Norman Orr Original Artwork 1971 B.B. King Concert Poster Bill Graham BGP#269

Norman Orr Original Artwork 1971 B.B. King Concert Poster Bill Graham BGP#269

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Norman Orr Original Artwork 1971 B.B. King Concert Poster Bill Graham BGP#269 :
$19500.00


    Offered for sale is a museum grade historical artifact from the legendary Bill Graham Presents Concert Poster Series, the original black ink illustration on paper by the acclaimed Norman Orr (signed twice in the design), featuring a psychedelic image of B.B. King playing his guitar \"Lucille\", and is from his 2/4-7/71 performances at the Fillmore Auditorium - San Francisco California (BG#269), and is a RARE opportunity to own a genuine original from this legendary venue and era of music (see bio info below). The item measures 21.5\" x 13\", is in \"excellent\" condition (see details above), and is very suitable for framing or display - an investment grade collector\'s item. The asking price is $19,500.00 with FREE shipping/handling (U.S. Domestic Orders), and is the only example of it\'s kind offered for sale on or any other sale website! Overseas buyers please add for additional S/H costs (CA State Residents please add 9% sales tax). Thanks for visiting my sale listing, and feel free to contact me with further questions or comments!
  • Additional Notes: This is by far the finest image of B.B. King within the Fillmore series, and original concert poster artwork is exponentially rarer than it\'s counterparts in the comic art markets.

Norman Orr Bio:

The youngest of the classic Fillmore Auditorium concert poster artists,Norman Orrabsorbed the influences of predecessors likeRick Griffin,Stanley Mouse, andAlton Kelleyto ultimately hone his own uniquely detailed and freewheeling style harking back to the graphic designs of the 19th century. Born just outside of San Francisco on October 27, 1949, he was still in high school when psychedelia took root; harboring artistic ambitions since childhood, he found the Fillmore\'s promotional posters as inspirational as the music itself, and vowed to someday produce his own pieces for the venue. After graduation,Orrwent to work on a farm, driving up to the Bay Area each weekend to absorb the scene; in his spare hours, he also continued drawing.

After completing his first poster in honor ofSantana\'s appearance at the local county fair, in 1970Orrsold his first commercial piece, a pen-and-ink drawing that was part of a thematic series calledCuster Died for Our Sins. (The American West was a theme of his work throughout his career, dovetailing with his interest in the graphic style of the previous century.) The sale of his art convincedOrrto pursue work with the Fillmore, where he was invited to produce a poster on spec; days later, he returned with a piece heavily influenced byGriffin, yet infused with sufficient originality to win him a pair of commissions for upcomingSantanaandQuicksilver Messenger Servicedates.

In all,Orrcompleted a dozen posters for the Fillmore, most of them informed by historical or contemporary political conditions, before moving on to pursue other creative avenues. Later working as a custom carpenter in San Francisco, his focus turned to intricate handmade wood carvings and paper sculpture; finally, in 1995Orrmade a welcome return to the world of rock poster art, creating a series of original black-and-white pieces commissioned in honor of tribute concerts celebrating the life and work ofJohn Lennon,Jimi Hendrix,Stevie Ray Vaughan, andRon \"Pigpen\" McKernanofthe Grateful Dead. By Jason Ankeny

B.B. KingFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaB.B. KingKing at theNorth Sea Jazz Festivalin Rotterdam, 2009Background informationBirth nameRiley B. KingBornSeptember 16, 1925
Berclair, Mississippi, U.S.OriginMemphis, Tennessee, U.S.DiedMay 14, 2015(aged89)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.GenresBlues,R&B,electric blues,blues rock[1]Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, musician, record producerInstrumentsVocals, piano, guitarYears Records,RPM Records,Crown,ABC,MCA,Reprise/Warner Bros.,Virgin/EMIAssociated actsBobby Bland,Eric Clapton,U2,SlashandSimply RedWebsitebbking.comNotable instrumentsGibson ES-355\"Lucille\"

Riley B. King(September 16, 1925– May 14, 2015), known by his stage nameB.B. King, was anAmerican Hall of Famebluessinger, songwriter andguitarist.

Rolling Stoneranked King number 6 on its 2011 list of the100 greatest guitarists of all time(previously ranked number 3 in the 2003 edition of the same list).[2]He was ranked No. 17 inGibson\'s\"Top 50 Guitarists of All Time\".[3]According to Edward M. Komara, King \"introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluidstring bendingand shimmeringvibratothat would influence virtually every electric blues guitarist that followed.\"[4]King was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 1987. He was considered one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname \"The King of the Blues\", and one of the \"Three Kings of the Blues Guitar\" (along withAlbert KingandFreddie King).[5][6][7]King was also known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing at more than 200 concerts per year on average into his 70s.[8]In 1956, he reportedly appeared at 342 shows.[9]

In 1990, King was awarded theNational Medal of Artsby PresidentGeorge H.W. Bush.[10]In 2006, he received thePresidential Medal of Freedomfrom PresidentGeorge W. Bush.[11]He is widely regarded as one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time, inspiring countless otherelectric bluesandblues rockguitarists.[12]King died at the age of eighty nine fromdiabetescomplications inLas Vegas,Nevadaon May 14, 2015.

