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Splatt Gallery's History of Michigan Concert Posters
Volume Thirteen - 1977 - Page Four
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A full-page Chrysalis Records ad for Jethro Tull’s second tour of the year with two shows in Michigan, at Cobo Arena in Detroit, March 21-22, 1977. The January tour had emphasized smaller venues and the two shows in Detroit had been at the Masonic Temple, now it was back to the large arenas.
The sixth stop on Iggy Pop’s Canada/US tour was Cleveland, Ohio for three shows at the Agora Ballroom, March 21-23, 1977. The first night was recorded and has been released under a number of different titles, including “Sister Midnight”, “Wild Animal” and “Iggy & Ziggy Cleveland '77”. You can hear the complete recording here:
Iggy Pop – Live in Cleveland (3/21/77)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRSrUeDm-4o&list=PLcaCxluC0SomkL6bbUdWx3_pi1S846a28
An ad for the Agora Ballroom in Cleveland, Ohio with Iggy Pop and Blondie appearing March 21-22, 1977 with an ad for Blondie’s debut album. A third show was added for March 23.
An interview with the Detroit soul group Enchantment in the March 23, 1977 edition of the Los Angeles Free Press newspaper in Los Angeles, California with an inset of their debut album that featured their hit single “Gloria”.
The group hailed from Detroit's Pershing High School, whose other alumni includes Abdul "Duke" Fakir and Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops, actor Tim Meadows, R&B star Gino Washington, and Michael “Clip” Payne of Parliament-Funkadelic.
Enchantment – Gloria (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGOqmXhNzRY
Newspaper ad for the Rockets at the Red Carpet Lounge in Detroit, Michigan, March 23-27, 1977.
A full-page ad/poster in the Central Michigan University student newspaper for a concert, two shows, by Leslie West on March 25, 1977. Opening the shows was the Detroit band Holy Smoke, whose band logo was designed by Gary Grimshaw.
Band logo for Holy Smoke, designed by Gary Grimshaw.
A second poster/ad for Leslie West and Holy Smoke at Central Michigan University on March 25, 1977, along with two upcoming shows by Cheech & Chong.
A cartoon in the March 25, 1977 issue of the Los Angeles Free Press that accompanied a blurb about Elton John doubting the commercial potential of Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” single on American radio. He wagered that if the song made the Top Ten, he would rent Wembly Stadium and dance naked on the stage.
It was a bad bet since “Night Moves” had already peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on March 12, 1977. If he would have specified the UK chart, however, he would have been right, the single never appeared on the UK chart, that is until it peaked at #45 in April 1995.
Poster for Parliament-Funkadelic with Bootsy’s Rubber Band and Rose Royce in Richmond, Virginia on March 25, 1977.
A full-page RCA Records ad in CREEM magazine for Iggy Pop’s album “The Idiot”, with tour dates that start on the fifteenth show of the tour, a hometown return at the Masonic Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan on March 25, 1977.
Iggy Pop’s first Michigan show in over three years, when “The Idiot” tour came to the Masonic Temple in Detroit on March 25, 1977. Many sources also have a second show on the 26th, but not in the concert database.
A show review by Charles Young in an Austin, Texas newspaper, which is the source of the above photos, reported that Iggy’s parents were at the show along with Iggy’s nine-year-old son Eric, whom Iggy had only met a year before.
An ad for the band Jett Black at the Sure Thing in Ypsilanti, Michigan, March 25-26, 1977. Information on the band is sparse, it appears that they moved to Detroit from Phoenix, Arizona and were associated with Michael Bruce, guitarist with the original Alice Cooper band.
They opened for the MC5 on the Five’s final show at the Grande Ballroom on New Year’s Eve 1972. They released one single in 1977 on the Fiddler’s Music Company label.
Jett Black – Madamoiselle (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdnIKCFoJdk
Jett Black – You Make Everything Dirty (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cLXaMEoKNg
Poster for Alice Cooper in Sydney, Australia on March 26, 1977.
