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Splatt Gallery's History of Michigan Concert Posters
Volume Nine: 1973 - Page Two
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Diana Ross on the cover of the February 1, 1973 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, becoming the fifth Michigan-related artist to make the cover, following Rob Tyner, Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper, and Marvin Gaye.
Marvin Gaye on the cover of the February 1, 1973 issue of Jet magazine.
Gary Grimshaw front panel for a fold-out poster celebrating the fifth anniversary of WABX radio in Detroit, Michigan, February 1, 1973.
Unfolded poster for the fifth anniversary of WABX radio in Detroit, Michigan, February 1, 1973, with illustration by Tom Sincavitch.
Fully unfolded poster for the fifth anniversary of WABX radio in Detroit, Michigan, February 1, 1973, with illustration by Tom Sincavitch.
Nice poster by an unknown artist for a Gala Ball at the Latin Quarter in Detroit, Michigan, February 1, 1973 with Mitch Ryder (and Wayne Kramer) & the Knock Down Party Band, and also with Lightnin’.
Poster/ad for Grand Funk in Des Moines, Iowa on February 2, 1973. After taking a short break of a couple of weeks at the beginning of the year, the band resumed the tour that had begun in October 1972 in support of the “Phoenix” album.
Full-page Capitol Records ad in the February 3, 1973 issue of Billboard magazine for the single “Wildflower” by the Vancouver, Canada group Skylark. The band set to music a poem written by a Vancouver police officer who was a friend of the band which was only an album track until Rosalie Trombley, the music director for CKLW radio in Windsor, Ontario began playing it regularly to satisfy the Canadian-content rule at the station. It’s popularity across the river in Detroit, Michigan led to its release as a single, it remained on the charts for twenty-one weeks, peaking at #9 on the Hot 100 chart.
Skylark – Wildflower (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ8n_Esop5I
Newspaper ad for a “Sock Hop Spectacular Battle of the Bands” at Markley Hall in Ann Arbor, Michigan on February 3, 1973. Since we know nothing about these groups, in a battle of the band names, we’d give the nod to Stench Stag & the Stagnants over Jimmy & the Javelins with Chastity & the Belts.
A Tamla Motown Records ad in the February 3, 1973 issue of the British music magazine New Musical Express for the single “Doctor My Eyes”, a cover of the Jackson Browne song by the Jackson 5ive. Only available in the US as an album track on their sixth studio album “Lookin' Through the Windows”, the single reached #9 in the UK.
The Jackson Five - Doctor My Eyes (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2zWXpdZo8g
Poster by an unknown artist for Bukka White at the Louis Armstrong Theater at Grand Valley State College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, February 4, 1973.
A party to celebrate the fifth anniversary of WABX radio, featuring Blue Oyster Cult at The Roostertail in Detroit, Michigan, February 4, 1973 was broadcasted by the station, and here is the full show:
Blue Oyster Cult – Live at The Roostertail, Detroit, Michigan (02/04/73)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eK6BFLRK3s
An ad for Mackinac Jack’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan with Radio King appearing February 5-7, 1973, to be followed by the Rockets.
Record company ad with tour dates for the British band Traffic, with a show at Cobo Hall (spelled with a “K” in the ad) in Detroit, Michigan on February 6, 1973.
Terry O’Connor poster for Josh White at The Stables in East Lansing, Michigan, February 6-8, 1973.
Newspaper ad for Stevie Wonder at Carnegie Hall in New York City on February 7, 1973.
Another nice poster from the Grand Valley State Colleges near Grand Rapids, Michigan, February 8, 1973.
Ron Cepognas illustration re-used for the Mariah Coffeehouse in the McDonel Kiva at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan with Pearls Before Swine, February 8-10, 1973.
A pair of ads by unknown artists for the Florida band Pearls Before Swine at the Mariah Coffee House in East Lansing, Michigan, February 8-10, 1973. The band formed in 1965 and had released five or six albums before they ever toured as a live act in 1971. By that time founder Tom Rapp was the only remaining original member and was about to begin a solo career, sometimes the band was billed as “Tom Rapp & Pearls Before Swine”.
