Mural – Bill Graham Memorial Foundation

American Live Aid – 1985

Front cover of the program from the Live Aid concert at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, July 13, 1985. The concert, and a simultaneous one at Wembley Stadium in London, England, were designed to raise awareness and funds for a worldwide hunger relief program. The cover features an outline of Africa with the neck of a guitar overlaid on a list of the scheduled performers. (Photo by Blank Archives/Getty Images)

After Bob Geldof came up with the idea of putting on a “Global Jukebox” with artists in both the U.S. and England performing on television all over the world to raise money to fight the devastating famine in Ethiopia, Bill produced the American Live Aid concert at the one hundred thousand seat John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. The event, which raised more than forty-five million dollars to fight hunger in Africa, also proved that, as Bill would later say, rock had become “the international means of communication,” the single language everyone all over the world now understood. For his work on Live Aid, Bill was given MTV’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Audio: Bill Graham – Freedom of Expression

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Mime Troupe Legal Funds Benefit – Nov 1965

In 1965, Bill Graham became the business manager for the San Francisco Mime Troupe, the cutting edge radical theatre company run by R.G. “Ronnie” Davis in which Peter Coyote began his acting career. After the Mime Troupe was busted for giving what authorities termed an “obscene” performance in Lafayette Park, Bill put on an appeal party at the Calliope Warehouse on November 6th, 1965 to raise funds for their legal defense at which Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Sandy Bull, The Fugs, John Handy, Allen Ginsberg, and The Jefferson Airplane appeared. During what he would later call “by far the most significant evening of my life in the theater,” Bill watched in amazement as people who did not know one another walked into the party and began dancing with one another. The event raised $2000 for the Mime Troupe’s defense fund. He went on to have a thriving career managing concert venues, including the famous Fillmore Auditorium, where he organized two more benefit concerts for the Mime Troupe.

Audio

Bill Remembers the first Mime Troupe Benefit

Mime Troupe Continued

Bill Graham, Ron Davis and Sol Jacobs. Unknown photographer

SNACK Concert – 1975

In 1975, the San Francisco school district faced budget issues, leading to cuts in various programs, including extracurricular activities like music and drama. Athletic programs were also eliminated a week later. School maintenance was postponed, and layoffs were planned to address a budget deficit in the millions. Bill Graham, upset about the cuts, organized a benefit event at Kezar Stadium. On March 23rd, 1975, fifty thousand people filled the stadium to watch The Grateful Dead, Graham Central Station, Bob Dylan and the Band, Jefferson Starship, Tower of Power, the Doobie Brothers, Santana, Mimi Farina, and Neil Young perform. Featured speakers at the event included Marlon Brando, Joan Baez, and Willie Mays. The concert raised enough money to fund after-school programs in San Francisco schools for another year.

Although Bill had been doing benefits ever since he had first opened the Fillmore, SNACK was the first big rock benefit concert in history. By using the drawing power of artists who were willing to contribute their services for a worthy cause, Bill had discovered a way to use rock “to solve a social problem.” His willingness to invest his time and energy in projects from which neither he nor his company earned any money would in time make him the go-to guy in rock for anyone with a worthy cause.

Audio:

Bill on Marlon Brando at the SNACK Concert

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Amnesty International – Conspiracy of Hope 1986

Conspiracy of Hope was a short tour of six benefit concerts on behalf of Amnesty International that took place in the United States during June 1986. The purpose of the tour was not to raise funds but rather to increase awareness of human rights and of Amnesty’s work on its 25th anniversary. At press conferences in each city, at related media events, and through their music at the concerts themselves, the artists engaged with the public on themes of human rights and human dignity.

The tour was conceived by the Executive Director of Amnesty International’s U.S. section, Jack Healey. Bill Graham, served as executive producer. The Shows featured U2, Peter Gabriel, Lou Reed, Bryan Adams, the Neville Brothers, and Joan Baez, with the last three concerts featuring a reunion of the Police. The tour raised $2.5 million for Amnesty USA and brought the organization a hundred and fifty thousand new members.

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Amnesty International Human Rights Now! 1988

After presenting the first live stadium rock concert featuring American artists in Russia, Bill put together the “Human Rights Now!” tour in 1988 to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Featuring Yossou N’Dour, Tracy Chapman, Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Bruce Springsteen, the tour began in England and continued with concerts in Europe, Costa Rica, Canada, the United States, Japan, India, Zimbabwe, the Ivory Coast, Brazil, and Argentina. The sheer logistics of moving so many musicians around the world in “the greatest ever rock-music extravaganza” were staggering but the tour brought Amnesty’s message of hope to people in the third world where the organization had long been struggling to achieve its goals.

In Concert Against AIDS 1989

In Concert Against Aids was a groundbreaking, 18-months-in-the-making entertainment series which took place in the Bay Area over five days at the end of May, 1989. A giant AIDS benefit concert was the idea of Bill’s close friend and associate, Zohn Artman. Artman wanted to “see heterosexual rock stars stand up and be counted in the battle against AIDS.” He had envisioned a stadium concert and telethon three years earlier but sadly he succumbed to AIDS before his vision could be realized.

Two years later Bill Graham brought Zohn’s vision to fruition. Billed as a “… total community effort …” the week of events included “the world’s longest conga line,” a comedy night, a gospel choir show, and the highlight – a nine-hour rock concert at the Oakland Coliseum featuring the Grateful Dead, John Fogerty, Tracy Chapman, Los Lobos and others.

