Big Brother and the Holding Company Poster
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As a result of their galvanizing performance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, Big Brother & the Holding Co. and their lead singer Janis Joplin were quickly thrust into the national spotlight. Because of existing contractual obligations, BG124 represents a time when Big Brother was poised for stardom, yet without an album. A few months after these shows, "Cheap Thrills" would be released and shoot to number one. A few months after that, Janis Joplin would leave Big Brother for a solo career.
The 1st printing poster is on uncoated index and measures 13 13/16" x 21 7/8". "Bill Graham Presents In San Francisco" is printed in blue letters across the top of the poster. It was printed before the concert.
The 2nd printing poster was reprinted with permission in 1990 by Pyramid Books in England. It is missing the Bill Graham Presents credit at the top of the poster. It is highly glossy and smaller, measuring 11 15/16" x 16 1/2".
The 2nd printing is on 80# coated matte stock and has "W 2022" in the lower right hand margin. It was printed in 2022 by Wolfgang's in a 100 copy run. This reprint measures 14" x 22".
Trained as a commercial artist, Bob Fried came to San Francisco from New York to study at the Art Institute and work as a free-lance designer. In 1966, he began to look at the rock posters that were appearing throughout the Bay Area. Encouraged by Victor Moscoso, whom he met at the Art Institute, he began to create his own posters. He wanted to keep them simple to convey feelings of dimensional space, similar to an acid trip. Fried attempted to convey the feeling of the plasticity of time that was his experience on LSD.