David Edward Byrd was an artist known for his psychedelic posters promoting 1960s rock acts and for his logos and posters for significant Broadway musicals.
- Died: February 3, 2025 (Who else died on February 3?)
- Details of death: Died after fighting pneumonia at the age of 83.
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David Edward Byrd’s legacy
The psychedelic artwork of Byrd’s music posters now seems synonymous with the late-1960s rock and roll scene. That’s no coincidence. While Byrd wasn’t the only artist creating posters for concerts at legendary show venues like New York City’s Fillmore East Ballroom, he was both prolific and influential.
Byrd began creating posters for the Fillmore East around 1968, having recently graduated from Carnegie-Mellon University with an MFA in painting and printmaking. His education served him well as he attracted rock music fans to upcoming shows with his colorful, fanciful artwork. Among his best-known posters for the Fillmore East was one advertising a 1968 show featuring the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Graham’s psychedelic portrait of Hendrix and his bandmates, in shades of purple, orange, and yellow, drew young hippies to the venue and influenced other poster artists of the time.
The many other artists whose concert posters featured Byrd’s art included The Grateful Dead, Traffic, Jefferson Airplane, and The Rolling Stones. In 1969, he designed the original poster for Woodstock, featuring richly detailed Art Nouveau-inspired illustrations. Unfortunately, his poster included the concert’s originally planned location, Wallkill, New York. When the venue was moved to Bethel, New York, and Byrd was unavailable to update his design, it was scrapped, and another artist’s work was used.
As Byrd’s reputation as a poster artist grew, he also began working on illustrations to advertise Broadway productions. His original artwork is still widely associated with such stage shows as “Godspell” and “Follies.” He also designed posters for “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Little Shop of Horrors,” and others.
Even after the psychedelic years had passed, Byrd continued designing rock posters, working with Kiss in the 1970s and Van Halen in the 1980s. In 2013, he designed a poster in his classic psychedelic style for a Prince (1958–2016) appearance at San Francisco’s DNA Lounge.
Notable quote
“Unfortunately, I gave so many posters away like a drunken sailor. To me they were disposable items. You just did it for this moment and who knew that 50 years later you would rue the day that you gave them all away or only saved five. That’s just the way I was, I didn’t plan for the future. I didn’t expect to live this long. Good god.” — from a 2015 interview for Senior Planet
Tributes to David Edward Byrd
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
