Howling Wolf or Otis Redding, who Graham booked after they headlined for Sullivan and played for a primarily African American audience. Besides music, the venue became known for its psychedelic light shows projected as the bands were playing. Graham also commissioned local artists to create original posters for each concert, giving rise to a new art form and launching the careers of Rick Griffin and Wes Wilson, among others.

When Sullivan was murdered in late 1966, Graham took over booking the dance hall, utilizing the nearby Winterland for the larger acts. Built in the 1920s as an ice skating rink and boxing ring, the venue was infamous among concert goers for its drafty cold and splintery wooden benches.

By the late-1960s, due to the redevelopment of the neighborhood, most of the jazz clubs had closed or relocated to other parts of San Francisco. The Psychedelic Sound outgrew the Fillmore and July 1968 Bill Graham moved to The Carousel Ballroom on Market and Van Ness, rechristening the venue “Fillmore West.” During the 1970s, Graham continued to use Winterland for large concerts. The Allman Brothers Band, Cream, Peter Frampton, and Bruce Springsteen all recorded live albums at the venue. “The Last Waltz,” a film by Martin Scorsese which chronicles The Band’s last concert before breaking up, went on to become hailed as one of the most famous rock documentaries in the world.

(continued on pg 5)