Splatt Gallery
Double click here to add text.
Splatt Gallery's History of Michigan Music Posters
Volume Ten - 1974 - Page Six
***********************************************************
A full-page Atlantic Records ad for the seventh studio album by Dr. John, called “Desitively Bonnaroo”, released on April 8, 1974, just ten days before his appearance at the Masonic Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan on April 18th.
Dr. John was known for having his own inscrutable language, he coined the phrase “desitively bonnaroo” as his way of saying “everything’s fine”, he also had a song title, “Mos’ Scocious”, which also means “everything’s fine.”
It’s also the source of the name of the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, the annual jam-bands festival held in June in rural Tennessee.
Poster with Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen opening for New Riders of the Purple Sage in Scranton, Pennsylvania on April 8, 1974.
Poster by Hugh Surratt for an appearance by Leonard Nimoy at the University Auditorium in East Lansing, Michigan, April 9. 1974.
Ad for Spirit and Good Time Band at the Rock ‘N’ Roll Farm in Wayne, Michigan, April 9, 1974, with Ace Trucking Co. coming on the 14th with the Rockets.
An ad by an unknown artist for the Underground club in Ypsilanti, Michigan, with a two-week engagement by the band Apple Core, beginning on April 9, 1974 and extending through the 21st.
Flyer for the band Apple Core, courtesy of John W. Hartel, from an unknown year. The band was formed at Plymouth High School in Plymouth, Michigan, and for some time included bassist Chris Campbell who joined Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band. Pictured in this line-up is Benny Speer (of Benny & the Jets), Jimmy Bench, Dan Tripp, and Tom Stacy.
Ad for the J. Geils Band with the Rockets at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, April 10, 1974.
A real nice poster by John Benson of Rainbow Graphics for the J. Geils Band at Chrysler Arena, April 10, 1974. Earlier ads had the Rockets as the opening band, Nils Lofgren & Grin was also added to the bill.
Back-to-back Michigan nights for Bachman Turner Overdrive, appearing in Allen Park, April 10, 1974, and in Flint on the 11th. Opening both shows was the French-Moroccan band Les Variations (misspelled in the ad). Formed in 1966, Les Variations were the most famous rock and roll band in France, and were the first French rock band to tour the US, and the first to be signed by an American record label (Buddah Records).
Les Variations – Morroccan Roll (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8D96wKx0t1g
A full-page ad by an unknown artist for Dick Gregory at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan on April 10, 1974.
A poster for the Woolies, billed as “Chuck Berry’s back-up band”, at the Side Door Saloon in Mount Pleasant, Michigan, April 10-13, 1974.
An ad for Suzi Quatro’s first US show since achieving international fame, and appropriately in her hometown of Detroit, Michigan, opening for Redbone at Ford Auditorium on April 11, 1974, one day earlier than the start of the tour list on the Bell Records ad. Over the next two nights, she will open for Blue Oyster Cult at the Michigan Palace.
A full-page Bell Records ad for Suzi Quatro’s first US tour, kicking off at the Michigan Palace in Detroit, opening for Blue Oyster Cult and KISS, April 12-13, 1974, her first home-town performance since moving to England and becoming a world-wide star.
Actually, she had started with an unscheduled appearance a night earlier at the Ford Auditorium in Detroit, opening for Redbone on April 11th.
Suzi Quatro – 48 Crash (1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk6kvVGPURA
Marvin Gaye on the cover of the April 11, 1974 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, his second time on the cover. This was the seventh time that a Michigan artist appeared on the cover, a short list that included Rob Tyner, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Alice Cooper twice.
A tour poster for a UK tour by the Spinners that started on April 12, 1974 with twelve shows in sixteen days. The group was formally known as the Detroit Spinners in England because of a British group with the name Spinners.
A refreshingly different live shot, compared to the few more commonly used for concert ads, for Grand Funk in Binghamton, New York on April 12, 1974.
A “Guitar Battle of the Century” ad pitting Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes against Cactus featuring Mike Pinera in Akron, Ohio on April 12, 1974. “Wild Bill” Hood, guitarist for Jefferson Tremor, apparently a local group, also joined in on the battle.
Ad for the Michigan Palace in Detroit with Blue Oyster Cult, Suzi Quatro, and KISS, April 12-13, 1974. Also, Bob Seger on April 20, New York Dolls on April 26 (may have cancelled), and Harry Chapin with David Bromberg on April 27.
