Big Brother and the Holding Company, part two. January to June 1967

January to June 1967

     I found this photograph tacked to a telephone pole. By whom? Why ? I have no idea.

     Palais des Beaux Arts.   San Francisco.

A lot of our inspiration was coming from KMPX radio. They had a beautifully adventurous playlist which was the soundtrack to our lives at this time. Erik Satie, then Quicksilver, then Telemann, then Mississippi John hurt, then, well, it could go anywhere.

     Howard Hessman didn’t only play a DJ on TV. He was one in real life, and a good one too.

    Chet Helms about the time that we shared a house in Bernal Heights, San Francisco.

1 January 1967            Golden Gate Park             “New Year’s Day Wail” with the Grateful Dead and the Orkustra

     Fayette Hauser’s Cockettes in the Panhandle, Golden Gate Park.

     The Panhandle in the 1890s.

Diane Vitalich playing in the Park, probably with the Ace of Cups, a good band.

The Wizard Martoon, Martin Gorak, artist, gentle soul, great human being, soul brother. He taught me a lot about how the stars move across the sky. Great painter.

9 January 1967              Straight Theatre

     Rehearsing with James Gurley.

We took an early group photograph in Golden Gate Park by one of these windmills out near the ocean.

       A very appropriate symbol come to think of it.

12 January 1967

13 January 1967     Santa Venetia Armory      San Rafael     California       Ralph and Al Pepe presented Moby Grape, Morning Glory and us.

     I remember John Cipollina at this one, talking my ear off , explaining what Leos and Virgos were. Full speed. Quicksilver.

     Hey ! It’s Janis ! In San Rafael.

   This is Peter’s school. He majored in photography here. Light is faster than sound.

14 January 1967             Human Be-in                Golden Gate Park             San Francisco

15 January 1967                   Shrine Auditorium                     Los Angeles

     The Merry Pranksters were along for this one.

17-22 January 1967                      The Matrix                              San Francisco

       Amazing what happened in this tiny room.     Steve Miller was also on this bill.

24-26 January 1967                       Soul City Club                           Dallas                Texas

28 January 1967       Continental Ballroom      Santa Clara, Calilfornia.

How it felt, how it looked.

29 January 1967                    Avalon Ballroom                  San Francisco

     Allen Ginsberg, Grateful Dead, Moby Grape.

Chet Helms, the high priest.

31 January to 5 February 1967          Matrix

     I’ve noticed that a lot of really good singers have very wide, generous mouths.

3 February 1967  A Benefit for Hairy Harry       California Hall           Head Lights does the light show.

4-5  Feburary 1967                                     Matrix          Where did they go ? All those sounds we played in that small room ?

10-11 February 1967                                 Golden Sheaf Bakery                Berkeley

12 February 1967                      California Hall

14 February 1967

         We played with Moby Grape and Jack the Ripper.

15 February 1967                     California Hall

     Papa made the set list. Mama read the papers.

17-18 February 1967        Avalon Ballroom            Tribal Stomp

     Bob Seideman took this photograph of James.

19 February 1967                        Matrix

Mojo Navigator           There is a beautiful magazine now in the UK called MOJO. I wonder if they ever give any props to their ancestor ?

21 February 1967                          California Hall

23 February 1967                              The Ark

24 February 1967                          Glide Memorial Church                San Francisco

25 February 1967                       The Barn                   Scott’s Valley              California

     This was a most interesting scene down near Santa Cruz in the magical town of Scott’s Valley. The Hershey Gumbo played downstairs at the same time as we did upstairs, and they were attracting a large audience. Janis and James and I went down to see what was going on. Ralph Saunders, a steel guitar player, was holding forth and there seemed to be some kind of intrigue in the air. Scott’s Valley has now become a wealthy enclave, in places a gated community seemingly unaware of its exotic past.

26 February 1967                          Glide Memorial Church              Sunday morning service

          The Reverend Cecil Williams was a hero to us.

Then, that evening, we drove to Merced and played at The  American Legion Hall.

2 March 1967

4 March 1967                 Steininger Auditorium            University of California Medical Center          San Francisco     with Steve Miller.

      I loved this gig. I was fascinated by Steve, already a great player and very advenurous.

