Details

ARC-0400

collection

Chet Helms Family Photographs

1985, undated

3.83 (MB)

Chet Helms (August 2, 1942-June 25, 2005) was widely hailed as the Father of San Francisco's 1967 Summer of Love. The first producer to mount psychedelic light shows at the Fillmore Auditorium, he later operated his own concert venue, the Avalon Ballroom, in addition to serving as manager of Big Brother and the Holding Company. Helms' Family Dog Productions promoted concerts at the Fillmore - alternating weekends with rival producer Bill Graham - and organized many critical events in Bay Area rock history. Equally important were the posters and handbills used to advertise the shows, which featured original artwork by many of the city's most visionary underground artists, essentially creating the psychedelic imagery that has since defined the counterculture aesthetic.

The Chet Helms Family Photographs include five images of Chet as a child and adult, as well as three images of Helms' parents, Chester and Novella Helms, and two of Helms with his siblings, John and Jimmy.

The original photographs remain with the donor.

: The Chet Helms Family Photographs were received by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc., as a gift from Gennafer "Goldie" Vallance, Helms' cousin, on November 2, 2009.

: [Identification of Item], Chet Helms Family Photographs, Library and Archives, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.

: Processed by Jennie Thomas, Head Archivist. Completed November 28, 2012. Revised August 7, 2014. Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS and local processing manual.

: No linguistic content.

Collection is open for research. Patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibilities and Privacy Rights statement on the Researcher Registration form before using this collection. Consult the Library and Archives in advance of your visit to ensure access to these materials is available.

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. For more information, please consult the staff of the Library and Archives.