Jimi Hendrix Experience Poster
David Byrd used a drop-bow compass to draw the little circles, and he labored to get Hendrix's hair "... Just right." Hendrix was at the height of his career in mid-1968, and he did two shows for the one-night-only concert. Sly & the Family Stone, not mentioned on the poster, was the second band. Just starting to get airplay, Sly was relatively unknown and was heckled by a crowd that couldn't have cared less who was opening up for Hendrix.
The 1st printing poster pre-dates the concert and measures 14 3/16" x 22 3/4". Beneath the date and time information, the notation "Fantasy Unlimited © 1968, Bill Graham, N.Y. No 7" can be found.
The 2nd printing poster is significantly larger, measuring 15 9/16" x 23 13/16". This reprint bears an additional notation, "2nd printing- (c) 1987, Bill Graham Enterprises, Inc", to the right of the Fantasy Unlimited credit. It was printed in 1987.
The 3rd printing is on smooth opaque cover stock and has a Wolfgang's Vault notation in the lower right hand margin. It was printed in 2006 by the Bill Graham Archives LLC in a 1000 copy run. This reprint measures 15 7/16" x 23 13/16".
The 4th printing is on glossy cover stock and also bears a Wolfgang's Vault notation in the lower right hand margin. It was printed in 2006 by the Bill Graham Archives LLC in a 1000 copy run, and is larger than the other printings, measuring 21 1/16" x 32 1/2".
The 5th 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 18" x 28".
As the exclusive designer for the Fillmore East, Byrd produced 11 posters for Bill Graham between 1968-71. With his architectural training, powerful linework and sense of dimension and balance, Byrd said his understanding of symmetry "... Led [me] right up to Art Nouveau. Add to that my LSD experiences, and it all connected up somehow." Byrd's credits include concert poster designs for Jimi Hendrix, the Who, the Grateful Dead, movie posters for Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, posters for The Pasadena Playhouse productions, cover art for TV Guide, and work for Warner Bros.