KISS didn’t waste much time until coming back to the Michigan Palace, returning just five days after their debut performance, for their second and third Michigan shows.
Ad by an unknown artist, likely Terry O’Connor, for the Terry Tate Blues Band at Lizard’s in East Lansing, Michigan, Easter weekend, April 12-14, 1974.
A poster for Rare Earth with Hydra in Dothan, Alabama on April 13, 1974.
Poster by Richard Kelley for the Charlie Daniels Band at the Valentine Theatre in Toledo, Ohio. Because the opening group was Detroit, we believe that the date of this show was Easter Sunday, April 14, 1974. This might be the final show for the band Detroit, the latest known show prior to this is four weeks earlier, on March 24, 1974 at the Primo Showbar in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In early 1974, the Los Angeles band Fanny made two major changes, switching from the Reprise label to Casablanca, and adding Suzi Quatro’s sister Patti to the group. The new group made their Michigan debut at The Brewery in East Lansing, Michigan, April 15, 1974.
Another great poster from Grand Valley State Colleges near Grand Rapids, Michigan, by Bill Bowen for a five-day “Celebration 74”, April 15-20, 1974.
The British band Genesis performed at the Ford Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan, April 16, 1974, for their third Michigan appearance, and as is becoming a trend, the concert was recorded and released as a bootleg record.
Genesis – Live at Ford Auditorium, Detroit (4/16/74)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc-iu7blwcI
Ad for the Masonic Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan, with Steel Dan on April 16, 1974. It was the band’s third Michigan performance, on the heels of the release of their third album.
Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXY_DNVFWVY
Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band came to The Brewery in East Lansing, Michigan, April 17, 1974, but all of the original band members had quit in disgust after the recording of the “Unconditionally Guaranteed” album and Beefheart had to throw a new group together to keep scheduled tour dates. The new musicians had no familiarity with Beefheart’s complex music, so they simply played along with what they thought would fit the song, which definitely lost the edge, sounding like, by one account, “a bar band” version of Beefheart songs. Termed by true fans as “the Tragic Band”, they nevertheless seem to have pleased the crowd at The Brewery that night.
Poster by Gary Kell of Rainbow Graphics for Gladys Knight & the Pips with The Persuasions and the Soulful Soulmates at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan, April 18, 1974.
The Soulful Soulmates, a band from Ypsilanti High School, later combined forces with another band at the school, the Emeralds, to form Masterpiece, a fourteen member combo that released one single on the YPSI record label, named for their school.
Masterpiece – Love Affair (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al5BNhoLV5o
Masterpiece – We’re Gonna Make It (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61aE2i89d38
Tour poster by Leroy Neiman for Frank Sinatra, with a show at Olympia Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, April 18, 1974. It was Sinatra's first Michigan appearance in six years.
Ad for the Masonic Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan, April 18, 1974, with Dr. John, Fanny (including Patti Quatro), and the Rockets.
An ad for Jacks or Better in East Lansing, Michigan, April 18, 1974.
A pair of ads with Suzi Quatro opening for Jo-Jo Gunne in a sold out show in Cleveland, Ohio on April 18, 1974 and a headlining concert the next night at the same venue.
Poster by Bear, of Raw Sugar Studio in Medina, Ohio, for Suzi Quatro at the Allen Theatre in Cleveland, April 18-19, 1974.
The Quatro siblings were well-liked in Northeastern Ohio, Suzi performed two nights in Cleveland on her first US tour, April 18-19, 1974, and the press (i.e., The Scene) kept close tabs on her other tours and record releases. When Fanny came to the region, they were promoted by highlighting Patti Quatro’s membership in the band. And the most frequent appearances were by brother Michael, who enjoyed receptive audiences and rather knowledgeable press coverage.
As we mentioned in the post about Ray Stevens’ hit record “The Streak”, advertisers were quick to exploit the fad to promote all manner of products, from cologne to clothing to apartments, and of course, to posters.
Gary Kell illustration on the cover of the April 19, 1974 issue of the Ann Arbor SUN newspaper.
Gary Kell’s cover illustration with counterpart.
A collection of doodles from the pages of the Ann Arbor SUN newspaper, circa April 1974, by Chris Frayne (Ozone).
Ad by an unknown artist, possibly Terry O’Conner, for the Mojo Boogie Band at Lizard’s in East Lansing, Michigan, April 19-20, 1974.
