Sunday Stories: Bill Graham and the History of the Music Festival

The large-scale benefit rock concert found its beginnings in the 1980s. The first of these, Live Aid, had an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion across 150 nations who tuned into the live broadcast. Bill Graham, concert promoter and Holocaust survivor, produced this massive undertaking--and in doing so, set the stage for the large-scale music festivals we know today.  Join us for this Sunday Story as we explore the legacy of Bill Graham and the history of the music festival.

Bill Graham and the Rock & Roll Revolution, on view at The CJM Mar 17–July 5, 2016, explored the life of Bill Graham (1931–1991) from his childhood as a German Jewish refugee to his pivotal role in making rock music a multi-billion dollar global industry. The exhibition looked at his immense success as a rock promoter and his pioneering work behind the scenes to use rock music to raise consciousness and deliver aid to those in need. Organized by the Skirball Cultural Center, Los Angeles.