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Splatt Gallery's History of Michigan Concert Posters
Volume Thirteen - 1977 - Page Two
An ad for the Charles Mingus Quintet at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, with two shows, February 4-5, 1977. Below it there is an ad for an upcoming show by Jeff Beck with Jan Hammer and Journey. That show will, unfortunately, be cancelled, but there will be a nice Gary Grimshaw poster for it that we will see later.
For jazz bassist Mingus, these were his final Michigan appearances, totaling about 60 Michigan shows since 1954 with a dozen shows at the Rouge Lounge as part of the Lee Konitz Quartet. Mingus passed away two years following these February 1977 shows. He could no longer play the bass in his final years, but remained active as a composer. At the time of his death, he was working with Joni Mitchell on an album eventually titled “Mingus”, which included lyrics added by Mitchell to his compositions.
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A full-page Tabu Records ad in the February 5, 1977 issue of Billboard magazine for the debut album by Brainstorm, a group from Detroit, Michigan that featured singer Belita Woods. The lead track, "Lovin' Is Really My Game" became their best known song, peaking at #14 on both the Billboard R&B singles and Dance Club singles charts.
Woods later joined Parliament Funkadelic. Brainstorm was also one of the stand-out acts at the 2023 Detroit A Go Go.
Brainstorm - Lovin' is Really My Game (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaVSdj38inI
Poster/ad for the Marshall Tucker Band with Sea Level at Michigan State University in East Lansing on February 5, 1977.
A full-page ad for Suzi Quatro’ fourth album “Aggro-Phobia” that appeared in a February 5, 1977 issue of a British music magazine. It doesn’t appear that the album, or the single “Tear Me Apart” were released in the US, although the single became her first in three years to reach the Top 30 in the UK.
There were also some changes in her life, in December 1976 she married her long-time boyfriend, and guitarist in her band, Len Tuckey. And, she changed up her look, she traded in her black leather jumpsuit for a beaded and fringed beige chamois version with native American jewelry, and her and Len both permed their hair.
Suzi Quatro - Tear Me Apart (1976)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m9JPeHD67g
A fairly well-known bootleg, “Rocky Mountain Shakedown” also known as “Denver 1976” purports to be a live recording of Parliament Funkadelic at Ebbets Field in Denver from a radio broadcast in 1976. Unable to confirm the date, we learned that the recording is actually from a show at McNichols Sports Arena in Denver on February 5, 1977.
It’s a killer show
Parliament-Funkadelic - Live in Denver (full concert) – (2/5/77)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3k0tLPOMNU
A collection of ads for the Anchor Inn in Pinckney, Michigan showing the schedule of events for February 1977, starting with the Mojo Boogie Band, February 3-5, and a special show by Canned Heat and Salem Witchcraft on February 6, 1977. Stonebridge, Rhinestone, Ronnie Lynn and Moriah filled out the rest of the month.
An ad for the Anchor Inn in Pinckney, Michigan highlighting the special show by Canned Heat and Salem Witchcraft on February 6, 1977.
A “tour blank” poster for Canned Heat that includes Salem Witchcraft as a support act. The same bill that performed at the Anchor Inn in Pinckney, Michigan on February 6, 1977.
Newspaper ad for Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band in Charleston, West Virginia on February 6, 1977.
Striking as ever, “An Evening with Diana Ross” ran for six nights, February 8-13, 1977, at the Music Hall Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio.
A full-page Mercury Records ad for Rush, with tour dates including two Michigan shows, in Saginaw on February 9, 1977 and in Detroit on the 10th. These two shows also featured the first Michigan appearances by The Runaways, a group of high school girls from Los Angeles, California that were being managed by Kim Fowley and included future stars Joan Jett and Lita Ford.
The Runaways – Cherry Bomb (1976)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EBvXpjudf8
Newspaper ad for Rush at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on February 10, 1977. The opening bands were Max Webster and the Runaways. This was the second Michigan show for the Runaways, having opened for Rush just the night before in Saginaw. It was the first Michigan appearance for Max Webster, a Canadian band that would open for Rush in Michigan ten more times throughout the years. For Rush, this was their 27th Michigan show in just under three years.
Max Webster - High Class In Borrowed Shoes (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aq8GoJUzvPs
Poster by Polish artist Janusz Kapusta for the film “The Late Show” starring Lily Tomlin in her second feature film directed by Robert Altman, released in the US on February 10, 1977.
