David Edward Byrd
David Edward Byrd | |
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Grammy Award |
David Edward Byrd (born April 4, 1941) is an American graphic artist, designer, illustrator and painter. Many of his designs are considered to have helped define the look of rock and roll music starting in the 1960s.[1] He is most well known for his poster designs, including his rock posters for the Fillmore East as well as his Broadway theatre posters.
Early life
David Byrd was born April 4, 1941, in what is now Cleveland, Tennessee, and was raised in Miami Beach, Florida.
Education
He graduated from
Rock Posters
In 1968, a number of college classmates (including
Original Woodstock Festival Poster
In 1969, Byrd created the original poster for Woodstock, but as the festival was subsequently moved and Byrd (then on vacation on the Caribbean island of Saint Martin) could not be reached,[5] his original design went unused.[6]
Broadway Posters
He designed posters for notable stage musicals including Follies, Godspell, The Robber Bridegroom, The Grand Tour, The Survival of St. Joan, Jesus Christ Superstar, Little Shop of Horrors, and others.
Move to Los Angeles - Van Halen, Warner Bros.
In 1981, Byrd came to Los Angeles to work as the Art Director for the Fair Warning Tour for Van Halen. After that he did more poster creations in and around Los Angeles for, among others, The Mark Taper Forum, The Ahmanson Theatre, The Doolittle Theatre (in Hollywood, CA), and The Pasadena Playhouse.[citation needed]
From 1991 to 2002, Byrd was Senior Illustrator at
Gay Advocacy and Design
In 1976, Byrd illustrated the cover of the first edition of
Personal life
In 1985, David began Byrd/Beserra Studios, with his partner Jolino Beserra,[9] a noted Mosaic Artist.[10]
Accolades and awards
In 1973, Byrd along with several other prominent illustrators, received a
In 2007, the Ringling College of Art and Design presented a retrospective of Byrd's work.[11]
Byrd's autobiography POSTER CHILD: The Psychedelic Art & Technicolor Life of David Edward Byrd, written with co-author Robert von Goeben, was released in 2023 by Abrams Books.
Further reading
Hearn, Michael Patrick; The Art of the Broadway Poster; New York, Ballantine Books; First Edition 1980;
Byrd, David Edward and von Goeben, Robert; POSTER CHILD: The Psychedelic Art & Technicolor Life of David Edward Byrd; New York, Abrams books; First Edition 2023;
References
- ^ "David Edward Byrd, Whose Illustrations Defined the Look of Rock, Looks Back on 50 Years". Vanity Fair. 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
- ^ "David Byrd | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "Billboard 25 Best Rock Posters of All Time". www.billboardlists.50webs.com. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "KISS Concert History Online - Interviews - David Edward Byrd". www.kissconcerthistory.com. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- ^ "That iconic Woodstock concert poster with the dove? There was another earlier one and here's what happened to it". Daily News. 2019-08-08. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- ^ "David Edward Byrd - Woodstock". www.david-edward-byrd.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-11. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "Harry Potter + Golden Snitch - David Edward Byrd Posters". ArtPal. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- ^ University, Carnegie Mellon. "A True "Happening" - Engage with CMU - Carnegie Mellon University". www.cmu.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-05.
- ^ Statement by Jolino Beserra Archived 2011-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Jolino Beserra". www.jolinoarchitecturalmosaics.com. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "Ringling College of Art & Design |". www.ringling.edu. Retrieved 2019-06-01.