1.23.2014

58 PHOTOS FROM THE GRANDE BALLROOM 1968


DIGITAL PROPERTY RETROKIMMER.COM 
1. Linda Haney at the concession stand


2. Linda Haney


3. Two girls -- one in red pants outfit.   Barb Smith and ??


4. Jimi Hendrix -- probably at Olympia. (he never played the Grande)


5. Linda Haney


6. The Cream at the Grande first gig there. Clapton's playing the famous Gibson SB "Fool" guitar, with the painted images of a face and psychedelic swirls on it.  (He broke the neck on it right before the next gig at the grande... I begged him to sell it to me, even offered to trade him a similar Gibson SG... but he'd already given it to George Harrison.  Oh well.  That same guitar sold for over $700,000G last year and wasn't even playable anymore.


7. Linda Haney in gray knit dress.


8. Unknown guy that looks like Jack Black.

The unknown guy who looks like Jack Black in picture #8 is Ron Levine who was part of the MC5's family and road crew at that time. thanks Emil!


9. Gary Rasmussen


10. MC 5


11. MC 5


12. Townsend from the WHO playing a nice Gibson SG. - first gig at Grande


13.Buffalo Springfield
 love the "ice cream" swirl on the drum head.


14. Wayne Kramer-MC5


15. MC5  Mike Davis and Wayne Kramer


16. Barb Smith(?) and pretty girl.  Someone's house.


17. Rob Tyner  MC5


18. MC5


19. Robin Trower


20. Russ Gibb


21. The Rationals


22. That's me (Steven Finly) and ???


23.Steve Winwood with a nice 66 Gibson reverse Firebird (my brother hand a guitar just like that).


24.  The guy is name Doug -- he was the guitar play in my band, the Ball. Linda Haney


25. MC5


26. My band the BALL playing at a BMF dance.  Tom Jerome Youngman on drums.


27. Cream  (first gig).


28. Cream  (first gig).


29. Cream - first gig at Grande, first night.  Clapton wore that CHAPS outfit on the plane from Chicago.... He was wearing them when I picked them up at the airport with my mom's station wagon.



31.Who. -- first Grande gig.


32. Who



34. Who


35. Who


36. Who



38. don't know... nice Gibson EB2 base though...


39.  Not sure... but it's the Masonic Temple.


40. Traffic - Steve Winwood and drummer


41.The Rationals


42. Steve Winwood


43. John Moffet (dark hair) with...  Bill Robbins  Grande concession stand.


44. Robin Trower


45. Cream. First gig at Grande. first night.


46. The Thyme... a local group, I think.


47. Linda Haney and date with Barb Smith and Dennis Thompson in pink


48.Dennis Thompson MC5


49. mystery band??


50. Looks like Robin Trower again... same Gibson Les Paul guitar.  The July 1970 should help id it for sure.


51.MC5


52. Dave Miller


53. ??


54. Who


55. MC5


56. Rationals


57. Dave Miller Emcee


58. The Apostles -- a local group.

READ MORE ABOUT THE GRANDE BALLROOM

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED BY LINDA HANEY AND BARB SMITH 
CAPTIONS BY STEVE FINLY....



27 comments:

Anonymous said...

The weird thing is the Vanity Ballroom, especially the stage, was IDENTICAL to the Grande, though on the other side of town. It was in GREAT shape until the late 80's. The owners there let it decay. Very sad.

Ron said...

Great to see...some real treasures here...the shots from the Riviera are pretty rare. Looking forward to the captions . Thanks for the memories Kim.

Anonymous said...

Photo of Hendrix was from the Masonic Temple. The Who pix from the the Riviera were awesome. I went to that show and remember that there were two shows scheduled for the same night. I was at the first show and we exited the Riviera with mobs of people outside waiting to get in for the late show. The Who had totally made it in Detroit and were greeted with a long standing ovation when they took the stage. They played the entire Tommy Opera and it was one of those moments that you will take to your grave.

Unknown said...

i keep hoping to find myself in these old photos. i was in the orchestra pit for the who at the rivera, and then backstage...well, onstage behind the curtin after the show.
i was sent here by scott morgan of the rationals.

Rod said...

Kim, these were incredible! Thank you!

Anonymous said...

nice pic of Uncle Greedhead

Sarah Sustekova said...

I'm going to share these with Russ Gibb! These are great and he will love them!!

Ruth said...

Great to see these pics. Spent many evenings at the Grande. Still love live music. Still love to dance.

Chuck Santoni said...

Fun shots, Kim! Wish I would have been there for the Procol Harum show. Spotted Matthew Fisher and the great Robin Trower. They have such an archive of great material! Thanks Kim

Fast Film said...

super collection!

Ron said...

Kim...a few of the MC5 photos , the ones with Wayne and Rob in reddish garb , are neither Grande or Grande-Riviera captures . They are from Masonic Temple . If the date is 1968 , the only gig they played at that venue was when they opened for Jimi Hendrix . The stage is clue . The ornamentation of it matches the Hendrix photos ... FYI .

Anonymous said...

THANKS FOR SO MANY GOOD MEMORIES I WAS THERE EVER CHACE I GOT
LOVE & PEACE KEITH

Ron said...

Dear Kim...FYI on the captions.All the WHO photos are from the Grande-Riviera Theater...4 of the MC5 shots were taken at Masonic Temple when they opened for Hendrix,and 6 MC5 shots are at the Grande...the Hendrix shot is at Masonic Temple...the guy standing by all the posters is Ron Levine,roadie for MC5...it's not Creedance in the shot mentioned rather,it's Thyme...the mystery band is Odds and Ends...also not captioned is the Apostles...the bass player is Dave Knight from Procol Harum,and the keyboard guy is Matthew Fisher from the same...the Steve Winwood and Robin Trower shots are from the Eastown and a Trower shot from the Grande...and it's not Traffic with drummer,rather it's Daltry and Moon at the Riviera...the band with a question mark is also the Thyme....that's about it. Hope this helps.
Ron D

Tropical Jon said...

I THINK the guy in #39 is Pat Greeley...

Anonymous said...

I was at the opening of the Grande Riviera when the Who performed. Loved it.

Anonymous said...

I saw the Who twice: at the Grande Joe Cocker was first band....wow and , at the Rivera...Alice Cooper ....with feathers in our hair on the way out...both great shows....Thanks for the pic...quit a time!

Anonymous said...

Winwood's Gibson Firebird is the later 'nonreverse" model. CG

Anonymous said...

Great memories....thanks for sharing. I was definitely at the Cream concert with Clapton and his white chaps!

Brian Handyside said...

Also the Graystone Ballroom, was an identical to the Grande (also in Detroit)
My Parents Jitterbugged at those locations, a generation before us Hippies invaded.

Brian Handyside said...

Also the Graystone Ballroom, was an identical to the Grande (also in Detroit)
My Parents Jitterbugged at those locations, a generation before us Hippies invaded.

Unknown said...

You say Hendrix never played the Grande but I was there when he did. In fact I sold my Henrix playbill for $350.00 on Ebay. I still have a copy of it. Love that pic of you Steve!

Rick said...

#13 is Buffalo Springfield.

Unknown said...

Was that the SG that Tod Rundgren had from EC??

Anonymous said...

#43 don't think that's John we went to H.S. together (Mackenzie) and played in a band called the Lott. He didn't wear glasses

RON D said...

Dear Kim...FYI on the captions.All the WHO photos are from the Grande-Riviera Theater...4 of the MC5 shots were taken at Masonic Temple when they opened for Hendrix, and 6 MC5 shots are at the Grande...the Hendrix shot is at Masonic Temple...the guy standing by all the posters is Ron Levine, roadie for MC5...it's not Creedance in the shot mentioned rather, it's Thyme...the mystery band is Odds and Ends...also not captioned is the Apostles...the bass player is Dave Knight from Procol Harum,and the keyboard guy is Matthew Fisher from the same...the Steve Winwood and Robin Trower shots are from the Eastown and a Trower shot from the Grande...and it's not Traffic with drummer ,rather it's Daltry and Moon at the Riviera...the band with a question mark is also the Thyme....that's about it. Hope this helps.

Ron D

luvwings said...

#38 is David Knights from Procol Harum..I met him in 1971 in London..
He left the band in 1970, had an album called Ruby and a band called Red Crystal Fantasies in 1974

I was a regular at the Grande
Denise

Anonymous said...

The guy in the green shirt in photo #39 may be a roadie. He seems to be playing Jack Bruce's bass, and Cream's Marshall amps are behind him. You can see the same setup and Jack on that Gibson in photo #45.

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