Jefferson Airplane Postcard
Bill Graham never really considered himself a rock and roll fan. His real love was the Latin music he'd grown up listening and dancing to in his old neighborhood in New York City. BG171 advertised shows Graham could really enjoy: San Francisco favorites Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead on the same bill with Cuban percussionist/bandleader Mongo Santamaria. Randy Tuten was able to work some appropriate transportation imagery into the artwork.
The 1st printing postcard measures 4 5/8" x 7" and has a medium blue background. It was printed before the concert.
The 1st printing A variant (see BG171-A) also measures 4 5/8" x 7" and was printed before the concert, but this version is differentiated by its turquoise blue overlay.
There were also some pre-concert postcard mailers printed with the gray version of the postcard. They were conjoined with the BG170 image and measure 7" x 9 1/4".
Randy Tuten is the only poster artist whose work spans five decades of design for The Fillmore. The 23 year-old San Francisco native was hired by Bill Graham in January, 1969, and their mutual taste for traditional, readable design style led to a long-lasting work relationship. Although influenced by the compositions of "Fillmore Five" artists Mouse, Kelley and Griffin, Tuten avoided "... Heavy meaning in my posters." Tuten's style reflected his skill as a draftsman, and his designs evolved into an eclectic mix of graphic imagery, lettering and photographs.