Here is some live audio of the Mojo Boogie Band, circa 1974.
Mojo Boogie Band – Shopin’ For Clothes (1974)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqReg9XBZtc
The second concert poster by Gary Kell, and it’s a good one, Dr. John, Captain Beefheart, and the Rockets at the Toledo Sports Arena in Toledo, Ohio, April 19, 1974.
Photos of Jr. Walker and Koko Taylor from the April 19, 1974 issue of the Ann Arbor Sun newspaper in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The photo of Walker is by David Fenton, and the photo of Koko Taylor is by Eli Zaret, whom we are pretty sure is Eli Zaret, the well-known sports broadcaster in Detroit. By the way, Zaret began his career in 1974 at WABX-FM radio, regarded as the “first FM sportscaster” with a self-described “rock-and-roll style”.
Frank Zappa kicked off his Spring 1974 tour, the “10 Years of the Mothers” tour, with a show at the Grand Valley State Colleges in Allendale, Michigan, April 19, 1974. This ad from Billboard magazine, published four days before the show promotes the release of the new album “apostrophe”. We have an extensive account of the concert, with a full pre-concert interview, a description of the sound check rehearsal, and a review of the show:
https://www.afka.net/Articles/1974-05_Hot_Flash.htm
A most excellent poster, as usual, from Grand Valley State Colleges in Allendale, Michigan, for Frank Zappa’s show on April 19, 1974.
The extensive concert review and lengthy Zappa interview linked to in the previous post was written by Ed Baker and Dean Graham and was published in The Hot Flash Midwest Concert Guide in Kalamazoo, Michigan in their May 2, 1974 issue.
The issued is designated as Volume 3, Number 25, and the Index states that it was published on the first Thursday of every month, twelve times a year. It is a publication that we need to track down, as the superb cover illustration (signature unrecognized) and next few posts will show, it is a treasure chest of the local music scene and filled with great graphics.
Excellent full-page Captain Beefheart illustration from the May 2, 1974 issue of The Hot Flash Midwest Concert Guide in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Drawn by Jive Comix, the same artist we’ve seen with the fantastic Discount Records ads in East Lansing, but here, finally, we have a legible signature, Ted Echterling.
The Hot Flash Midwest Concert Guide in Kalamazoo, Michigan had some great photographers contributing to the magazine, these pictures are from the May 2, 1974 issue, the only issue we’ve found so far.
A collection of ads from the May 2, 1974 issue The Hot Flash Midwest Concert Guide in Kalamazoo, Michigan, showing some of the music-related businesses in Kalamazoo and the surrounding areas of Holland, Battle Creek, Grand Rapids, and as far away as Petoskey, Sault St. Marie, and Elida, Ohio.
Long time readers may recall from our earliest stories that a luthier named Orville Gibson started making guitars in his home workshop in Kalamazoo, Michigan, founding the Gibson Guitar Company in 1902.
Poster/flyer for the Paramount Theatre in Seattle, Washington with the Miracles appearing on April 20, 1974.
Poster/flyer by Rainbow Press for Dr. John at the Allen Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio on April 20, 1974, the third of three days in a row for Dr. John shows promoted by Rainbow Press posters.
Full-page Capricorn Records ad with tour dates for Gregg Allman on his first solo tour, with a show at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan on April 21, 1974. His shows a couple weeks earlier, in New York and New Jersey, provided the tracks for his second album, and first live album, “The Gregg Allman Tour”, released in October 1974.
Newspaper ad for Gregg Allman at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan on April 21, 1974.
A poster with Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen opening for the New Riders of the Purple Sage in Princeton, New Jersey on April 21, 1974.
Volume Ten - 1974 - continues - HERE
A single released by the Mojo Boogie Band, circa 1974, with band bios, list of appearances and broadcasts. The two songs are linked below:
Mojo Boogie Band – Get Away
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gM72KG9UvLE
Mojo Boogie Band - Go Home With You
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMIfPS8X49Y
Newspaper ad for J. Geils at Crisler Arean in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with Nils Lofgren & Grin and the Rockets on April 10, 1974.
Ad for the Michigan Palace in Detroit, with Bob Seger on April 20, 1974. The prior ad had the New York Dolls listed for April 26, but they’ve been dropped and instead we have Ike & Tina Turner on April 21. Harry Chapin with David Bromberg still on the schedule for April 27.
Alice Cooper on the cover of the April 18, 1974 issue of Bravo magazine.
