Arts & Entertainment

When Moraga's Rheem Valley Rocked - Hard

Lamorinda Patch was absolutely transported when a fellow Moragan dug out some cosmic mementos of the music scene in town, oh, four decades or so ago. Show these to your kids.

We've talked about how groovy the local Lamorinda music scene was way back in the Jurassic era - when we had bowling alleys and bars and killer bakeries and the kids flashed "peace" signs at each other instead of single-digit salutes.

Rock carnivals in Bay Area and Central Valley venues from 1969-1972, including some great shows held right here, in the Rheem Theater almost 40 years ago – have been preserved in the private collection of posters from an original artist, Thomas Morris, of Moraga.

"I designed and printed posters for events around CCC – including the Rheem Theater – while hanging out with a bunch of my Hippie-Digger friends on the other side of the Tunnel," Morris wrote Patch.

Find out what's happening in Lamorindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And, boy, were we glad to see these old friends.

Included in this treasure trove of Bay Area music history is the Northern California Folk-Rock Festival poster that has hung in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is now in their traveling tour. The event was held at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds in 1970, and featured the Doors, The Animals, Big Brother, Jefferson Airplane, Country Jo, The Youngbloods and more. (Google 'em, kids, you'll be glad you did).

Find out what's happening in Lamorindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Moving to the Bay Area from Davis with roommate Frank Carson, Morris began designing psychedelic graphics – the partner's "Kiss Me" poster for publisher Celestial Arts hanging on actress Peggy Lipton’s wall on TV’s The Mod Squad.

Frank moved East to pursue a fine arts career and Thomas went deeper into the area’s counter-culture arts scene, building the alternative print shop, JellyRoll Press, with his new Digger family of friends. Morris also began working with several rock promoters who were putting on shows throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. A selection of his work is chronicled in the collector’s edition book "The Art of Rock."

With his children graduated from local schools, Morris has once again started his own business – consulting and networking with old and new friends – delivering a full range of creative services, that includes developing logos, branding and business identity materials. He has also decided to make available his collection of Rock Posters as high-quality prints. For a personal tour of this collection of Rock Posters, visit his website.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here