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B.B. King (1925–2015) -

A poster announces blues guitarist B.B. King's concert at the Pleasure Pier in Galveston, Texas, on Wednesday July 20, 1955. In 1961, the venue was destroyed by Hurricane Carla. A new pier was inaugurated in 2012.

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Elvis Presley (1935–1977) -

By the mid-1950s, Elvis Presley was the biggest singing sensation in the United States. He appeared at the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville on Friday, August 10 and Saturday, August 11, 1956 during a nationwide tour.

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Cab Calloway (1907–1994) -

This concert poster announces the appearance of jazz singer, dancer, bandleader, and actor Cab Calloway and his Hi-De-Ho Orchestra at Toronto's Palace Pier venue on June 6, 1957.

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Buddy Holly and the Crickets -

Buddy Holly's tour of England in 1958 was a huge success. His two appearances with the Crickets at the Gaumont in Hammersmith, London, on Tuesday, March 25 was a sellout. A little over a year later Holly would be dead, killed in a plane crash.

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Rory Storm and the Hurricanes/The Beatles -

This poster illustrates a bit of music history in that the headline act at Hamburg's Kaiserkeller throughout October, November, and December 1960 was Rory Storm and the Hurricanes, whose drummer was one Ringo Starr. Supporting them were the Beatles. The rest, as they say, is history.

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Johnny Cash (1932–2003) -

On Saturday, April 22, 1967, country music star Johnny Cash brought his entire family to Minnesota to play the Minneapolis Auditorium. Guest stars included Carl Perkins and the Statler Brothers.

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Bob Dylan -

Early in his career, Bob Dylan performed at the University Regent Theatre in Syracuse, New York. This is the poster promoting the concert, which took place at the unusual hour of 4 pm.

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Pink Floyd/The Who -

Two hugely influential British bands, Pink Floyd and The Who, shared the stage at the Palace Theatre in Manchester on Saturday, December 31, 1966 for a psychedelic and no doubt noisy New Year's Eve gig.

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The Monkees/Jimi Hendrix -

The Monkees were the headline act at the Jacksonville Coliseum in Florida on July 8, 1967. But look who opened for them: the soon-to-be-huge Jimi Hendrix.

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The Beach Boys -

On June 25, 1965, the Beach Boys appeared at Dillon Stadium in Hartford, Connecticut. This was an occasion when all five original band members were still performing together. By 1967 Brian Wilson had rejected live appearances in favor of working in the studio.

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The Rolling Stones -

On Saturday, December 6, 1969, the Rolling Stones performed a free concert at Altamont Speedway in California. The gig is infamous for the stabbing death of audience member Meredith Hunter by Hells Angel Alan Passaro after Hunter had drawn a revolver near the stage. The incident was caught on camera and is a central scene in the documentary 'Gimme Shelter' (1970). Pictured is the poster for the documentary.

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James Brown (1933–2006) -

James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," appeared on stage for one night only at the Granada Theater in London on Sunday, March 13, 1966. It was his second concert in England that year.

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The Beatles -

By 1966 the Beatles were done with touring and performing live, preferring instead to spend more time in the studio. On Monday, August 29, 1966 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, the Fab Four gave what would be their final concert, making this poster promoting the event a very rare piece of music memorabilia.

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The Who -

This poster advertises The Who's early 1964 residency at the Marquee Club in London. The band appeared every Tuesday at the famous Wardour Street venue. The Marquee was, incidentally, the location of the first-ever live performance by the Rolling Stones, on July 12, 1962.

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Ray Charles (1930–2004) -

Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater hosted Ray Charles and other acts over the week beginning Friday October 2, 1959. His signature song 'What'd I Say' (misspelt on the poster) had been released the same year.

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Cream -

Legendary British rock band Cream—made up of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker—played the famous Fillmore & Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco on March 7, 8, 9, and 10, 1968. This is the poster that announced their four-day run.

