Comments on: Drawing Rock Music

Drawing Rock Music

terrapin — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:09:52 -0800

Legendary artist Alton Kelley created a graphic style that rocked the world beginning in the psychedelic sixties. His concert posters, logo designs, LP album covers, and fine art have forevermore defined that time. Kelley passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, June 1, 2008 of complications from a long illness.

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:16:48 -0800

It's been a lousy day for rock and roll. .

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:30:24 -0800

A great artist/illustrator, someone who really taught me a lot about what I like in art (I didn't know him but I obsessed on his work). .

By: mosk

mosk — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:36:34 -0800

Shit. This makes me incredibly sad. I've enjoyed his and Mouse's work since I was old enough to recognize it for what it is. As Joel Selvin (senior pop music critic for the SF Chronicle) said in one of the above links, Kelley and Mouse "drew the first face on rock music." Thank you, Alton, for so many great album covers and concert posters. Your art work has been some of the only art work I've ever eaten, albeit one or two tiny, perforated squares paper at a time. .

By: Mblue

Mblue — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:37:55 -0800

By: Fuzzy Skinner

Fuzzy Skinner — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:38:29 -0800

Coincidentally, Bo Diddly just died as well.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:41:24 -0800

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:01:13 -0800

Lately, I've been morbidly curious about what people end up dying of. Any indications of what sent Alton on his way?

By: hal9k

hal9k — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:21:20 -0800

By: schyler523

schyler523 — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:27:34 -0800

. thanks for making beautiful pieces of paper.

By: mmahaffie

mmahaffie — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:00:51 -0800

By: lupus_yonderboy

lupus_yonderboy — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:54:57 -0800

By: muckster

muckster — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:09:34 -0800

Apparently, his family has 20-30k in unpaid hospital bills.

By: sveskemus

sveskemus — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:01:48 -0800

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:02:00 -0800

By: djrock3k

djrock3k — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:28:31 -0800

. the very essence of Psychedelicia. captured on paper. Draw on, Kelly! (what's up with Mouse these days?)

By: digaman

digaman — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:32:59 -0800

I asked Alton to do the lettering on the cover of my 1993 book with David Shenk, Skeleton Key: A Dictionary for Deadheads. He was a very sweet guy, very generous and witty, and I was amused when he showed me his secret gallery of posters he made to work off his hostility over various contractual issues that had come up in dealing with the Grateful Dead machine over the years. (One of them said, in the psychedelic lettering that he made famous, DREADFUL GREED: WALL STREET TOUR.) I was honored to have his lettering on our book, I was happy to give him the work, and I am thankful for his generosity and humor that day. RIP, Alton.

By: digaman

digaman — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:55:36 -0800

muckster, thanks for that link. I have verified the validity of that account with a friend of the family. Please contribute.

By: terrapin

terrapin — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:56:00 -0800

Thanks for checking that out, digaman.