin' vintage

I have always loved rock music. I wrote reviews on rock albums for my high school newspaper, went to lots of concerts, read Creem magazine, and would have loved to been up there on stage but found I had zero musical talent. My sister and I took guitar lessons for a while but our teacher embezzled money from the music store he worked for and ran away- never to be seen again. Welcome to the music business! We gave up and went back to listening and collecting albums rather than making the music.

My uncle Jerry was a businessman in the Bay area and gave me some amazing Fillmore West posters. Fillmore West was a legendary concert venue in San Francisco from 1968-71 that was started by Bill Graham. The concert line-ups on the posters that were posted on street lamps and telephone poles at the time are mind-boggling now, and included the Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Santana.... I was way too young to go there, but I do still have the posters.They are rock vintage now, and I treasure them.

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention with Boz Scaggs

Traffic and John Hammond

Cream

Chambers Brothers

John Sebastian and Buddy Miles

Procol Harum, Poco and Mungo Jerry- and later that week one of my faves- Small Faces with Rod Stewart!

The Yardbirds, James Cotton and Richie Havens, and next week, The Doors!

Just think- much of this amazing psychedelic poster art was torn down and thrown away after the concert was over! So glad I have these vintage treasures from my cool uncle. This same uncle said he saved the lives of the Rolling Stones once in a hotel fire while he was on a business trip. He pulled them out of their room and helped them get out when they were too "stoned" (as he said) to realize what was going on. Good story- not sure if it's true or not.....but I'll claim it!

I was showing my daughter Kelty some vintage purses I have and she reached into one and found some concert ticket stubs that I hadn't seen for decades! Cool find huh?

Needless to say, I had eclectic musical taste- and I love the concert prices- $7.50 for Elvis Costello! Always remember your rock and roll roots, and this: