Bill Graham (2)

Bill Graham (January 8, 1931, Berlin, — October 25, 1991, Vallejo, California, USA) was an American impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death.

Graham had no known musical talent. His talent was to know a good band when he heard it and to promote it in concerts at one of his Fillmore venues. Along with the work of Chet Helms, the visionary Graham pioneered the concepts of concert promotion in the late 1960s- introducing acts of converging musical cultures and tastes, using artistic posters & tickets to attract audiences. He was the 'Daddy' of the 'Children of The Revolution' in the musical counterculture cradles of both San Francisco and New York.

Graham's father died shortly after his birth and from an early age he was nicknamed 'Wolfgang'. He was placed, with his youngest sister Rita, in an orphanage that transfered them to prior to the Nazi invasion. He lost both his mother and three other sisters (Evelyn, Sonja and Tolla) to the Holocaust. His sister Ester survived . He entered an orphanage in Pleasantville, New York In late 1941 and then became the foster child of Bronx residents Alfred and Pearl Ehrenreich. He changed his name to 'William' and 'Graham', chosen from a 'phonebook as being nearest to his real name, graduated from DeWitt Clinton High School and attended a business school in New York.

He was manager of a NY office equipment company when he met future wife Bonnie MacLean. In the mid 1960s he was residing in San Francisco and fell in with a local performance art group, the 'Mime Troupe'. In late 1965 of the group were arrested on obscenity charges and Graham organized a benefit concert on their behalf, held on November 6 1965. The show was an enormous success and featured performances by The Grateful Dead) on January 14, 1966.

After the success of the 'Trips Festival' with Roland Kirk.

In early 1968 Graham opened the It's A Beautiful Day.

Graham returned to the Bay Area and began producing shows at Berkeley Community Center and Winterland, mounting national tours for Peter Gabriel.

Returning home from a concert at the Concord Pavilion the helicopter in which Graham was traveling crashed into a highway power line, killing him and his partner Melissa Gold and pilot Steve Kahn (4). He left two sons, David and Alexander. His benefit & memorial concert 'Laughter, Love & Music' included the re-uniting of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young for the event.

Inducted into Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1992 (Non-Performer).