Norman Orr

• Genres: Rock

Biography

The youngest of the classic Fillmore Auditorium concert poster artists, Norman Orr absorbed the influences of predecessors like Rick Griffin, Stanley Mouse, and Alton Kelley to ultimately hone his own uniquely detailed and freewheeling style harking back to the graphic designs of the 19th century. Born just outside of San Francisco on October 27, 1949, he was still in high school when psychedelia took root; harboring artistic ambitions since childhood, he found the Fillmore's promotional posters as inspirational as the music itself, and vowed to someday produce his own pieces for the venue. After graduation, Orr went to work on a farm, driving up to the Bay Area each weekend to absorb the scene; in his spare hours, he also continued drawing.

After completing his first poster in honor of Santana's appearance at the local county fair, in 1970 Orr sold his first commercial piece, a pen-and-ink drawing that was part of a thematic series called Custer Died for Our Sins. (The American West was a theme of his work throughout his career, dovetailing with his interest in the graphic style of the previous century.) The sale of his art convinced Orr to pursue work with the Fillmore, where he was invited to produce a poster on spec; days later, he returned with a piece heavily influenced by Griffin, yet infused with sufficient originality to win him a pair of commissions for upcoming Santana and Quicksilver Messenger Service dates.

In all, Orr completed a dozen posters for the Fillmore, most of them informed by historical or contemporary political conditions, before moving on to pursue other creative avenues. Later working as a custom carpenter in San Francisco, his focus turned to intricate handmade wood carvings and paper sculpture; finally, in 1995 Orr made a welcome return to the world of rock poster art, creating a series of original black-and-white pieces commissioned in honor of tribute concerts celebrating the life and work of John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and Ron "Pigpen" McKernan of the Grateful Dead. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi