Search the Fresh Air Archive

Close Search

Rock impresario Bill Graham

Rock impresario Bill Graham. We remember him with a 1989 interview recorded in San Francisco. He first made his mark as the rock promoter of the psychedelic scene. He came up with the idea of turning old theatres into rock venues... he had the Fillmore in San Francisco and the Fillmore East in New York. He eventually branched out into every aspect of rock promotion. He was a producer of several groundbreaking international benefits including Live Aid and the Amnesty International concert tours. Graham died in a 1991 helicopter crash at the age of 60.

10:57
Queue

Guest

Host

Related Topics

Other segments from the episode on August 30, 2017

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, August 30, 2002: Interview with Bill Graham; Interview with John Phillips; Interview with Neil Young.
Queue
24:45

John Phillips

He was the principal songwriter for the pop group that had a string of hits from 1966 to 1968 when the group broke up. Their hits included "Monday, Monday," "California Dreamin*," "I Saw Her Again Last Night" and others. He died of heart failure in March of 2001. He was 65.

Interview
Queue
15:00

Singer Neil Young

In 1966 he joined L.A. rock band Buffalo Springfield; they split up three albums later due to inter-band fighting and their lack of commercial success. Young then meandered from band to band, including "Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young," while doing a lot of solo work as well. He's been called the "Godfather of Grunge," and "The king of punk."

Interview

Transcript

Transcripts currently not available

Transcripts are created on a rush deadline, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of Fresh Air interviews and reviews are the audio recordings of each segment.

You May Also like

Queue
27:39

Rock Impresario Bill Graham

The San Francisco-based Graham organized and promoted concerts for several important bands in the 1960s. He worked hard to create diverse lineups, and balance the needs and desires of artists and record labels. Graham closed his iconic Fillmore Theater in 1971.

Interview

Did you know you can create a shareable playlist?

Learn How
Advertisement

Recently on Fresh Air Available to Play on NPR

36:56

A humorist faces life with Stage 4 lung cancer: 'The future disappeared for me'

Terry Gross interviews humorist, memoirist and actress ANNABELLE GURWITCH about her new memoir called The End of My Life is Killing Me: The Unexpected Joys of a Cancer Slacker. It is a national bestseller.

Related segments from the Fresh Air Archive:

See All Recent Segments

There are more than 22,000 Fresh Air segments.

Let us help you find exactly what you want to hear.
Just play me something
Your Queue

Would you like to make a playlist based on your queue?

Generate & Share View/Edit Your Queue