Living near Cape Canaveral inspired their 1970 song “Rocket Man”. Elton John’s songwriting partner Bernie Taupin has said, “We didn’t steal that one from Bowie, we stole it from another guy called Tom Rapp”.
Pearls Before Swine – Rocket Man (1970)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV_jDmSmu2g
Gary Grimshaw poster for Miles Davis at Pease Auditorium in Ypsilanti, Michigan, February 10, 1973.
Red handbill version of Gary Grimshaw poster for Miles Davis at Pease Auditorium in Ypsilanti, Michigan, February 10, 1973.
Newspaper ad for Miles Davis at Pease Auditorium in Ypsilanti, Michigan, February 10, 1973.
A full-page Motown Records ad in the February 10, 1973 issue of Billboard magazine celebrating Diana Ross’ Golden Globe Award of the “most promising newcomer to films” for her acting debut in the film “Lady Sings The Blues”.
Comedian George Carlin’s fourteenth show in Detroit, at the Fisher Theatre on February 11, 1973, but it was his first time back in six years. He had performed all of the earlier dates at the Roostertail Club, even recording a live album there in 1966, and this ad from September 25, 1967 shows just how much he had changed.
A newspaper ad for Ford Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan with the New York City band Elephant’s Memory opening for Quicksilver on February 11, 1973. A positive review in the Michigan Daily newspaper in Ann Arbor mentioned guitarist Tex Gabriel, formerly with Mitch Ryder’s Detroit, and noted the backstage presence of Scott Morgan and Leni Sinclair.
On the following night, February 12th, the band played at The Brewery in East Lansing, hype-billed as “John Lennon’s Plastic Ono Band (Elephant’s Memory)”. A local review was not so favorable to the band or the venue.
A playful calendar ad by an unknown artist for the Knock Down Band featuring Mitch Ryder at the Union Jack Pub in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, February 12-13, 1973.
Newspaper ad for the Knock Down Band featuring Mitch Ryder at the Union Jack Pub in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, February 12-13, 1973.
Poster by an unknown artist at Rainbow Graphics for a speaking appearance by Bobby Seale at the Power Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 13, 1973.
Poster by an unknown artist at The White Association, Inc. for Charles Mingus at the Strata Concert Gallery in Detroit, Michigan, February 13-18, 1973.
Poster by an unknown artist for Nikki Giovanni Poetry Reading at the Louis Armstrong Theatre at the Grand Valley State Colleges, near Grand Rapids, Michigan, February 13, 1973.
Poster by an artist named Lewandowski for the band War at Grand Valley State College near Grand Rapids, Michigan, February 14, 1973.
The first Michigan appearance of a band that will become immensely popular in the state next year, the Boston band Aerosmith, misspelled this first time around, at the Ford Auditorium in Detroit with John McLaughlin & Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Jo Jo Gunne on February 14, 1973.
Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes, with the Bob Seger System, spent Valentine’s Day in Columbus, Missouri, February 14, 1973.
An ad for Mackinac Jack’s in Ann Arbor, Michigan with Lightnin’ appearing February 15-18, 1973, to be followed by the Rockets.
Flyer by Larry Davis, with a sense of humor (tickets available at the Fillmore East box office), for a performance by the Plymouth, Michigan band Bogart, at the Plymouth-Canton High School Cafeteria in Canton, Michigan, February 16, 1973.
Poster by Gary Grimshaw for a rally for David Sinclair’s bid for a seat on the Ann Arbor City Council, at Couzens Hall in Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 16, 1973, with The Rockets and free beer, for the admission of 75-cents.
Rainbow Graphics poster by an unknown artist for David Sinclair’s candidacy for the Ann Arbor City Council
Unfortunate, or deliberate, placement of an announcement for a bubble gum blowing contest on The Diag at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, February 16, 1973.
Poster by an unknown artist for the Second Annual UM Blues Festival at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, February 16-17, 1973.