A full-page ad from Garry Van Egmond Promotions thanking Alice Cooper for setting the record attendance at the Sidney Showgrounds in Australia, the venue for Cooper’s March 26, 1977 show.
Poster for a show by the Dogs at Swiss Park in Duarte, California on March 26, 1977.
By popular demand, a second show was added for the band Boston when they came to Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan in March 1977. The additional show was added for March 26, 1977, which was actually before the date of the original booking on March 29th. With an earlier show in Saginaw in February, and another upcoming show in Grand Rapids in April, they made four Michigan appearances in 1977, their most for any single year.
Poster by Gary Grimshaw for Rainbow Productions/Detroit for Rufus featuring Chaka Khan with Donald Byrd & the Blackbyrds at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan on March 27, 1977, with photo by Barbara Weinberg.
Newspaper ad version of Gary Grimshaw’s poster for Rufus featuring Chaka Khan with Donald Byrd & the Blackbyrds at Crisler Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan on March 27, 1977.
A poster/full-page ad for Harry Chapin at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant on March 28, 1977, with an upcoming show by Johnny Cash in April.
Newspaper ad for Harry Chapin at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant on March 28, 1977, looking more like Joe Cocker.
Iggy Pop’s “The Idiot” tour rolled into Chicago, Illinois for two shows at the Riviera Theatre, March 27-28, 1977. In between the shows, at midnight, 12:00 am on the 28th, the band performed a full set at the Mantra Studios for a radio broadcast. Bootlegged multiple times, all of the tracks, if not the complete show, can be easily found. Here is the opening number:
Iggy Pop – Raw Power (Mantra Studios, Chicago) (3/28/77)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiuqQsE0BMc
A poster/ad, presumably by Freddie Brooks, for the Ramones with Sonic’s Rendezvous Band at Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan on March 28, 1977. Labeled as “A New Wave Rock & Roll Assault”, it was more of a mutual admiration society, the Ramones were stoked to meet members of the MC5 and the Stooges, and the Michigan rockers certainly admired the Ramones, who already had two excellent albums to their name, something that SRB would never achieve.
This was the Ramones’ second Michigan appearance, but their first as a headliner, they had previously opened for the Flamin’ Groovies in Royal Oak in October 1976.
It was also at this show that Carey Loren and Niagara from Destroy All Monsters first met Ron Asheton, newly returned to Michigan after his Los Angeles band New Order had imploded.
Teresa Brewer - Mutual Admiration Society (1956)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8LfSeRCjBE
A photo from the Ramones and Sonic’s Rendezvous Band show at Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan on March 28, 1977.
A page from Issue #4 of Destroy All Monsters magazine that documents the “Phase Two” period of the band, the line-up of Carey Loren, Niagara, Larry and Ben Miller (although it must be in error where it says “Jan. and Feb. of 1976” since Jim Shaw and Mike Kelley left in the summer of 1976. It must mean Jan. and Feb, of 1977 which fits the timeline).
The main point is that it mentions the “only public appearance (of the “Phase Two” band) at the Underground in Ypsilanti”. This is confirmed by other sources and was a gig that was set up primarily so that Ron Asheton could check out the band, following his first meeting Loren and Niagara at the Ramones show at the Second Chance in Ann Arbor on March 28, 1977.
Lily Tomlin joined a short list of Michigan-related performing artists to appear on the cover of Time magazine with its March 28, 1977 issue. Born in Detroit, a graduate of Cass Tech High School, Tomlin became interested in theater while attending Wayne State University and began doing stand-up comedy in Detroit nightclubs.
Joining the cast of “Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In” in late 1969, she created a string of memorable characters such as the telephone operator Ernestine, the precocious five-year-old Edith Ann, and the bag lady Tress or Trudy, among many others. Her list of accomplishments in movies, television and recordings are far too long to go into here. The occasion of her Time magazine cover was the opening of her one-woman Broadway show “Appearing Nitely”.
