Bill Graham (promoter)

Bill Graham
Bill Graham, circa 1990
Born
Wulf Wolodi Grajonca

(1931-01-08)January 8, 1931
DiedOctober 25, 1991(1991-10-25) (aged 60)
Cause of deathHelicopter crash
Other namesUncle Bobo
CitizenshipGermany (by birthplace), United States (since 1949)[1]
Occupation(s)Businessman, musical impresario
Years active1960s–1991; his death
OrganizationBill Graham Presents
Spouse
(m. 1967; div. 1975)
Children3, including 1 stepchild

Bill Graham (born Wulf Wolodia Grajonca; January 8, 1931 – October 25, 1991) was a German-born American impresario and rock concert promoter.

In the early 1960s, Graham moved to San Francisco, and in 1965, began to manage the San Francisco Mime Troupe.[2] He had teamed up with local Haight Ashbury promoter Chet Helms to organize a benefit concert, then promoted several free concerts. This eventually turned into a profitable full-time career and he assembled a talented staff. Graham had a profound influence around the world, sponsoring the musical renaissance of the 1960s from its epicenter in San Francisco. Chet Helms and then Graham made famous the Fillmore and Winterland Ballroom; these turned out to be a proving grounds for rock bands and acts of the San Francisco Bay area including the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin,[3] who were first managed, and in some cases developed, by Helms.

  1. ^ "Bill Graham". www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org. Retrieved July 13, 2024.
  2. ^ "Bill Graham Drives His Chevy to the Levee". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 15, 2017.
  3. ^ Community Contributor Creative Marketing Associates. "Legacy of Legendary Music Promoter Bill Graham Showcased in New Illinois Holocaust Museum Exhibition". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved August 16, 2017. {{cite news}}: |author= has generic name (help)