Poster for the February 10, 1977 US release of the film “The Late Show”, Lily Tomlin’s second feature film. The poster was created by well-known illustrator Richard Amsel, who was associated with TV Guide for thirteen years. His portrait of Lily Tomlin on the cover of the March 28, 1977 issue of Time magazine is housed in the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C..
Newspaper ad for Nite City at the Starwood in Hollywood, California, February 11-12, 1977, with opening bands Orange and Van Halen.
A full-page Atlantic Records ad for a US tour by Genesis which included two Michigan shows, at the Masonic Auditorium in Detroit on February 12, 1977, and at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo the next day. As it is turning out, the big shows in this era are more often than not being documented by bootleg recordings, and the entire Masonic show is linked below:
Genesis – Live in Detroit (2/12/77)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JFiAYMtxns
Poster by Rainbow Productions of Detroit with illustration by the unknown artist from the SUN newspaper that we could not identify for a line-up at the Blue Frogg in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with the Lyman Woodard Organization starting off on February 13, 1977.
Newspaper ad for Genesis at Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo, Michigan on February 13, 1977.
A decade earlier, Herman’s Hermits held shows at Cobo Arena and the Olympia Stadium, now they were reduced to performing at a Ramada Inn in Romulus, Michigan over Valentine’s Day, February 13-14, 1977, where the menu choices were steak, chicken or scrod. Lead singer Peter Noone had long ago left the group to pursue a solo career in 1971. Eventually, the lack of name recognition prompted Noone to begin performing as "Herman's Hermits starring Peter Noone". A lawsuit forced the others to use the name "Herman's Hermits starring Barry Whitwam", Whitwam, the drummer, being the only remaining member from their hit-making period.
Bruce Springsteen made his fourth Michigan appearance, with the E Street Band at the Masonic Auditorium in Detroit on February 15, 1977. Springsteen had become embroiled in lawsuits against his former manager and was prohibited from recording any new material until the cases were resolved. To maintain an income he continued touring, ostensibly as the “Born To Run” tour for two and a half years.
Each leg of the tour had a nickname, this being “The Lawsuit Drags On Tour”. Springsteen later told writer Robert Hilburn that at the Detroit show on February 15, for the first time in his life he did not want to get up on stage. Once the show started, however, his typically spirited performance gave no indication of any misgivings.
The lawsuit was finally resolved on May 28, 1977 and three days later Springsteen began the recording sessions for the “Darkness on the Edge of Town” album. The “Born to Run” tours were finally over.
Bruce Springsteen’s show at the Masonic Auditorium in Detroit on February 15, 1977 was widely bootlegged. Here is the one excerpt that we could find.
Bruce Springsteen – Live in Detroit (2/15/77)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiO9Y-V2z8Y
A full-page ad for the Mike Douglas TV Show with an appearance by Stevie Wonder on February 15, 1977, joining a long, impressive list of musical guest stars.
A two-sided flyer for a one week engagement by Diana Ross at the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 15-20, 1977.
Poster by Jeff Yerkey for Harry Chapin in Lansing, Michigan on February 18, 1977.
An ad for the Bob Seger single “Night Moves” in the February 19, 1977 issue of the British music magazine Music Week.
A generic tour poster by artist David Singer for the Electric Light Orchestra, in circulation at the time of ELO’s two concerts at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on February 21-22, 1977, and a concert in Flint, Michigan on February 23rd.
Newspaper ad for the Electric Light Orchestra at Cobo Arena on February 21, 1977. A second show was added for the following night, and the night after that the band appeared at the IMA Auditorium in Flint, Michigan. All three of these shows also marked the only Michigan appearances by English guitarist Steve Hillage.
Hillage was part of the “Canterbury scene”, a group of weirdo prog-rock musicians centered around the city of Canterbury, Kent, England that produced bands such as Soft Machine, Caravan and Gong, Hillage in fact having been a member of Gong. It was on this US tour that Hillage became annoyed with the “prog rock” label and found himself attracted to the music of Parliament-Funkadelic and Earth, Wind & Fire.
Upon returning to England, he set upon recording a funk-inspired album, enlisting Detroit bassist Reggie McBride, while still keeping it weird by also hiring Malcolm Cecil of TONTO's Expanding Head Band. The resulting album “Motivation Radio” was released in September 1977.
Steve Hillage – Motivation Radio (album) (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSt2-vO4V1g&list=PLfGibfZATlGqiwjN9ViOQtwGMoZYfGz5r
Poster, presumably by Freddie Brooks, for Sonic’s Rendezvous Band with the Rockets at Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan on February 22, 1977.
