Longest-Used
Tour Blanks
Some musicians really liked their tour-blank concert posters because they used them for half a decade or more; witness Ray Charles and Peter, Paul & Mary. Ray holds the record with this blank being used in seven straight calendar years, from 1961-1967; PP&M take second place with six years in a row, 1963-1968.
It was more common for tour blanks to be used for just one tour, from a few weeks to a few months; then a new poster would be designed for the next tour. Occasionally, however, a tour blank was used for a full year or two.
But the management teams for Ray and PP&M must have loved these particular posters. These are the longest spans for a single tour-blank that we know of. Notice the sight difference in the two Ray Charles posters… such as the removal of singer Betty Carter (third line below his name) and different hit singles listed at the bottom.
It should be pointed out that other poster designs were also used by these artists during these time spans, especially by Charles. We’re guessing that whenever a local promoter got in a pinch for a poster, the national office would reach for the closet and pull out the old stand-by tour-blank.