“I’ve lost some friends to AIDS. This is an emotional issue for me,” Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia said at a news conference announcing In Concert Against AIDS. “We are not really making any sacrifices. We’re doing what we always do, playing music for people,” Garcia said. “I hope this gets treated with the seriousness it deserves. It’s still being treated like some kind of political issue, not like what it really is, a health issue.”

The week kicked off with Huey Lewis and the News performing an intimate set at Slim’s which included a sit down dinner, while Linda Ronstadt starred in an evening of Latin music at the San Francisco Gift Center. Between the week of concerts and a telethon with filmed portions of the stadium show that ran on KRON, more than $500,000 was raised.

Earthquake Relief Benefit 1989

Bob Hope with Bill Graham. Photo by Ken Friedman

In response to the 1989 earthquake in Northern California, a benefit event was swiftly organized by Bill Graham. Approximately 50 music and comedy acts performed on November 26, 1989, at three different venues – Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center in Oakland, the Cow Palace in San Francisco and the Watsonville High School football field. KQED, a public broadcasting station, played a key role by securing an FCC waiver and dedicating 13 hours of airtime for the telethon, broadcasting live concerts and appeals for earthquake relief donations. During the telethon, Bill pledged to match funds up to one million dollars.

The “Earthquake Relief” concerts featured Bobby McFerrin, Carlos Santana, Neil Young, Los Lobos, Bonnie Raitt, Pete Escovedo, Taj Mahal and Crosby, Stills & Nash. Bob Hope joined the lineup for the event that in the end, raised a total of two million dollars for the relief fund.

A remembrance from Bob Barsotti who worked alongside Bill on many of the benefit shows over the years…”When Bill was doing his rounds of the three benefit sites he was able to bring Bob Hope along to say hello to the crowds out to support Earthquake relief. When they arrived at the Cow Palace it was time for the Doobie Brothers to begin their set so Bill brought Bob out on stage with him for an extra special intro for his dear friends. When Bill introduced Bob the crowd erupted and Bob just stood there staring out, eventually able to say a few words of welcome before the Doobies started their set. As Bill was walking Bob off stage he noticed a strange look on his face so he bent down and asked if everything was ok? Bob turned to Bill and said “What was that?” Bill, realizing Bob was speaking of the deafening roar of the crowd looked him in the eye and said,” That, my friend, is the power of rock n roll!” Bob’s response was “I’ve been in front of plenty of huge crowds before but I’ve never felt anything close to what I felt out there today.”

Nelson Mandela for a Free South Africa 1990

After his release from prison in February of 1990, Nelson Mandela traveled extensively, making several trips to the United States. He came to the Bay Area in June 1990, where he was honored at a sold-out concert at the Oakland Coliseum.

For Bill Graham, it was important that the show reflected the supporters of Mandela and the makeup of the greater Bay Area. During a press conference Bill said that he felt strongly about what the Bay Area stands for having been the home of the free speech movement and so supportive of the labor movement, and that recognition should be given to those factors. In addition to that “the music at the event must be roots music that emanated from Africa extending into gospel and jazz and blues and r&b.”

Ticket prices were kept to $5.00 to make the event available to as many as possible and performers included Zulu Spear, John Lee Hooker & Bonnie Raitt, the Oakland-based Vukani Mawethu Choir, Baba Olatunji and Mickey Hart, Tramaine Hawkins, Bob Weir and Jerry Garcia, Gospel Hummingbirds, John Lee Hooker, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, John Santos, Kotoja, as well as Bay Area drum and dance troupes.

At the event, acknowledging the Bay Area’s role as a U.S. center of activism against apartheid, Mandela told the crowd: “You must remember that you are our blood brothers and sisters. You are our comrades in the struggle. Remember that we respect you, we admire you and, above all, we love you. ‘We are at a crucial historical juncture,” he told a cheering crowd of 58,000 people, ”We shall not turn back. Despite my 71 years, at the end of this visit I feel like a young man of 35. I feel like an old battery that has been recharged. And if I feel so young, it is the people of the United States of America that are responsible for this.”

Line up for the Nelson Mandela 1990 concert

OUR BOYS STEEL ORCHESTRA
OPENING INVOCATION AND MASSED DRUM PROCESSION FEATURING: BABA OLATUNJI / MICKEY HART / LADZEKPO BROTHERS / MANDELEO INSTITUTE / JONI HAASTRUP / JOSE LORENZO WITH BATUCAJE I MICHAEL PLUZNICK / MOTHERSTONE / HINTIL KUU KA POMO CHILDREN DANCERS / PLUS BAY AREA DRUM AND DANCE TROUPES / WITH SPECIAL GUESTS JERRY GARCIA AND BOB WEIR
TRAMAINE HAWKINS
THE CAST OF SARAFINA
GOSPEL HUMMINGBIRDS
JOHN LEE HOOKER WITH BONNIE RAITT
BAY AREA JAZZ ALL-STARS WITH: FAVE CAROL / JOHN HANDY / BOBBY HUTCHERSON / ED KELLY/ TROY LAMPKIN / PHAROAH SANDERS / E.W. WAINWRIGHT
OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR
SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK
MACHETE ENSEMBLE FEATURING: DAVID BELOVE / JOHN CALLOWAY / BILL ORTIZ / JOHN SANTOS / WAYNE WALLACE
BOOGIE DOWN PRODUCTIONS
ZULU SPEAR
KOTOJA
VUKANI MAWETHU
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA MASS CHOIR