Memorabilia -> G -> Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead fans, often called Dead Heads, and music memorabilia collectors can pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for items like handbills and Grateful Dead posters. Anyone not familiar with the band or the unique style of images and posters used during the band’s run might be surprised at the value of some of the items, but it comes as little surprise to collectors. While not everyone might enjoy Grateful Dead music or memorabilia, almost everyone has heard of them. And fans are particularly loyal, even though the Grateful Dead was never a popular “mainstream” band and never quite achieved the fame of many of the same bands around during its heyday.
The Grateful Dead’s lead guitarist Jerry Garcia became a well-known name in music because of his talents and his outspokenness. The group formed in San Francisco in 1964 with their original name, The Warlocks, and continued on until Garcia’s death in 1995. Grateful dead posters from their early period, particularly concert posters from the 60s and 70s, are the most rare and valuable posters available from the band.
They drew their following because of their unique type of music, which combined several different styles, and their psychedelic leanings. Drug use in the 60s among those who went to see San Francisco bands was the rule, not the exception, and because some of the bands openly used drugs, it became a sort of culture among bands and fans, and a symbol for the counterculture of the time. The Grateful Dead embraced that psychedelic stoned attitude, and became popular among those who felt the same.
Grateful Dead posters are a visual delight for fans of the 60s counterculture and all things psychedelic. Often the concert posters are dominated by the large vintage lettering, and others often feature skeletons symbolizing, “The Dead,” as the band was often called by its fans. Some of the more valuable posters feature skeletons and roses, and one features a multi-colored skull wearing a top hat—a poster that can bring from $250 to $500 at an auction.
The band came out of the same area, and was part of the collective group of bands that became popular called the San Francisco Sound, with groups like the then Jefferson Airplane (later known as Jefferson Starship, and then just Starship) and Santana. One of their most widely known songs is probably “Touch of Gray.” Fans delighted in the way the band would play for the sheer love of it “jamming” like few other bands at the time did. Grateful Dead posters from those early concerts are harder to find because the focus was so much more on the music than memorabilia at the time, not many people worried about getting them or saving them.
If you want to find vintage Grateful Dead posters online, then auctions like eBay are an excellent source. Even posters with tiny tears around the edges and minor damage can be valuable, so don’t overlook those as collector pieces.
Originally posted 2008-11-12 14:00:35. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Vintage Pin-Up Posters Memorabilia -> Movie Memorabilia -> Posters Vintage pin-up posters represent a popular movie and magazine phase of US history. The ultimate pin-up girl was Marilyn Monroe, without whom no collection of vintage pin-ups would be complete. She was the pin-up queen of the 1950s, a sex symbol, and was considered...... -
Beatles Memorabilia Memorabilia -> Music Memorabilia -> Rock, Pop-> The Beatles Out of all of the rock groups that rose to prominence in the 1960’s, none took the world by storm quite like The Beatles and since then, Beatles memorabilia has been a hot commodity. There are fans that have built up...... - Music Memorabilia Memorabilia -> Music Memorabilia -> Rock, Pop Music memorabilia has always been popular, and although we associate it primarily with today’s rock and pop musicians, the practice of collecting items for musicians and groups dates back many hundred years. In fact, in Japan, before mass printing was used on a......
-
Collecting Film Memorabilia There are many actors, actresses, movie scenes and other film moments that are memorable and popular years after they initially came into the limelight. As a result, many people collect film memorabilia as a way to relive their favorite movie moments, or to commemorate their favorite movie heroes. Although the...... -
Maria Callas Memorabilia -> Opera Memorabilia Maria Callas may be the best known female opera singer of our time. While Pavarotti is an internationally recognized name, Callas was the soprano whom most people had heard of. She was an American-born singer of Greek descent who came to be called La Divina by......
Related Websites - The Brian Wilson Band: Tour 2009 The best touring band, period. - Sir Paul McCartney, of the Brian Wilson Band. The glowing testament above comes from no other than the famous ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, and when you buy Brian Wilson tickets to see them live, you'll see why; this is a community of accomplished musicians who......
-
It's Like Love, an interview It's Like Love is a 5 piece band from Glendale, Arizona. Jeremy Rondeu is the band's vocalist and pianist, Geoff Parker plays keyboards and guitar, Vince Perez plays the guitar, Ryan Ice plays the bass, and Nick Cox is the drummer. The band is currently signed to Tragic Hero...... - Should We Buy Beatles Rock Band? Have you seen the buzz around Beatles Rock Band? This must be one of the better marketing campaigns I've seen in a long time. Every other channel seems to have something about either the game or the Beatles themselves. I love it! I've been watching The Beatles Anthology when I......
-
Rock Along Productions - Putting Together Local Arizona Rock Music Rock Along Productions is a new start up production company that is vested in providing the best in local rock music entertainment. They are among the most respectful of all music production companies toward the bands and go above and beyond to help promote the bands music. Rock Along Productions...... - Cigar Bands Collectibles -> Tobacciana -> Cigar Cigar bands have a rich history, or more accurately, several histories. They've been attributed to the Russian queen Catherine the Great, and 19th century England, among other places. One story says that Catherine the Great ordered that her cigars be wrapped in silk to protect......
- Concert Memorabilia Jazz, Big Band Music Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia
- K Rock, Pop Music Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia
- R Rock, Pop Music Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia
- Linkin Park L Rock, Pop Music Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia
- Morrissey The Smiths M Rock, Pop Music Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia
Categories:
Grateful Dead Posters, Memorabilia, Music Memorabilia, Rock and Pop
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment