Gary Grimshaw’s first Grande Ballroom poster turns 60 with Detroit-area celebrations

A poster that helped define Detroit’s psychedelic rock era is turning 60.

Gary Grimshaw’s “Seagull,” the first poster created for the legendary Grande Ballroom, will be celebrated this month with a series of events in Detroit and Pontiac featuring live music, poetry, a film screening, and an exhibition of the late artist’s work.

Grimshaw designed the poster for the Grande Ballroom’s opening on Oct. 7, 1966. It was his first professional art job and the beginning of a career that would make him one of Detroit’s most recognizable rock poster artists. The Grande, operated by promoter Russ Gibb with shows curated by counterculture figure John Sinclair, became the epicenter of Detroit’s late-1960s rock scene.

Grimshaw, who died in 2014, became closely associated with the Grande and bands including the MC5, designing swirling, psychedelic posters that eventually became highly collectible. His work became synonymous with Detroit rock ’n’ roll in the 1960s.

The 60th anniversary celebration begins Wednesday, Oct. 7 — exactly six decades after the Grande opened — at Third Man Records in Detroit’s Cass Corridor. The Howling Diablos will perform, while poet and writer M.L. Liebler will recite the poetry of Sinclair accompanied by guitarist Jeff Grand. Artist Carl Lundgren, another veteran of the Grande Ballroom scene, will perform folk songs.

The Howling Diablos have their own connection to Grimshaw. According to organizers, Grimshaw asked friends to put together a band to play at the openings of his two-weekend art show at the Michigan Gallery in 1987. They called themselves the Howling Diablos and went on to become longtime fixtures of Detroit’s music scene.

Leni Sinclair and Grimshaw’s widow, Laura Grimshaw, will also have art for sale at the Third Man event, including a special silkscreened edition of “Seagull.” Organizers also plan to mark the launch of GaryGrimshaw.com, a new website administered by Grimshaw’s son, Morgan. Doors open at 6 p.m., with remarks at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $10 plus service fees.

The celebration moves to the Pontiac Creative Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 10, with a screening of “Louder Than Love: The Grande Ballroom Story,” filmmaker Tony D’Annunzio’s documentary about the storied Detroit venue. D’Annunzio will participate in a Q&A following the film. Laura Grimshaw and Pontiac Mayor Mike McGuinness are scheduled to give remarks before the screening.

The event will also open an exhibition featuring 40 archival prints of Grimshaw posters, many of them created for the Grande Ballroom. Admission to the opening is $10, and artwork and a special exhibition poster will be sold, with proceeds from the exhibition poster benefiting the Pontiac Creative Arts Center. The gallery will also be open from 3:30-6 p.m. Oct. 15 and 16 with free admission.

The celebration concludes Saturday, Oct. 17, with a gallery talk and closing reception at the Pontiac Creative Arts Center. Laura Grimshaw will discuss her husband’s career as well as efforts to preserve and expand his legacy since his death, including the new website and an update on a long-awaited book project. Doors open at 1 p.m., with the gallery talk at 2:30 p.m. Admission is free.