Traveling Posters

“Traveling posters” is a loose term we’ve given to concert posters without a specific date on them, which can be moved from city to city and posted in places like glass window boxes outside a venue. (If you know of an official name for these, please let us know!)

Here are three examples that we believe were intended for just such use. The red, white & blue Biggest Show of Stars for ’57 was used in the fall of that year, and boasts a potent line-up of Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famers. This one’s huge, something like 3 by 4 feet, and was made of paper.

The Alan Freed Big Beat is also an enormous poster printed on paper. (Look here for perspective on its size.) And the In Person – Bob Dylan poster is a more normal-size, cardboard traveling poster, which we believe dates from late 1964.

Please feel free to submit any others that you think might qualify!

Since this is a supplemental bonus page, we thought we’d give a little credit to the unsung, non-household-name artists on the two great multi-act posters here, because they may not all be visible. On the 1957 BSOS poster, you have Clyde McPhatter, LaVern Baker, Jimmy Bowen and the Rhythm Orchids, The Diamonds, Buddy Knox and Paul Anka, all backed by Paul Williams and His Big Orchestra.

On the 1958 Alan Freed Big Beat poster you also have Frankie Lymon as a solo artist (without The Teen-Agers) and The Diamonds, plus Danny and the Juniors, Billy & Lillie, Billy Ford and the Thunderbirds, The Chantels, Larry Williams, The Pastels, Dicky Doo and the Dont’s, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Jo Ann Campbell and Sam “The Man” Taylor, with support from Alan Freed and His Coral Records Big Rocking Band.