Frank Mastropolo’s new book, Fillmore East: The Venue That Changed Rock Music Forever looks back on the legendary, short-lived New York City venue. Mastropolo—a journalist, photographer and former ABC News 20/20 producer—interviewed over 90 musicians and former crew members for an oral history that compiles over 200 performance photos, posters, letters, buttons, contracts and other pieces of memorabilia—many of which were previous unpublished. Jack Casady, Dave Davies, Jorma Kaukonen, Robert Lamm, John Lodge, Nils Lofgren, Dave Mason, Roger McGuinn and Steve Miller are among the 19 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees who contributed to the project. (Several of their reflections from the new volume accompany the images presented in this section.)

Mastropolo writes: “What began its life as the Commodore Theater in New York City’s East Village became Fillmore East when rock promoter Bill Graham reopened the hall on March 8, 1968. Graham honed his approach in San Francisco, where he mixed rock acts with jazz, folk, R&B and blues artists on his bills.

“Fillmore East was known as ‘The Church of Rock and Roll,’” he continues. “By its close on June 27, 1971, the cream of rock royalty— including Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Janis Joplin, Elton John, Tina Turner, Carlos Santana, Led Zeppelin and many more—had performed there.

“As Steve Miller observed, ‘Graham had learned so much in San Francisco. When you sit down and look at the lineups that played at the Fillmore East or the Fillmore West, that was probably the greatest melting pot of music in the history of civilization.”

JANIS JOPLIN ON FILLMORE EAST’S OPENING NIGHT, MARCH 8, 1968

 PHOTO BY FRANK MASTROPOLO

“From that first Fillmore show, Janis was always extremely insecure,” recalls Big Brother & the Holding Company guitarist Sam Andrew. “She was frantic. She was like a obsessive-compulsive person, asking me how she did over and over and over again. It was really something to be with someone who was that talented and that insecure at the same time.”

ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND

PHOTO BY BEN HALLER

“I was playing with the Allman Brothers at the same time I was playing with Johnny Winter,” says Bobby Caldwell, who drummed for Johnny Winter. “The Allman Brothers’ live album was the home run. One of the nights we let the Allmans close instead of us being the headliner. I don’t think it mattered—nobody cared. And I remember not walking out of the Fillmore East until about five in the morning on a couple of those nights. It was really grueling—even if you’re a kid.”

PETE TOWNSHEND, THE WHO, APRIL 6, 1968

PHOTO BY FRANK MASTROPOLO

“Before it became the Fillmore East, it was called the Village Theater,” says Doane Perry of Jethro Tull. “I went to see The Who. Daltrey was throwing his mic around like a lasso and everything was getting destroyed. And John Entwistle was just quietly standing there immobile, playing the bass. However, Pete was getting increasingly bugged by this girl in the front— there was no visible security whatsoever—and she kept climbing up on the stage right in front of Pete. After about the third time, Pete took his Gibson SG hollow-body and bopped her over the head with it.”

BILL GRAHAM IN FRONT OF FILLMORE EAST

PHOTO BY DR. ARLENE Q. ALLEN

“The Fillmore East was Bill Graham,” Steve Miller says. “He had this big ego. He was the most important promoter in the world; he would tell you that every minute of the day, and he generated that kind of juice and that kind of excitement. And then he delivered it in a really big way. Of course, it was wonderful. It didn’t matter who you were, you wanted to do that show at least once or twice. It was a big deal.

JOHN LENNON AND YOKO ONO SURPRISE JAM WITH FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS, JUNE 6, 1971

PHOTO BY DR. ARLENE Q. ALLEN AND BEN HALLER

“John and Yoko went in the back room with Frank, and Frank came up with the songs,” explains Aynsley Dunbar, who was the Mothers’ drummer. “For some unknown reason, I think John thought it was all his writing. When they were singing ‘Scumbag,’ they put a canvas sack over the top of Yoko’s head—a big sack. It went all the way down to her feet.”

JIMI HENDRIX, JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE, MAY 10, 1968

PHOTO BY FRANK MASTROPOLO

 “There was one night where Jimi Hendrix came to the show,” says Corky Laing, drummer of Mountain. “I went into this dressing room, and I noticed a character over on the side. And, of course, it was Hendrix. And then, he says to me: ‘Hey, would you like some Magic Dust?’ And I figured that if Jimi Hendrix is offering you Magic Dust, you don’t refuse.”

FILLMORE EAST, 1971

PHOTO BY ROSS B. CARE

“What ultimately killed the Fillmore operation was the fact that it was harder and harder for Bill to get the acts,” recalls Joshua White, founder of the Joshua Light Show. “They could do one bad show at Madison Square Garden and make $75,000 as opposed to doing four shows at the Fillmore and only making $25,000.”