Other Michigan-related celebrities who had been on the cover of Time magazine up to this point included actress Betty Hutton in 1950, the Supremes in 1965 (as part of a photo-montage), Aretha Franklin, Denny McLain and Dick Martin of “Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In”, all in 1968. Twelfth Street in Detroit was the cover illustration of an August 1967 issue in the wake of the riot/rebellion. Incidentally, Detroit-born aviator Charles Lindbergh, whose mother was a chemistry teacher at Cass Tech High School, was Time magazine’s very first “Man of the Year”, on the cover of the January 2, 1928 issue.
Artist Richard Amsel’s Lily Tomlin Time magazine cover is now part of the permanent collection at the Smithsonian Institution.
The cover of the Playbill for Lily Tomlin’s 1977 one-woman Broadway show “Appearing Nitely”.
Poster for Parliament-Funkadelic with Bootsy’s Rubber Band in Savannah, Georgia on March 31, 1977.
A poster/full-page ad for Cheech & Chong at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant on March 31, 1977.
A Virgin Records ad for the band Tangerine Dream’s eleventh album “Stratosfear” with tour dates including a show at the Ford Auditorium in Detroit, Michigan on March 31, 1977. It was the German electronic music group’s first Michigan appearance, it would be nearly a decade until they return again.
A newspaper ad, along with the cover of a “Tangerine Tree” series CD, for the first Michigan appearance by the band Tangerine Dream, at the Ford Auditorium in Detroit on March 31, 1977. And, if the ad is to be believed, the first Michigan appearance of the “Laserium” light show. Here is the full recording:
Tangerine Dream – Live in Detroit (3/31/77)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1qkCbt5iqQ
Band artwork by Benny Lisby for the Cornell Hurd Band, along with an ad for their only known Michigan appearance, at Lizard’s Underground in East Lansing, March 31, 1977 through April 4th. With roots that go back to 1968 and to Berkeley, California in 1971, where they were heavily influenced by Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen, they soon dropped the “Mondo Hot Pants Orchestra” from their name in order to be taken more seriously.
Cornell Hurd & His Mondo Hotpants Orchestra - Bicentennial Boogie (1976)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1y_QXlT1Ls
Photo of Debbie Harry with Iggy Pop in New York City, taken by Blondie guitarist Chris Stein, captioned March/April 1977.
The front cover of the April 1977 issue of CREEM magazine with illustration of Jimmy Page by Gary Ciccarelli from a photo by Bob Gruen.
Photos by Robert Markowitz, Michael Marks, and Richard Creamer from a six-page feature article on P-Funk by Ed Ward in the April 1977 issue of CREEM magazine.
Poster/calendar for the Blue Frogge in Ann Arbor, Michigan for the month of April 1977, featuring Eddie Jefferson, the Rockets, Linn County Band and the Lyman Woodard Organization.
Two posters by an unknown artist for the Sixth Annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash, in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 1, 1977.
The t-shirt design by an unknown artist signed “Adrian” for the Sixth Annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash, in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 1, 1977.
Close-up of the t-shirt design for the Sixth Annual Ann Arbor Hash Bash, in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 1, 1977, with the artist signature “Adrian”.
A pair of ads by an unknown artist for Harry Chapin at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 1, 1977. Chapin was becoming a frequent performer in Michigan, this was his fifth Michigan show of the year, which would become nine by years-end, and another eight in 1978.
Poster/flyer and an ad for Salem Witchcraft at Macomb Community College in Clinton Township, Michigan on April 2, 1977.
The second P-Funk spin-off, after Bootsy’s Rubber Band, was the Horny Horns, featuring the core Parliament horn section of Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker, Richard “Kush” Griffith and Rick Gardner. Their debut album “A Blow For Me, A Toot To You” was produced by George Clinton and Bootsy, who also wrote most of the songs. Cover art by Ronald "Stozo" Edwards, the album was first mentioned in the April 2, 1977 issue of Billboard magazine.