5 March 1967                        Avalon Ballroom    A Benefit for Newstage & the Straight Theatre   Moby Grape     Country Joe and The Fish      The Sparrow

 

10 March 1967                Chessall High School Gymnasium            Ukiah            California

12 March 1967                      Fillmore Auditorium         San Francisco

14-16 March 1967                   The Matrix

17-18 March 1967             The Avalon

     Charles Lloyd            The Sir Douglas Quintet

 

21-26 March 1967                     The Rock Garden         San Francisco

 I was talking to Arthur Lee, “Boy, that was a great set you did !”   He replied, “Who you calling boy ?”

31 March to 1 April 1967       Avalon Ballroom      Charlatans    Blue Cheer

     Herb Greene took this beautiful photograph of these beautiful people, The Charlatans.

8 April 1967                    Mount Tamalpais Outdoor Theatre           Marin County

     Quicksilver Messenger Service           The Sparrow           The Charlatans

9 April 1967                     Longshoremen’s Hall                     San Francisco

10-11 April                     Fillmore Auditorium                    San Francisco         We played that afternoon 10 April on Mount Tamalpais.

12-13 April 1967                  Winterland and the Fillmore

15 April 1967      Spring Mobilization            Kezar Stadium         San Francisco

16 April 1967                      Stockton Civic Auditorium             Stockton          California       The New Breed played on the bill with us.

21 April 1967                           In Athens there was also counter revolution and questioning of authority.

       There was a wave of protest washing over the world. Even the Red Guards in China, misguided as they were, were part of this.

We must all stand together or surely we will all hang separately.   Benjamin Franklin.

21-22 April 1967        Fillmore Auditorium           with the mighty Howlin’ Wolf

23 April 1967

     The light show was Aurora Glory Alice.

The Diggers. There were two leaders of this organization. One died of a heroin overdose in the 1980s. The other became a leading man in films. It seems like every documentary voice over I hear is by Peter Coyote.

25 April 1967             Live in studio performance at KQED “Come Up The Years”                  San Francisco

When Janis saw this shot she said, “Gosh, Sam, you are such a fan.”

      Hey, I knew where the camera was at all times… and so did she.

25-27 April 1967                    Matrix

28-29 April 1967                California Hall                 with Willie Mae Big Mama Thornton          The Weeds

5-7 May 1967                          Avalon Ballroom

11 May 1967                        The Fillmore        Vanguard Records throws a party for the release of an LP by Country Joe and the Fish.

12-13 May 1967                              California Hall

25 May 1967                         Carousel Ballroom                 San Francisco

26-27 May 1967                  The Fillmore              with Steve Miller

30 May 1967              Haight Ashbury Legal Organization Benefit                Winterland

      Jefferson Airplane   Quicksilver Messenger Service   The Charlatans     Grateful Dead

31 May 1967              Filming   Petulia              The Fairmont Hotel                   San Francisco

Peter auditioning for Hard Days Night, part two.

It was fun getting to know Julie Christie and Richard Chamberlain who turned out to be a decent man and not at all “plastic,” deadly term of opprobrium in those days.

We filmed right in the Fairmont lobby.

     The theme in the film for this event was driving safety, so we performed Road Block.

The director was Richard Lester. He had worked with other musicians, so he knew what to expect.

2-3 June 1967                             California Hall

8-11 June 1967                               Avalon Ballroom

        Canned Heat, still a great band. We play with them frequently.

One of my favorite phoographs of Janis.

10-11 June 1967

17-18 June 1967                               The Monterey Pop Festival

     I was so in love with Rita Bergman. She was the flower in the sun. She was the one to call on me. She was the farewell.

Singing Road Block.

What a thrill this was.

Some guys will do anything to get a little reverb.

Ravi Shankar, Otis Redding and Jimi Hendrix were the people I wanted to see and they didn’t disappoint.

Janis was great. We all felt good and happy to be there.

21 June 1967                      Polo Field                 Golden Gate Park            San Francisco           Summer Solstice Festival        Embarcadero & Lombard Streets

24 June 1967                   The Avalon

25 June 1967                        The Fillmore                      with Gabor Szabo and Jimi Hendrix

27 June 1967            Benefit for Lick-Wilmerding School        Avalon Ballroom

28 June 1967               Western Front         San Francisco

29 June 1967               California Hall

29 June-2 July 1967           Avalon Ballroom

30 June 1967             Napa Fairgrounds               Napa          California

        James Gurley, one of the most interesting people I have ever known.

Next week part three. See you then.

Sam Andrew

      Ooops, there I go again.

Big Brother and the Holding Company

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