Contents[hide]
  • 1Biography
    • 1.1Early life
    • 1.2Career
      • 1.2.11949–2005
      • 1.2.22006–2015: farewell tour and later activities
    • 1.3Illness and death
    • 1.4Personal life
  • 2Equipment
  • 3B.B. King\'s Blues Club
  • 4Philanthropy
  • 5Television and other appearances
    • 6Honors and awards
      • 6.1Grammy Awards
    • 7Discography
      • 7.1Studio albums
    • 8See also
    • 9References
    • 10External links

    Biography[edit]Early life[edit]

    Riley B. King was born on September 16, 1925,[13]on a cotton plantation called Berclair, near the town ofItta Bena, Mississippi,[12][14]the son of sharecroppers Albert and Nora Ella King.[14]He considered the nearby city ofIndianola, Mississippito be his home.[15]When Riley was 4 years old, his mother left his father for another man, so the boy was raised by his maternal grandmother, Elnora Farr, inKilmichael, Mississippi.[14]

    While young, King sang in thegospelchoir at Elkhorn Baptist Church in Kilmichael. It seems that at the age of 12 he purchased his first guitar for $15.00,[14]although another source indicates he was given his first guitar byBukka White, his mother\'s first cousin (King\'s grandmother and White\'s mother were sisters).[16]

    In November 1941 \"King Biscuit Time\" first aired, broadcasting onKFFAinHelena, Arkansas. It was a radio show featuring the Mississippi Delta blues. King listened to it while on break at a plantation. A self-taught guitarist, he then wanted to become a radio musician.[17]

    In 1943, King left Kilmichael to work as a tractor driver and play guitar with the Famous St. John\'s Quartet ofInverness, Mississippi, performing at area churches and onWGRMinGreenwood, Mississippi.[18][19]

    In 1946, King followed Bukka White toMemphis, Tennessee. White took him in for the next ten months.[14]However, King returned to Mississippi shortly afterward, where he decided to prepare himself better for the next visit, and returned toWest Memphis, Arkansas, two years later in 1948. He performed onSonny Boy Williamson\'s radio program onKWEMin West Memphis, where he began to develop an audience. King\'s appearances led to steady engagements at the Sixteenth Avenue Grill in West Memphis and later to a ten-minute spot on the Memphis radio stationWDIA.[20]The radio spot became so popular that it was expanded and became theSepia Swing Club.[21]

    Initially he worked at WDIA as a singer and disc jockey, gaining the nickname \"Beale StreetBlues Boy\", which was later shortened to \"Blues Boy\" and finally toB.B.[22][23][24][25]It was there that he first metT-Bone Walker. King said, \"Once I\'d heard him for the first time, I knew I\'d have to have [an electric guitar] myself. \'Had\' to have one, short of style=\"margin: 0.5em 0px; line-height: inherit;\">In 1949, King began recording songs under contract with Los Angeles-basedRPM Records. Many of King\'s early recordings were produced bySam Phillips, who later foundedSun Records. Before his RPM contract, King had debuted onBullet Recordsby issuing the single \"Miss Martha King\" (1949), which did not chart well. \"My very first recordings [in 1949] were for a company out of Nashville called Bullet, the Bullet Record Transcription company,\" King recalled. \"I had horns that very first session. I hadPhineas Newbornon piano; his father played drums, and his brother,Calvin, played guitar with me. I hadTuff Greenon bass,Ben Branchon tenor sax, his brother, Thomas Branch, on trumpet, and a lady trombone player. The Newborn family were the house band at the famous Plantation Inn in West Memphis.\"[27]

    Performing with his famous guitar,Lucille

    King assembled his own band; the B.B. King Review, under the leadership of Millard Lee. The band initially consisted of Calvin Owens and Kenneth Sands (trumpet), Lawrence Burdin (alto saxophone),George Coleman(tenor saxophone),[28]Floyd Newman(baritone saxophone), Millard Lee (piano),George Joyner(bass) and Earl Forest and Ted Curry (drums). Onzie Horne was a trained musician elicited as an arranger to assist King with his compositions. By his own admission, King could not play chords well and always relied onimprovisation.[29]

    King\'s recording contract was followed by tours across the United States, with performances in major theaters in cities such as Washington, D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, and St. Louis, as well as numerous gigs in small clubs andjuke jointsof the southern United States. During one show inTwist, Arkansas, a brawl broke out between two men and caused a fire. He evacuated along with the rest of the crowd but went back to retrieve his guitar. He said he later found out that the two men, who died in the blaze, were fighting over a woman named Lucille. He named the guitarLucilleas a reminder not to fight over women or run into any more burning buildings.[30][31][32]

