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Splatt Gallery's History of Michigan Concert Posters
The Grande Ballroom Posters - Page Eleven
Gary Grimshaw’s 70th poster for the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, September 15, 1971. Bands were Commander Cody, Detroit with Mitch Ryder, UP, and Motor City Mutants.
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Newsprint version of Gary Grimshaw’s poster for Commander Cody at the Grande Ballroom on September 15, 1971.
Poster by an unknown artist for the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, Halloween night, October 31, 1971, yet another “re-opening”. Bands were SRC, Assemblage, Third Power, Frut (misspelled), UP, Motor City Mutants, and the ubiquitous, mysterious Tacklebox.
A blurb in a newspaper events calendar that reads, “So the ballrooms in Detroit have gone full circle, with the Eastown folk now moving back to the old Grande where it all started.” It described the line-up for two shows at the Grande Ballroom, December 26-27, 1971, with Cactus and Catfish on both nights, and with Guardian Angel and Frut on the first and second nights respectively.
It also describes the up-coming line-up for New Year’s Eve, with the interesting comment that Detroit bars closed for Christmas.
Shortly after these shows, guitarist Jim McCarty quit Cactus and returned to Detroit. Cactus vocalist Rusty Day was fired shortly after that and he also returned to Detroit. Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert enlisted a set of replacements for one more Cactus album, and then they finally teamed up with Jeff Beck, which had been their original intention before Cactus, to form Beck, Bogert & Appice.
Cactus – Mean Night in Cleveland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTuoMM20LA4
The regrettable lack of reliably regular posters in Detroit since the decline of the Grande Ballroom, there were all too few posters made for the run of great shows from 1970 to 1971, particularly at the Eastown Theater. Apparently, the only way people could find out about these shows were in the small print of the newspaper calendar sections. So, we’re forced to create our own lousy mash-up to document two great New Year’s Eve shows, December 31, 1971 - the MC5 at the Grande Ballroom, and Parliament-Funkadelic at the Cinderella.
The New Year’s Eve show at the Grande Ballroom featured the MC5 with Crabby Appleton, Mylon, and Pacific Gas & Electric. The same line-up performed on the night of New Year’s Day, January 1, 1972.
On this date a year ago there had been coordinated Free John Now! Rallies from Vancouver to Seattle, Chicago, New York, and of course in Detroit at both the Grande Ballroom and the Eastown Theater. This year, January 24, 1972 was a Victory Celebration with John Sinclair now six weeks out of prison. It was held again at the Grande Ballroom with Detroit featuring Mitch Ryder, UP, Harvey Khek, and The Mighty Motor City Mutants, with poster by Gary Grimshaw. His 71st Grande poster.
Newsprint version of Gary Grimshaw’s 70th poster for the Grande Ballroom, January 24, 1972.
In an interview with Bob Bageris, the promoter stated, “I’m not going to operate with losing shows at the Grande just to stay open. I did 125 shows at the Eastown last year and lost lots of money. There’s just not enough talent to run 52 shows a year. I do feel the small room scene is diminishing in Detroit because of the bar thing; the new drinking age is cutting in.”
The article did say that he had the Grande open for two shows with J. Geils and Sweathog, January 28-29, 1972. The Whiz Kids opened both nights.
Poster by an unknown artist for the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, March 19, 1972, with Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes, Catfish, with guitarist Jim McCarty formerly of Cactus, and Aura formerly the Flock from Chicago. The show was a Don Decker production.
An ad in The Fifth Estate newspaper announced the Grande Ballroom “Re-Opens” with a “Nova ‘72” benefit on March 26, 1972.
The events calendar listing for March 26, 1972 is for a “Festoval (sic) of Spring” with Frut, Virgin Dawn, Harvey Khek, East Side Paint, Bad Manners, Plymouth Rock”.
The Concert Database has a March 26, 1972 ad for “Super Rock” at the Grande Ballroom with Third Power, Frut, Harvey Khek, Virgin Dawn, Pegasus, East Side Paint, and Bad Manners, with Sir Graves Ghastly, complete with coffin and hearse, as MC, assisted by Dave Miller and Star Man.
The 72nd poster by Gary Grimshaw for the Grande Ballroom, a Good Friday Tribal Stomp, March 31, 1972 with UP, Frut, Harvey Khek, RPM, and the Iron Horse Exchange.
“Rebirth” version of the poster for the Grande Ballroom by Gary Grimshaw, March 31, 1972 with announcement of upcoming show with Detroit with Mitch Ryder, Shadowfax, Thundercloud, and Frick.
A newspaper events calendar had Jonathon Round, with Saggons, Tim Kaye, the Werks, at the Grande Ballroom on April 1, 1972.
Gary Grimshaw’s 74th poster for the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, April 13, 1972. Bands were Detroit featuring Mitch Ryder, Shadowfax, who must have squeezed in this show during their week at Mad Anthony’s Bar, Thundercloud, and the mystery band of the poster, Frick.
The Concert Database also has a show at the Grande on April 23, 1972, with Detroit, Guardian Angel, and Thundercloud.
Then, the Grande goes dark again for five months.
A newspaper listing for the re-opening of the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan on September 30, 1972, the first show at the Grande in over five months, with a great line-up of the Amboy Dukes, MC5, and the Motor City Mutants.
