THE LEGACY OF BILL GRAHAM
AUTHENTIC POSTERS
INCREDIBLE PHOTOGRAPHY!

The Sound Poster

The Sound Poster
Bill Graham invented "The Sound" to call to mind the home-brew, local San Francisco bands that he featured at his venues. In BG029, Wes Wilson captured the curvaceous female form in one of the best examples of his work.
Print Variations
BG029 has three 1st printing posters, all which pre-date the concert. The black and white version, 1st printing A (see BG029-1A), is considered the first of the original printings and measures 13 15/16" x 24 7/16".
1st printing B (see BG029-1B) has the figure and words "The Sound" outlined in a color close to magenta/lavender. It measures 13 1/2" x 24 1/2".
1st printing C has shades of blue/violet outlining the figure and the words "The Sound". It also measures 13 1/2" x 24 1/2".
The 2nd printing matches its respective postcard, displaying a slightly more muted orange, a darker green, and a more blue outline. This poster was printed after the concert and measures 13 1/2" x 24 1/2".
The post-concert 3rd printing also matches its respective postcard, with a brighter orange, lighter green, and a more purple outline. It measures 13 1/4" x 24 1/2".
In 1986, Wes Wilson reprinted this poster in red, gold and blue (see BG029-4). This 4th printing measures 14" x 24 1/2".
The 5th printing is on smooth glossy stock and has a Wolfgang's Vault notation in the lower right hand margin. It was printed in 2012 by the Bill Graham Archives LLC in a 500 copy run. This reprint measures 20" x 37".
The 6th printing is on #80 matte cover stock and has "W 2021" in the lower right-hand margin. It was printed in 2021 by Wolfgang's in a 100 copy run. This reprint measures 14" x 24".
About Wes Wilson
When the Avalon Ballroom and Bill Graham's Fillmore Auditorium began to hold weekly dance concerts, Wilson was called upon to design the posters. He created psychedelic posters from February 1966 to May 1967, when disputes over money severed his connection with Graham. Wilson pioneered the psychedelic rock poster. Intended for a particular audience, "one that was tuned in to the psychedelic experience," his art, and especially the exaggerated freehand lettering, emerged from Wilson's own involvement with that experience and the psychedelic art of light shows.