Skip to content
Black Grail
Posters194990Legendary

Billie Holiday "America's No. 1 Song Stylist" Globe Concert Poster

Description

This original 14 x 22 inch cardboard window card poster advertised Billie Holiday’s “Show and Dance” performance in Sacramento, California, on March 1, 1949. Created by the renowned Globe Poster Corp. of Baltimore, the piece features a captivating portrait of Holiday with her trademark white gardenias and striking type treatment. Designed as a reusable tour blank, it boasts vibrant colors, detailed graphic flourishes, and a unique misspelling of Sacramento. Unlike her New York or East Coast posters, this was made for touring and is the only known surviving example of its kind, endorsed with “America’s No. 1 Song Stylist”.

Significance

The poster stands as a rare visual artifact from the height of Billie Holiday’s career, capturing her legendary status and her tours outside New York. Its design excellence and association with Joe Glaser’s management reflect the era’s innovation in entertainment marketing. This is a trophy piece in American jazz, blues, and pop history, highlighting a year when Holiday recorded key classics and directly connected with West Coast audiences. With only about six surviving specimens, it serves as a cherished testament to “Lady Day’s” enduring legacy.

Key Notes

  • A Sacramento example sold for $40,000 at Heritage Auctions in August 2023, setting a market record for this Billie Holiday concert poster and highlighting its extreme rarity and trophy status.

Heritage Insights

Validate this item’s Black Grail Score with verified heritage data

  • Provenance Chain
  • Smithsonian Records
  • Ownership History
Premium Access

Heritage verification opening soon

Add to My CollectionWatch This

More in Posters

View all