Bill Graham

AKA:

Uncle Bobo

Birth Name:

Wulf Wolodia Grajonca

Birth Date:

January 8, 1931

Birth Place:

Berlin, Germany

Death Date:

October 25, 1991

Place of Death:

6 miles West of Vallejo, Solano County, California

Age:

Cause of Death:

Helicopter crash

Cemetery Name:

Eternal Home Jewish Cemetery

Claim to Fame:

Business and Finance

Even though Bill Graham didn't play an instrument or sing in a band, he's one of the most famous names in rock history. Bill Graham was a legendary impresario and rock concert promoter from the 1960s until his death in 1991 in a helicopter crash. Bill was the first and most successful of turning concerts and like events into a profitable endeavour for both the business and the artists. Graham had a profound influence around the world, sponsoring the musical renaissance of the '60s from the epicenter, San Francisco. Chet Helms and then Bill Graham made famous the Fillmore and Winterland Ballroom; these turned out to be a proving grounds for rock bands and acts of the San Francisco Bay area including the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, and Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin, who were first managed, and in some cases developed, by Chet Helms.

Fun Fact:

After Graham made his way backstage to greet the band and make small talk with the staff, Graham was stopped by the bass player from Huey Lewis and the News, Mario Cippolina, who, in a moment of foresight, noted the poor weather, and suggested that Graham to take his limousine. He declined the offer and walked away wearing, ironically, a Lynyrd Skynyrd tour jacket. In case you don’t remember, In 1977 the band Lynyrd Skynyrd endured a plane crash that killed several of its members and staff.

Bill Graham’s last home was located at 800 Corte Madera Avenue in Corte Madera, California. I say “was located” because his house was torn down in 2002 and replaced.

The approximate coordinates for the helicopter crash are 38°09′11″N 122°24′45″W. The new tower is at the same location but that is not the original tower which had to be rebuilt.

The Bell 206B JetRanger had an airframe total time of 6,279 hours and its last inspection was on September 9, 1991, seven logged hours before the accident. The pilot was 42-year-old Steve Kahn, who held valid airline transport, flight instructor, and commercial certificates, with 4,541 total flight hours logged. At the time of the crash, an inquiry found the pilot had considerable geographic knowledge of the area and decided to fly visual flight rules (VFR) when conditions would indicate use of instrument flight rules (IFR).

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Eternal Home Jewish Cemetery

1051 El Camino Real

Colma, California, 94014

USA

North America

Grave Location:

Block 700, Row G

Grave Location Description

As you enter the cemetery from El Camino Real, the office will be on your right and after 50 feet you will turn left at the first opportunity. Drive through the first roundabout and park at the furthest point after the next roundabout. Walk straight ahead (same direction as the road) and walk to the second section. Turn left and walk towards the brick wall and 5 rows from the wall and 15 spaces to your right you will find the final resting place of Bill Graham.

Grave Location GPS

37.68038329695, -122.46156578443

Photos:

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Videos Featuring Bill Graham:

Bill Graham - what makes Bill Graham successful? - 11/5/1977 - Winterland, San Francisco, CA

Bill Graham Interview on Led Zeppelin 1983

Bill Graham on Letterman, August 25, 1982

Bill Graham - Interview - 3/6/1990 - Masada

Backstage with Rock Star Promoter Bill Graham for CBS TV West 57th, 1986

Rock Promoter 'Bill Graham' ripped by 'Rock Scully' manager of the Grateful Dead

Bill Graham Reminisces About The Fillmore East - 8/19/1984 - New York City

Eddie Money Remembers His Hero Music Promoter Bill Graham

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J. P. Morgan

popular name: J. P. Morgan

date_of_death: March 31, 1913 (aged 75)

age: 75

cause_of_death: Acute attack of gastro enteritis

claim_to_fame: Business and Finance

best_know_for: J.P. Morgan was a titan of American business. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries his position and connections put him squarely in the middle of the development of American industry. Of his generation John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) was the most powerful banker, industrialist and art collector in America. Born in Connecticut, he was the third generation of a banking dynasty that he would go on to dwarf with his financial acumen and bullish instinct. His father Junius Spencer Morgan was a partner in a London-based merchant bank. Another ancestor, James Pierpont, founded Yale University. At the height of his powers in the 1890s, Morgan was said to control one sixth of America’s railway lines. In 1895 he and a consortium of bankers rescued America’s Gold Standard loaning the federal government more than $60 million. In addition to the bank that bore his name, Morgan invested in and subsequently bought the Carnegie Steel Company, Edison General Electric and the United States Steel Corporation. He also acquired the New York Times newspaper and founded the Metropolitan Club in New York when the Union Club blackballed his friend John King. Deeply offended, he instructed the architects ‘build me a club fit for gentlemen. Forget the expense’. However, Morgan was not content just in the banking world – he had many interests elsewhere. Adolph Ochs, publisher of the Chattanooga Times, secured a loan with J.P. Morgan’s help and managed to save the New York Times. His personal and business interests extended to steel and railroads. He purchased U.S. Steel from Andrew Carnegie and merged it with a few other firms to create United States Steel in 1901. Over 100 years later that firm is still going strong.