Poster by an unknown artist signed “Bloomer” for an HPS Peoduction at the Grande Ballroom on October 21, 1972. Bands were Catfish, Ted Lucas, and the UP. A newspaper ad also listed Steve Booker.
A newspaper ad called this simply a “Grand Ballroom Gig” and also had a list of performers for the following day, October 22, with Wishbone Ash and Jonathan Round.
The “Grande Ballroom Gig” ad for October 21-22, 1972.
Another poster by Bloomer, for Wishbone Ash and Jonathan Round at the Grande Ballroom on October 22, 1972. It measures approximately 8.5” x 13”.
Nice poster by an unknown artist signed “An S-G Production” for a Halloween show with Blue Oyster Cult, Captain Beyond, and Wet Nas Teez at the Grand Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, October 31, 1972. It was the first Michigan appearance of the Long Island, New York group Blue Oyster Cult.
Blue Oyster Cult – Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll (1972)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OBs6S1lW_Q
A photo from an unknown source that clearly indicates the MC5 at the Grand Ballroom, November 10, 1972. Neither the Concert Database nor the MC5 Gateway list this show, but it is certainly at the Grande and the bass player is Derek Hughes
A concert calendar with a show at the Grande Ballroom on November 11, 1972, with Elephant’s Memory.
Second poster by an unknown artist “An S-G Production” for the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, November 26, 1972, with Ballin’ Jack, Lightnin’, and Julia. This may be the last poster that we find for the band Julia, a band that we’ve seen regularly since the summer of 1970, and as of late were performing, more or less, as Bob Seger’s live band. Incidentally, this is also the “last” poster for the Grande Ballroom.
Julia’s singer Marcy Levy will provide vocals on Seger’s next, upcoming, album, during which she met Leon Russell, joined his band, moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, joined Eric Clapton’s band, and will return in and out of our story again, as she’ll become known as Marcella Detroit.
Julia’s guitarist Bill Mueller also played on Seger’s next album, as Julia disbands, he also will return in and out of our story again, as he’ll become known as Blue Miller
Here’s a complete treasure chest of Julia’s recordings, two of their singles on Punch Andrew’s Palladium label, a Bill Mueller single , and a single from Plain Brown Wrapper.
Julia, Bill Mueller, and Plain Brown Wrapper
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUiTChuZijk
New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1972, the final day of the year, the final show ever at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan, and the ignoble final appearance ever by the MC5. Support bands were Jett Black and Roy Buchanan. Unfortunately, no posters exists, that we know of.
Wayne Kramer and Fred Smith had been back from the ill-advised tour of Europe for about a month, and nothing was happening with the band. They were offered $500 to play the show and needing the money, they agreed to do it. Michael Davis, Dennis Thompson, and Rob Tyner rejoined Smith and Kramer on the stage of the Grande Ballroom, there were only a couple hundred people in attendance. About twenty minutes into their set, Kramer told Smith he couldn’t play anymore, they’d been paid in advance so he had his money, he unplugged his guitar, jumped off the stage, and, in his own words, “drove over to the dope house”.
The End.
Postscript
Here is a short audio clip of the Dogs performing at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan sometime in February 1973 (or possibly the April date described below).
The Dogs – Live at the Grande Ballroom Detroit (February 1973)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO9H4_KUOJI
The Concert Database has a stray show at the Grande Ballroom on April 25, 1973, based on a newspaper events calendar that has the Amboy Dukes with the Dogs and the Rockets on the Wednesday following Sonny & Cher’s Easter Sunday show, April 22, 1973 at Cobo Hall.
Here is an odd poster by an unknown artist that is impossible to explain. It purports to be for a New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day concerts at the Grande Ballroom with Vince Vance & the Valiants headlining the shows along with Detroit, Guardian Angel, and Air Tight.
The only New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day in the brief career of Guardian Angel would have been 1971, which is documented with a line-up of MC5, Crabby Appleton, Mylon, Pacific Gas & Electric.
The font on this poster is also uncharacteristic of the era. The poster also has a notation of a “Steve Glantz Production”, which seems equally out of place.
Our conclusion is that although it is a pretty cool poster, it must be “Fan Art” by someone who liked Vince Vance & the Valiants.
By the Numbers
One thing about “exact” numbers in a study such as this is that they are almost certainly WRONG. There are bound to be shows that were missed, or shows that are counted that did not actually happen, or did not happen as described (ie, band line-ups).
Having said that, we have come up with a total of 483 shows at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, Michigan from October 7, 1966 through December 31, 1972, and a total of 170 “posters” made for these shows.
The band that played at the Grande the most often is undisputedly the MC5, we have come up with a total of 104 shows. The next most frequent acts were, in order:
The Stooges = 37
Thyme = 36
The Rationals = 34
UP = 34
Jagged Edge = 29
SRC = 28
Frost = 24
The non-Michigan bands that performed most often at the Grande Ballroom were:
Canned Heat = 12
James Gang = 11
Procol Harum = 10
Jeff Beck = 10
For the poster artists, again, the leader is undisputedly Gary Grimshaw, we have come up with a total of (74). The next most frequent artists were, in order:
Donnie Dope = 28
Carl Lundgren = 27
Other poster artists, all with less than (10) each, were Rob Tyner, David Carlin, Darlene Pond, Matt Radowski, Leni Sinclair, and Robin Sommers.