    Following his firstBillboardRhythm and Blues chartsnumber one, \"3 O\'Clock Blues\" (February 1952),[33]B.B. King became one of the most important names inR&Bmusic in the 1950s, amassing an impressive list of hits[25]including \"You Know I Love You\", \"Woke Up This Morning\", \"Please Love Me\", \"When My Heart Beats like a Hammer\", \"Whole Lotta Love\", \"You Upset Me Baby\", \"Every Day I Have the Blues\", \"Sneakin\' Around\", \"Ten Long Years\", \"Bad Luck\", \"Sweet Little Angel\", \"On My Word of Honor\", and \"Please Accept My Love\". This led to a significant increase in his weekly earnings, from about $85 to $2,500,[34]with appearances at major venues such as theHoward Theaterin Washington and theApolloin New York, as well as touring the entire \"Chitlin\' circuit\". 1956 became a record-breaking year, with 342 concerts booked and three recording sessions.[35]That same year he founded his own record label, Blues Boys Kingdom, with headquarters at Beale Street in Memphis. There, among other projects, he produced artists such as Millard Lee and Levi Seabury.[15]In 1962, King signed toABC-Paramount Records, which was later absorbed intoMCA Records, and which itself was later absorbed intoGeffen Records. In November 1964, King recorded theLive at the Regalalbum at theRegal Theater.[33]King later said thatRegal Live\"is considered by some the best recording I\'ve ever had . . . that particular day in Chicago everything came together . . .\"[36]

    B.B. King performs in Germany in 1971.

    From the late \'60s, new manager Sid Seidenberg pushed King into a different type of venue as blues-rock performers like Clapton and Paul Butterfield were popularizing an appreciation of blues music among white audiences.[37]

    King gained further visibility among rock audiences as an opening act onthe Rolling Stones\'1969 American Tour.[38]He won a 1970Grammy Awardfor the song \"The Thrill Is Gone\";[39]his version became a hit on both the pop and R&Bcharts. It also gained the number 183 spot inRolling Stonemagazine\'s500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[40]

    King was inducted into theBlues Hall of Famein 1980, theRock and Roll Hall of Famein 1987, and the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2014.[8][41]In 2004, he was awarded the internationalPolar Music Prize, given to artists \"in recognition of exceptional achievements in the creation and advancement of music.\"[42]

    King performing in New York in the late 1980s

    From the 1980s to his death in 2015, he maintained a highly visible and active career, appearing on numerous television shows and performing 300 nights a year. In 1988, King reached a new generation of fans with the single \"When Love Comes to Town\", a collaborative effort between King and the Irish bandU2on theirRattle and Humalbum.[33]In December 1997, he performed in the Vatican\'s fifth annual Christmas concert and presented his trademark guitar \"Lucille\" toPope John Paul II.[43]In 1998, he appeared inThe Blues Brothers 2000, playing the part of the lead singer of the Louisiana Gator Boys, along withEric Clapton,Dr. John,Koko TaylorandBo Diddley. In 2000, he and Clapton teamed up again to recordRiding With the King, which won aGrammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.[44]

    Discussing where he took the Blues, from \"dirt floor, smoke in the air\" joints to grand concert halls, King said the Blues belonged everywhere beautiful music belonged. He successfully worked both sides of the commercial divide, with sophisticated recordings and \"raw, raucous\" live performance.[36]

    Bill Graham (promoter)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia(Redirected fromBill Graham Presents)Bill GrahamBill Graham, circa 1990.BornWulf Wolodia Grajonca
    January 8, 1931
    Berlin, GermanyDiedOctober 25, 1991(aged60)
    NearVallejo, California, U.S.OthernamesUncle BoboOccupationBusinessman, musical impresarioYearsactive1960s–1991; his death

    Bill Graham(January 8, 1931– October 25, 1991) was an Americanimpresarioand rockconcert promoterfrom the 1960s until his death in 1991 in a helicopter crash. He fled from Germany and, in 1941, from France to escapethe Holocaust. At age ten he settled in a foster home inthe Bronx, New York. Graham graduated fromDeWitt Clinton High Schooland fromCity Collegewith abusiness degree.

    In the early 1960s, he moved toSan Francisco, and, in 1965, began to manage a theater troupe. He organized abenefit concert, then promoted several free concerts. This eventually turned into a profitable full-time career and he assembled a talented staff. Graham had a profound influence around the world, sponsoring the musical renaissance of the \'60s from the epicenter, San Francisco. Graham made famousthe FillmoreandWinterland Arena; these turned out to be a proving grounds for rock bands and acts of the San Francisco Bay area including theGrateful Dead,Jefferson Airplane, andBig Brother & the Holding CompanywithJanis Joplin.

    Norman Orr Original Artwork 1971 B.B. King Concert Poster Bill Graham BGP#269 :
    $19500.00

    Buy Now