THE LEGACY OF BILL GRAHAM
AUTHENTIC POSTERS
INCREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPHY!

Big Brother and the Holding Company Poster

Big Brother and the Holding Company Poster
Print Variations
The pre-concert 1st printing of this poster is on matte uncoated stock that matches the postcard. It is a lighter brown/gray than the reprint, and it measures 14 1/4" x 20".
The 2nd printing is characterized by its darker colors, especially the brown. It is also more narrow, measuring 14" x 19 7/8". There is a tiny "cut" mark in the middle of the bottom margin right below the ticket outlet information that is not present on the 1st printing. It was printed on smooth stock after the concert.
About Rick Griffin
Rick Griffin grew up in the surfing culture of Southern California, a milieu which had a profound influence on his art. After high school, he worked on the staff of Surfer magazine and created the best-known surfing cartoon character of the time, Murphy. After his move to San Francisco in 1967, be began combining eclectic typefaces and decorative borders with brilliant colors in his concert posters. Griffin's compositions were complex without being illegible. A perfectionist, Griffin often applied dozens of overlays and redrew lettering again and again until he was satisfied. In the early 1970s, Griffin became a born-again Christian and religious themes dominated his work until his death in a motorcycle accident in 1991.