Robert Edward Auctions will be offering an extremely rare concert poster dating from The Rolling Stones first United States tour in 1964. The poster features a large photo of all five band members and herald’s the band’s performance at the New Haven Arena, in New Haven, Connecticut, on Thursday, June 18th. A large photo of famous New York City DJ “Murray the K” is pictured along the right border with the text reading “Direct From England – First Time in America – Murray the ‘K’ Brings to Conn. England’s Newest Sensations.” Also scheduled to appear on stage that night were the Chiffons, Younger Bros., and The Epics. What makes this poster especially intriguing is the fact that The Rolling Stones never appeared in Connecticut during the band’s 1964 inaugural United States tour. The concert was canceled due to poor ticket sales. Instead, The Rolling Stones appeared in Syracuse, New York, on June 18, 1964. Obviously, this left numerous teenage girls in New Haven broken hearted and Murray the “K” with egg on his face (not to mention a lot of explaining to do).
Conquering America was a little more challenging that the Rolling Stones and their management team let on in 1964. It is hard to believe that in 1964 The Rolling Stones actually had one of their concerts canceled due to lack of ticket sales. Yet that is exactly what happened at the New Haven Arena on June 18, 1964. The concert was to be MCe’d by the prestigious “Murray The K” and headlined by the Stones. But with very little exposure and a general lack of interest, the concert was scrapped. Keep in mind this was the Stones FIRST tour of the United States and the hit “Satisfaction” had not been released. The Stones had not yet developed a following in America and had written few, if any, of their own songs at that time. As a result, most of the Stones concerts during their United States debut were poorly attended and the tour was a financial disaster. Because the Stones’ music, which was influenced much more heavily by rhythm and blues works, was not as mainstream as that of The Beatles, plus the fact that they were producing very little original music, it took fans here a little bit longer to appreciate the band and their unique sound. The British Invasion was well under way in 1964, but The Rolling Stones, at least at the start, were still trying to establish foothold with American listeners. This exceedingly rare poster is one of the few tangible souvenirs from the group’s first, and now largely forgotten, United States tour. The poster (17 x 23 inches), printed on cardboard stock, carries a reserve of $2,000 and an auction estimate of $4,000+.
Robert Edward Auctions is renowned for presenting the most respected baseball card and memorabilia auctions in the world. Occasionally, their sales include interesting Americana items. The Rolling Stones poster is one of several historic music posters that will be featured in REA’s spring sale. Final day of bidding is May 12, 2012. The other posters in the auction, all from the same collection, include early original posters for shows featuring Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Louis Armstrong, James Brown, Bob Marley, and The Jackson 5.
For further information contact: Robert Edward Auctions, PO Box 7256, Watchung, NJ or call (908)-226-9900.
Copies of REA’s 600+ page full-color premium catalog featuring baseball cards and memorabilia (shipping in April) are available free. To learn more about Robert Edward Auctions, or to receive a complimentary copy of the catalog, or to inquire about consignments, visit www.robertedwardauctions.com