A full-page announcement in the British music newspaper New Musical Express of a free exclusive flexi-disc from Alice Cooper included in the February 17, 1973 issue. The non-LP track, titled “Slick Black Limousine” was the band’s thank-you to the paper’s readers for naming Alice Cooper as the “World’s Top Band” in the annual poll. The flip side featured five short song extracts from the forthcoming LP "Billion Dollar Babies".
Alice Cooper - Slick Black Limousine (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si0ceD6NPjA
The front pages of the British music newspaper New Musical Express building up to, and including, the February 17, 1973 issue with the free exclusive flexi-disc from Alice Cooper.
A full-page Warner Bros. Records ad in the February 17, 1973 issue of the British music newspaper New Musical Express for the single “Hello Hurray” from the forthcoming album “Billion Dollar Babies”.
Gary Grimshaw poster for John Denver at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 17, 1973.
The first Michigan appearance by Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks, at Masonic Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan, February 17, 1973. Opening was Bob Seger “and his Group”, one of a variety of his billings during this year as he was ultimately building his next band. In a show review, the band was described as “seven members including two percussionists and two soulful female singers”. Those two female singers were Marcy Levy and Shaun Murphy, and the two percussionists were Jamie Oldaker and Sergio Pastora.
The review also noted, “the sax man who blew some full-size jazz riffs while tottering on the arm-rests of the seats in the front row”, a description that can only match future Silver Bullet member Alto Reed, still known at the time as Tom Cartmell.
The rest of the band comprised of keyboardist Dick Simms and future Silver Bullet Band guitarist Drew Abbott. This group is also referred to as the Borneo Band. Coming up next, we have a live recording of this group in concert.
Incidentally, Dan Hicks was a member of The Charlatans, whose gig at the Red Dog Saloon was the event for the world’s first “psychedelic” rock poster which we posted about in the summer of 1965.
Hard to believe that this is the only Michigan appearance for the Hot Licks (until a reunion in 2001). Here’s a look at what we missed:
Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks (live TV appearance) (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBGeQ0zSifc
There had not been a show at the Vanity Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan since the spring of 1972, and there would not be any until the 1980’s, but a record store next-door wanted you to know that “You can still find Good Vibes under the Vanity Ballroom sign”.
Poster for Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes, with Lynyrd Skynyrd and Running Easy at the Downtown National Guard Armory in Jacksonville, Florida, February 18, 1973.
A 1950’s Oldies But Goodies show at the Hollywood Palladium in California on February 18, 1973. Hank Ballard was the only Michigan artist on the bill, and although we’re certain that he would have catered to the audience’s expectation of his recitations of his twenty-year old hits, since the break-up of the Midnighters in 1965, Ballard had hooked up with James Brown and he was currently at the peak of his funk period.
Brown had produced a 1968 single and a 1969 album for Ballard, lending him the full sound of his band, with Fred Wesley’s and Maceo Parker’s horns. In 1972, Ballard would release one more James Brown-produced single, the classic funk “From The Love Side” and he would also appear on Brown’s 1972 album “Get On The Good Foot”, on a track called “Recitation by Hank Ballard”, which was just that, with Ballard rapping about Brown over the backing track from Brown’s 1969 record “World”.
Hank Ballard – From the Love Side (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHPQBg1XyoE
James Brown – Recitation by Hank Ballard (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6ObIqaZSmM
Newspaper ad for Santana with Bobby Womack and Peace at Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan, February 19, 1973. This was Santana’s fourth visit to Michigan, and third time to Detroit, their first Michigan appearance was in Grand Rapids in September 1969. Also, an upcoming show by Pink Floyd.
Dennis Preston poster for Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen at The Stables in East Lansing, Michigan, February 19, 1973.
Terry O’Connor poster for Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen at The Stables in East Lansing, Michigan, February 19, 1973.
The band’s third album will be released in May, but these songs had probably worked their way into the set.
Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen – Smoke, Smoke, Smoke that Cigarette (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyYLrVNKE68
A new rock club named Richard’s opened in Atlanta, Georgia in January 1973. There will be a fun chapter when Iggy & the Stooges perform there in October, but prior to that, here is the poster for Bob Seger at Richard’s, February 19-24, 1973.
Record company ad for singer, songwriter and producer Bobby Womack with a tour itinerary that included a show at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on February 19, 1973. Womack had performed at a least a half-dozen times previously in Detroit in the intimate setting of Phelps Lounge, here he was on the big stage, opening for Santana.
His 1973 song “Across 110th Street” had a leading role in Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 film Jackie Brown.
Bobby Womack – Across 110th Street (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWkhT7X2EX8
Gary Grimshaw poster for Roosevelt Sykes at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 20-22, 1973.
A while back, when we posted about the break-up of SRC, we implied that they had been the last band that represented the Grande Ballroom era, but we forgot that Frijid Pink were still around, as seen in this ad for The Gables in East Lansing, Michigan, February 20, 1973.
Poster by an unknown artist for Herbie Hancock at the Strata Concert Gallery in Detroit, Michigan, February 20-23, 1973. Here is a recording of the complete, two hour-plus show.
Herbie Hancock – Live in Detroit (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p0WdDJUwqs
The Temptations’ sixteenth studio album was released on February 21, 1973. As we’ve noted through a succession of Temptations albums since 1970’s Psychedelic Shack, producer Norman Whitfield drew criticism of relegating the group to almost being just a back-up group (“The Norman Whitfield Chorale Singers”) to his increasingly sophisticated productions, and this album was truly his “Masterpiece”, from the back cover photo to the title track, which clocking nearly fourteen minutes long, includes only three minutes of vocals from the group. None the less, it was a hit, the title track reached #1 on the Billboard R&B Chart. It was also the last Temptations recording at Motown’s Detroit Hitsville USA studio.
The Temptations – Masterpiece (album) (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3z5NKskK60
A pair of ads for Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup at the Mariah Coffeehouse in East Lansing, Michigan, February 22-24, 1973.
Gary Grimshaw poster for a “Rock & Roll Circus” at Couzens Hall in Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 23, 1973, with Lightnin’ and Locomobile. The newspaper ad theme was "Poor Man's Special".
An ad for the Mike Quatro Jam Band at the Lion’s Den in Akron, Ohio, February 23-24, 1973. Both shows ran until 6 a.m.
The Alice Cooper group looking rather dapper on the cover of the February 24, 1973 issue of Cash Box magazine.
Gary Grimshaw poster for Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on February 24, 1973.
Newspaper ad for Herbie Hancock and Freddie Hubbard at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan, February 24, 1973. The ad also mentions a “Poor Man’s Special Dance” the night before, with Lightnin’ and Locomobile at Couzens Dormitory on February 23rd, with “Free Beer”.
Cool poster by an unknown artist for Rumor and Mission at the Warriner Auditorium in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, February 24, 1973.
A great poster, presumably by Chris Frayne, for Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen with Morning Morning at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois on February 24, 1973. Also of note is the “Tribal Council/SunRise magazine presentation”, so far away from Ann Arbor.
A great poster for Rare Earth with Brownsville Station and White Witch at Pirates World in Dania, Florida on February 24, 1973.
Terry O’Connor poster for R.E.O. Speedwagon at The Brewery in East Lansing, Michigan, February 25, 1973. The Brewery was in its ninth month of operation and things must have been going well enough to increase the poster budget, as O’Connor’s posters became slicker.
Poster by an unknown artist for Blood, Sweat & Tears at the Finch Fieldhouse in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, February 25, 1973.
A full-page ad with art by Chris Frayne for his brother George’s band, Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen, appearing at the UCLA Pauley Pavilion in Los Angeles, California, February 25, 1973.
Volume Nine: 1973 - Page Three is - HERE
Poster/flyer by Gary Grimshaw for a tribal Stomp at East Quad at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor on February 9, 1973, featuring Radio King and David Sinclair.
