Kerry Fitzgerald and John Rogers

Famed comedy star Kerry Awn used to do posters under his real name in the early days.  Here is one he did for the Arlo Guthrie Show at the Municipal Auditorium.  The show was produced by KNOW which was the happening top 40 AM station in Austin in the 60s.

John Rogers, who only did a few posters at Directions Company, did this wonderful Shawn Phillips poster for the Armadillo. Phillips did two shows that weekend.

Mother Earth

Most folks don't remember that an early hoppin venue in Austin was Mother Earth.  It was at 914 N. Lamar.  Ultimately it continued its life as the first real Whole Foods Store.  But in the early 70s, there were some good shows there. Freida and the Firedogs was the opener here.

Early Auditorium Shows

In the early 70s, Micael Priest, working through Directions Company, also did work in San Antonio and KEXL radio which was the happening station at the time. Here is the poster for the George Carlin with  Kenny Loggins/Jim Messina at Laurie Auditorium.  It was weird billing but the show was packed.  Laurie was a great venue.

Another killer show was Fleetwood Mac with Pure Prairie League at the Austin Municipal Auditorium.  Both of these posters represent some of the best of the early 2 and 3 color posters produced of the period. This was a Concerts Unlimited show.

Ken Featherston

Ken Featherston came on the Poster scene a year or so after Micael Priest, but he made quite a splash with his stipple style of illustration.

Unfortunately, Ken also left the poster scene early due to a rare and unusual shooting at the Armadillo.  He was working security that night and somehow found himself a target for a bullet.

Micael Priest

One of my favorite three color Michael Priest posters is his Stevie Miller poster at the Austin Municipal Auditorium

But I really like the black whites that he did when he first came back to Austin upon his return from Fort Worth in 1972 where he was working at the Sketch Pad. This is one of my favorites. It's a show at Mother Earth which ultimately turned into the first Whole Foods.






































Here's another early poster from Micael  for an Elton John show at the San Antonio Municipal Auditorium in 1972.  It was sponsored by KEXL which was the hot San Antonio station at the time. This was a great show.

Scholz Garten Restoration

Back in 1987, Eddie Wilson, Michael Osborne, and Phil Vitek bought the lease at Scholz Garten from Larry Bales.  The restoration won the Historic Preservation Award from the Heritage Society of Austin.

Although Wilson and Osborne have been long gone from the joint for years, the award winning restoration remains.

Silver Haired Daddy

Recorded in 1981 by Kenneth Threadgill at Onion Audio in the Armadillo.  Cover by Guy Juke based on a photo from Kini Glen.  Liner Notes by Johnny Gimble.  Produced by Michael J Osborne and Hank Alrich and released on Armadillo Records.