There are recordings from this night that can be found below:
Sonic's Rendezvous Band – Live at Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan (2/22/77)
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=sonic%27s+rendezvous+second+chance+1977
Ted Nugent embarked on an eight-date UK tour that kicked off in Manchester, England on February 23, 1977. After the tour concluded on March 6th there was an additional show in Paris, France on March 21st, suggesting that he took a two-week European vacation.
Poster, likely by Jeff Yerkey for Les McCann in Lansing, Michigan on February 24, 1977.
Poster by Doug Hoffman for Bob Seger & the Silver, Bullet Band in Charlotte, North Carolina on February 24, 1977, although this show may have been cancelled.
Poster by Jeff Yerkey for Sun Ra at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan, February 25-26, 1977 and also advertising Ron Carter, March 4-5.
Newspaper ad for Ted Nugent in Newcastle, England on February 26, 1977.
Poster by “Snyder” for the Spinners in Seattle, Washington on February 26, 1977.
Poster for Parliament-Funkadelic with Bootsy’s Rubber Band at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey on February 26, 1977.
A full-page Capitol Records ad in the February 26, 1977 issue of Billboard magazine celebrating Bob Seger’s two gold records.
A full-page MCA Records ad in the February 26, 1977 issue of Billboard magazine for the third single from the “Car Wash” album. The album earned a Grammy Award for producer Norman Whitfield.
Rose Royce - I Wanna Get Next To You (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kfI7NHM-EE
Poster by Gary Grimshaw, with photo by Barbara Weinberg, for Jeff Beck with Jan Hammer and Journey at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan on February 27, 1977. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled.
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Poster/ad for Sha-Na-Na in Lansing, Michigan on February 27, 1977.
Newspaper ad for the Sutherland Brothers & Quiver with Sammy Hagar in Royal Oak, Michigan on February 27, 1977. This was the third, and final, Michigan appearance for the Scottish folk band, who had previously performed in Michigan as the opening act for Elton John in 1973 and for the Climax Blues Band in 1974. It was the first Michigan appearance for Sammy Hagar as a solo act, he had previously performed in Michigan at least six times as a member of the band Montrose.
An ad for Schoolkid’s Records store in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a tie-in to a show by Leo Kottke at Hill Auditorium on February 27, 1977, it was only one show, the 28th is listed in error (see comments below).
An ad for two nights at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan which may have led to the error in the Schoolkid’s Records ad of thinking that Leo Kottke was performing both nights. For the record, Leo Kottke and Leon Redbone performed on February 27, 1977, and the Dramatics with Denice Williams performed on the 28th.
Another ad for Leo Kottke and Leon Redbone at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on February 27, 1977, and the Dramatics with Denice Williams on the 28th.
The cover of Issue #19 of Ballroom Blitz magazine, dated March 1977. The magazine was founded in 1975 by Michael McDowell in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. McDowell recounts the magazine’s history:
“In late 1976, renowned graphic artist Dennis Loren approached Blitz Magazine at a record trade show and offered his services in that capacity. And with the onset of 1977, Blitz had graduated from four page mimeo to a full blown magazine.”
The magazine had been a monthly publication up until Issue #21, August 1977, when it changed to a bi-monthly. The name was shortened from “Ballroom Blitz” to “Blitz” with Issue #26 in May 1978. McDowell moved operations to Los Angeles, California in late 1979/early 1980.
Blitz Magazine was also one of the first magazines of its kind to embrace the internet, having also been online since January 1996. They maintain an active blog here:
http://blitzmag.blogspot.com/2013/09/welcome-to-blitz-magazines-web-site.html
And they can be found on Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/blitzmagthinkingpeople/?ref=page_internal
Logo for the “Rock Telescope” column by Dennis Loren in the March 1977 issue of Ballroom Blitz magazine.
A full-page ad by Dave Leone’s DMA for the band Zooster “Detroit’s Deadly Rockers” in Issue #19 of Ballroom Blitz magazine, dated March 1977.
The back cover of the March 1977 issue of Ballroom Blitz magazine with a full-page ad for Stanley Mouse’s Mouse House shops.
