"Live at the Fillmore..."

Countless concert recordings have featured this title, and recordings from the Fillmores East and West have become legendary examples of the genre. Today we celebrate the life of rock promoter extraordinaire Wolfgang Grajonca, better know as Bill Graham. He was born today in 1931 in Berlin, Germany and died on October 25, 1991. His promotion career began in the mid-60’s when he moved from New York to San Francisco to be closer to his sister, and began managing the San Francisco Mime Troupe. From there he moved on to promoting concerts and the rest is Bay Area music history. It could be argued that he singlehandedly launched the careers of bands like the Grateful Dead and the Jefferson Airplane by continually featuring them at his venues the Fillmore West and the Winterland ballroom. Hours and hours of archival concert recordings from Graham-promoted concerts and others can now be found at www.wolfgangsvault.com, where the recordings can be streamed or purchased. Here is an interview with Bill that features the Byrds at the Fillmore East in 1970. Thanks to http://crawdaddy.wolfgangsvault.com/ and www.wikipedia.com for the info, and keep on rockin’!