Bill Graham is one of the names most closely associated with live music. From the 1960s until the 1990s, he made a substantial contribution to the US music landscape. And it still has an impact today.
Born Wulf Wolodi Grajonca on January 8, 1931, in Berlin, Germany. His parents were Jewish lower middle-class Russians who emigrated to Germany. In 1941, he and 1,000 other Jewish children were sent to New York City to escape Hitler's reign.
Throughout his career, Bill Graham organized and promoted several benefit concerts. In many ways, they paved the path for some of today’s larger music festivals. Let’s take a look at a few of his more well-known events.