A collection of ads, stationary, and business cards that trace the evolution of Stanley Mouse’s studio and Mouse House shops. If we have this right, he started running his business out of his parents’ home on Meyers Road in Detroit, with a post office box in Detroit. The first Mouse House shop was on Grand River Road in Detroit before moving to Seven Mile Road in Detroit. During this time, a second shop was opened in Ypsilanti, Michigan. When he moved the Detroit shop to Livonia, Michigan, it was also on Seven Mile Road, allowing him to simply modify his old ads with just a change to the street number and the name of the city. Briefly, during the initial period, the shop had an address on Farmington Road in Livonia and a Livonia post office box.
The results of the fifth annual reader’s poll, for music released in 1976, were published in the March 1977 issue of CREEM magazine. The top three albums were “Rocks” by Aerosmith, “Frampton Comes Alive” by Peter Frampton, and “The Song Remains The Same” by Led Zeppelin. With two of the three being live albums, it’s curious that the other great live album of 1976, “Live Bullet” by Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band didn’t even make the top twenty.
The best Album Covers of the Year were “Destroyer” by Kiss, Presence” by Led Zeppelin, and “Spitfire” by Jefferson Starship. Stevie Wonder took the Best R&B Album for “Songs in the Key of Life” while Jeff Beck’s “Wired” took the Best Jazz Album. “Don’t Fear the Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult was the top single.
A poster for the first show by Iggy Pop in nearly two-and-a-half years. His new band consisted of Tony and Hunt Sales, the two sons of comedian Soupy Sales, on bass and drums, David Bowie on keyboards, and guitarist Ricky Gardiner who had worked on Bowie’s “Low” album. The tour began with six shows in England, starting off with this show in Aylesbury on March 1, 1977. "From Detroit and lately Berlin, the Legendary..."
A real nice poster/ad possibly by Jeff Yerkey for Gil Scott-Heron with Brian Jackson & the Midnight Band at Michigan State University in East Lansing on March 1, 1977.
Poster/ad by an unknown artist for Rush with Nils Lofgren and Max Webster at Michigan State University in East Lansing on March 2, 1977.
A tour poster for Radio Birdman in Australia with seven shows starting on March 3, 1977, and a poster for the Oxford Funhouse later in the year.
After being kicked out of the band TV Jones in Australia in 1974, Ann Arbor, Michigan-born Deniz Tek proceeded to form Radio Birdman, named after a misheard lyric from the Stooges' song "1970" (the actual lyric is "radio burnin'"). After being rejected many times from various venues, Radio Birdman found an upstairs room at the Oxford Tavern in Sydney, Australia where they took over its management, renaming it The Funhouse. Under their management the Funhouse became a home to other outsider groups.
The band released an EP, “Burn My Eye” in 1976, and their first album “Radios Appear” in 1977, both on the Trafalgar records label. When Sire Records president Seymour Stein came to Australia to sign Brisbane punk band the Saints, he saw Radio Birdman and immediately invited them to join his label. Under Sire, licensed by Trafalgar, Radio Birdman re-released a new version of the “Radios Appear” album.
The underground scene at the Funhouse began to attract some groups with negative agendas, including the Sydney chapter of the Hells Angels. With this new, more violent, and rowdy crowd, and over capacity every night, the Funhouse was at the point of exploding. The band was blamed for violent incidents occurring at the Funhouse, and were concerned that a disaster was in the making. Following a concert at Paddington Town Hall in a Sydney with the Saints and the Hot Spurs, in April 1977, attended by a few hundred people, they left the Sydney scene altogether, playing sporadically in other cities and working on new material.
The band returned half a year later and performed their most famous show to date at Paddington Town Hall, on December 12, 1977. Two thousand people supposedly packed into the venue, which was partially destroyed by crazed fans. After this show, the band moved their base of operations to London, and toured extensively in the UK and Europe, both headlining and as support for Sire label-mates the Flamin' Groovies.
Their overseas success was short-lived as Sire Records began having financial difficulties and were forced to drop Radio Birdman and many other bands from their label. A planned American tour with the Ramones, scheduled for the second half of 1978, was cancelled. In May 1978, they recorded their second album “Living Eyes”. Unreleased by Sire, the tapes eventually were released in 1981, long after the band's 1978 break-up.
Linked below is live video from the April 1977 Paddington Hall show. The December 1977 show was also recorded and was released as a double-album in 2014.
Radio Birdman - Live at Paddington Town Hall, Australia (4/3/77)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnARGuU8Af0
Volume Thirteen - 1977 - continues - HERE
An ad for Burton Cummings, formerly of the Guess Who, for his first Michigan solo appearance, at Masonic Auditorium in Detroit on February 16, 1977.