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Diana Ross and the Supremes -

In July 1965, Diana Ross and the Supremes debuted at New York's Copacabana nightclub. One of Motown Records' biggest recording acts at the time, the venue promoted its forthcoming music attraction with this poster and the tagline: "The Copa maintains its supremacy."

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Barbra Streisand -

While not advertising a live concert appearance, this colorful poster instead promotes 'Belle of 14th Street,' a CBS television special starring Barbra Streisand that aired on October 11, 1967.

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Everly Brothers -

The Everly Brothers topped the bill at the Gaumont Theatre in Bradford, England, on Saturday, October 19, 1963. Blues guitarist Bo Diddley was among the support, as were the Rolling Stones. Among those Diddley influenced was the Stones' Brian Jones.

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Chuck Berry (1926–2017) -

Chuck Berry's headline appearance at the 1965 Berkeley Blues Festival in California was given prominence on this poster, which in fact is incomplete. The bottom half of the artwork is missing and lists support acts including "Big Mama" Thornton, who was the first artist to record 'Hound Dog,' in 1952, later made famous by Elvis Presley. The gig took place at the Berkeley Community Theatre.

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Dantalian's Chariot/Jeff Beck -

The Roundhouse in London was the venue for this 1967 gig organized by the UFO Club and advertised with this zany psychedelic poster. There were two shows, on September 22 and September 29. The gigs featured Dantalian's Chariot, the Social Deviants (later the Deviants), the Jeff Beck Group and Ten Years After. Jeff Beck, by the way, is regarded as one of the best guitarists in the world. And did you know that the Dantalian's Chariot lineup included Andy Summers, later to find fame with the Police?

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Grateful Dead/Jefferson Airplane -

Two iconic bands of the 1960s, Jefferson Airplane and Grateful Dead, played San Francisco's Fillmore Auditorium on Friday, August 12 and Saturday, August 13, 1966. Both bands were regulars at the historic venue, which was built in 1912.

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Deep Purple -

One of the first collaborations between a rock band and an orchestra is promoted by this poster, which advertises Deep Purple with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Concerto for Group and Orchestra show at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The historic gig took place on September 24, 1969 and was filmed.

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Roy Orbison (1936–1988) -

The Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, welcomed Roy Orbison on December 15, 1969, supported by Willie Nelson and the Everly Brothers.

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The Byrds -

This poster lists a number of gigs taking place throughout October and November 1970 at New York's Rock Palace in Brooklyn, which in fact was the 46th St. Theater. The Byrds and Grateful Dead are among the acts listed.

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Led Zeppelin -

San Francisco's Fillmore West was the venue for a three-day show starring Country Joe and the Fish, Led Zeppelin, and Taj Mahal on January 9-11, 1969. Reviews for Led Zeppelin were positive, with one critic referring to them as "[an] impressive a new British rock group as we've ever heard." Early days, indeed.

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Joan Baez/Joni Mitchell -

Music fans were treated to an hour with Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell on Thursday, February 11, 1971 at New York's Carnegie Hall when both singer-songwriters appeared on the same bill.

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Wilson Pickett (1941–2006) -

Interesting for the fact that it advertises the famous 'Soul To Soul' Independence Weekend concert held in Accra, Ghana, on March 6, 1971, this rare poster lists some of the great acts of the day including Wilson Pickett, Ike and Tina Turner, and Santana.

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Sex Pistols -

London's 100 Club in Oxford Street is one of the UK's most famous music venues. On Monday, September 20 and Tuesday, September 21, 1976, it hosted the first ever Punk Rock Festival. The Sex Pistols played the Monday, supported by the Clash, among other bands. All were seen for the first time in London, and were unsigned acts.

Sources: (History) (Beatles Bible) (Wolfgang's) (The Arhoolie Foundation) (AbandonedNYC) (Led Zeppelin) (The 100 Club)

See also: The most influential music acts of the 1970s

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