The Horny Horns – Between Two Sheets (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PibfSMPGCLY
A two-page Columbia Records ad in the April 2, 1977 issue of Billboard magazine, that doesn’t have much to do with our story, but it’s kind of cool and seldom seen. Aerosmith’s “Toys In The Attic” album had been released a full two years before this ad, and was not even their most recent album, as “Rocks” had been released in May 1976, but they may have been making the point that “Toys” had gone Double-Platinum.
There was a long lag time on Aerosmith’s early records, their debut album was completely ignored by the press and the record label when it was released in 1973, it reached its peak position on the Billboard album chart, at #21, in 1976. The band’s first single “Dream On” made a bit of a splash in the local market of the band’s hometown of Boston, but it wasn’t until a re-release in late 1975 that it caught on nationally, peaking at #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in April 1976.
The band’s second album “Get Your Wings”, released in 1974, spawned three singles, none of which even dented the charts, but some of which are now Classic Rock radio staples, as are many of the songs from the debut album. “Toys In The Attic” and its first single “Sweet Emotion” were finally their break-throughs which lifted their back catalog and set the stage for a string of hits to follow. The “Toys” album is also their most commercially successful album to date, having sold over eight million copies.
A nice poster with the Dramatics opening for Rufus featuring Chaka Khan at the Felt Forum in Madison Square Gardens in NYC on April 2, 1977.
An ad for the Suds Factory in Ypsilanti, Michigan with Holy Smoke, billed as Michigan’s Number One band on April 3, 1977, followed by Ruby Jones, billed as Ohio’s Number One band on April 5th, and then there was Jooster, appearing on April 10th.
Edit: On a comment on another page, it was suggested that "Jooster" may have been a mis-spelling of "Zooster". Makes sense to us
An ad for the Red Carpet in Detroit, Michigan with a band photo of Jett Black, appearing April 6-10, 1977, a band photo of Holy Smoke, appearing April 13-14, upcoming shows by Rockandy, April 15-17, and finally, the Rockets, April 20-24.
Lily Tomlin appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for her second time, with its April 7, 1977 issue. Only about a week earlier, you’ll recall she had graced the cover of Time magazine.
Newspaper ads for the Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan and the Sure Thing in neighboring Ypsilanti, with Salem Witchcraft appearing at the latter on April 7, 1977. Plymouth doctor Leo Speer, who owned the West Side Six, the Funny Farm and the Michigan Palace, added Bimbo’s in Ypsilanti to his portfolio. He changed the name to the Sure Thing to rival Chances Are in Ann Arbor, however, Chances Are changed their name to the Second Chance.
A logo for the Second Chance club in Ann Arbor, Michigan by Crow Quill.
An ad for the Anchor Inn in Pinckney, Michigan featuring the Mojo Boogie Band, April 7-9, 1977, followed by Alpha Centauri.
Poster/ad for Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band in San Antonio, Texas on April 8, 1977.
The cover of the Seattle, Washington ‘zine “Chatterbox” in a special edition published for the Iggy Pop concert at the Paramount Theatre on April 9, 1977. The concert was recorded and released as the bootleg “Iggy & Ziggy”.
Iggy Pop – Live in Seattle ( 4/9/1977
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9I1uHW0nYo
A full-page Warner Bros. Records ad in the April 9, 1977 issue of Billboard magazine, still promoting Alice Cooper’s “Go To Hell” album which had been released nearly a year before, in June 1976. His next album, his third solo album “Lace and Whiskey” would be released a few week later.
Poster for Parliament-Funkadelic with Bootsy’s Rubber Band and Rose Royce in Memphis, Tennessee on April 10, 1977.
A small ad, that needed some embellishment, for when the Rockets performed for four nights at the Blue Frogge in Ann Arbor, Michigan, April 10-13, 1977.
An ad for the Second Chance in Ann Arbor, Michigan with Sonic’s Rendezvous Band and Jett Black appearing on April 11, 1977.
Volume Thirteen - 1977 - continues - HERE
