Summer of Love

A few selections from my Collection of 236 Carousel Ballroom, Fillmore Auditorium, Avalon Ballroom and Winterland Handbills

1965 - 1972

Among the most commonly asked questions is “What inspired you to pursue a life in the arts?”

While there is no straight line between then and now, I recognize that beyond my innate love of nature, there was also one influence that played a major role in the development of my creativity, the psychedelic art of the 1960s.

I grew up in a small town on the San Francisco Peninsula in the 1960s during what is now celebrated as the “Summer of Love” and while I was too young to fully participate, I was fascinated and inspired by the outpouring of music and art that was the hallmark of this cultural revolution. I was especially taken by the poster art promoting events at the Fillmore, Avalon, and Winterland, where I would convince my parents to take me for my birthday to see my favorite band, Cream, comprised of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker, in March of 1968.

Heady from that experience and infatuated with art that expressed it, I traded my prized skateboard for a neighbor’s collection of Fillmore handbills and my assemblage was begun, now numbering some 236 originals. Here are a few for your enjoyment of a day long gone now, when music was the key part of a cultural shift in a community that was reaching for what they hoped would be a better world.

Fillmore/Winterland, 1968, Stanley Mouse

Just another ordinary lineup with The Who, Grateful Dead, Albert Collins, James Cotton, It’s a Beautiful Day, and Creedence Clearwater Revival. A very different era than the one we live in today.

What struck me about these graphics was their play with light, color, and seemingly life itself. Many seemed to exude the joy and flow of creativity, just like the music they were made to promote.

This handbill was made by my favorite psychedelic artist: Rick Griffin

On the back of the flyers were upcoming shows and a promotion for mid-week jam sessions for $1.00. Here we have Albert King, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Gordon Lightfoot, MIles Davis and Jimi Hendrix, to name just a few.