born: October 8, 1931 as
Wolfgang Grajonza (Bill Graham) in
Berlin,
Germany.
died: October 25, 1991 in a helicopter crash near
Vallejo, CA.
After surviving the
Holocaust and arriving in the US with less than nothing, Graham became not only a successful entrepreneur, but an icon.
He served in the
U.S. Army in
Korea and then settled in
San Francisco and studied business. He managed the
San Francisco Mime Troupe and in November 1965, he produced his first concert (held in a loft). It was a benefit for the
San Francisco Mime Troupe and featured the
Jefferson Airplane,
Lawrence Ferlinghetti,
The Committee,
The Fugs,
Allen Ginsburg, and others.
Soon after as the
Summer of Love and the counterculture exploded Ghram began promoting concerts at
the Fillmore.
As the scene grew he would move his operations to
the Winterland.
He opened
the Fillmore East in
New York City in 1968, but three years later he had closed his clubs to focus on promoting large-scale concerts and national tours.
He wrote an autobiography called:
Bill Graham Presents, which is also the name of his production company (sold to
SFX after his death).
His memorial concert in san Francisco's Golden Gate Park on November 3, 1991 featured:
more than 500,000 people dancing their blues away to the fine sounds of:
Grateful Dead
Santana
Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young
Journey
John Fogerty
John Popper
Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Bobby McFerrin
Jackson Browne
Joe Satriani
Aaron Neville & Chester Thompson
Tracy Chapman
Robin Williams