Bill Graham, born in 1931 as Wolfgang Grajonca, escaped Nazi Germany as a child through the Kindertransport and built a new life in the U.S. after surviving foster homes and later fighting in Korea, where he earned a Bronze Star.

His drive and eye for talent helped him become one of the most influential and powerful concert promoters in history.

After working in New York theater, he moved to San Francisco in the early 1960s, where an unlikely benefit show for the San Francisco Mime Troupe in 1965 launched his career and introduced him to the rising counterculture that would explode into rock's legendary psychedelic scene.

In 1966 Graham worked out a four-year deal with the owner of SF's Fillmore Auditorium, where he could book bands on nights it would otherwise be dark.

Part of the contract included that if something tragic happened to the owner, Graham could take over the lease for the remaining term. Graham transformed the venue from a decent soul and R&B spot into a center for the counterculture, regularly hosting shows by the Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead, and Big Brother and the Holding Company.

Tragically, the original owner died shortly after the contract was signed and in the four years Graham ran the place he had booked The Dead there 51 times along with others of their ilk like Moby Grape, The Doors, The Byrds, Santana, and the Steve Miller Band.He also booked UK giants like The Who, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Pink Floyd.

As the years went on he only became more successful with massive events like the Day on the Green concerts at the Oakland Coliseum, and he eventually helped on even bigger gigs like Live Aid and the Amnesty International Conspiracy of Hope tour.

Graham’s life ended shockingly on October 25, 1991, when the helicopter carrying Bill, his girlfriend, and the pilot, crashed near Vallejo, California due to heavy fog. He had wrapped up a meeting concerning a concert benefitting victims of a Northern California wildfire. He was 60.

Quickly a benefit concert was organized by the staff of his production team, Bill Graham Presents, for November 3, 1991. What would turn out to be a festival was put together in less than a week in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park's Polo Fields, the same area where Graham had produced some of his early Day on the Green shows.

The lineup reflected the artists who he helped graduate from the Fillmore to the largest stages imaginable: the Grateful Dead, Journey, Santana, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and members of Jefferson Airplane. Joan Baez sang “Amazing Grace,” Jackson Browne performed “Before the Deluge,” and Robin Williams spoke humorously and tenderly about Graham’s energy and humanity.

Approximately 300,000 cheered as the acts played shortened sets as the fog rolled in over the tall trees and an airplane dropped hundreds of carnations down upon the fans.

Here are a few of the highlights

Journey

Primarily known as an '80s band, San Francisco's own Journey began reeling off their string of hits in the '70s.

Infinity (1978) produced “Wheel in the Sky,” “Lights,” and “Feeling That Way.” Evolution (1979) featured “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’,” “Just the Same Way,” and “Too Late.” Departure (1980) yielded “Any Way You Want It" and “Walks Like a Lady.” Captured (1981), a live album, stoked fans with a sweet performance of “Wheel in the Sky,” and others. Escape (1981) kept the ball rolling with “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Who’s Crying Now,” and “Open Arms.” Frontiers (1983) dominated with “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” “Faithfully,” and “Send Her My Love.”

Graham had Journey perform in several Days on the Green and despite the fact the band were on the outs with each other at the time of his death, they reunited (albeit it in a scaled down version) for a 9-minute set which would be their last with singer Steve Perry.

Despite its overwhelming success, their final full concert was in 1987 due to infighting. By 1991 it was all but over, but for Bill, singer Perry, guitarist Neal Schon and keyboardist Jonathan Cain paid their respects with a three-song set.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Another group that sucked it up to give props to Graham were the supergroup CSN&Y, who had only played 10 gigs together from 1985-1990 after not playing at all together from 1975-1984.

It was in '85 that Graham encouraged them to reunite for Live Aid. In '86 they did Neil's Bridge School Benefit show. Do you see a pattern? It felt like there always had to be an excuse to get all four of those unbelievable voices and personalities on the stage together.

What a sad excuse they had to play a nine song set in 1991, but thankfully they did. Graham had helmed their cross-country Doom Tour in 1974 and declared the folk rockers America's Beatles.

The messages of love, heartbreak, and the complexities of life were as bittersweet as the harmonies.

“I haven’t seen this field this full since we tried to stop the Vietnam War,” Crosby said looking out at the enormous crowd.

Robin Williams

In what could have been a dreary day lightened up when another San Francisco legend, Robin Williams, delighted the crowd with what he imagined Graham was doing at that moment in Heaven: organizing a show where Elvis was reluctant to get on the stage after having to follow Mozart.

The Grateful Dead

Bob Weir told the crowd that he felt Graham was “the most important non-musician in music.” Which, despite the guitarist being biased, just may be true.

In the '80s, Graham built an outdoor amphitheater on a landfill in Mountain View called Shoreline so the Dead could have a home base and where neither he nor the band would have to split the revenues with a venue.

The Dead played there 39 times between 1987 and 1995 and after Jerry died Shoreline remained a hub for Dead offshoot groups like The Other Ones, RatDog, and Dead & Company.

During their 14-song set, the Dead were joined by Blues Traveler John Popper for "Wang Dang Doodle," John Fogerty for a quartet of CCR covers, and for an encore they played Dylan's "Forever Young" with Neil Young. Then they closed it out with their only Top 10 hit, 1987's "Touch of Grey."

As beautiful as they were with him that day, it was the only time The Dead and Fogerty played together, which seems now in retrospect such a lost opportunity.

Likewise it was the only time surprisingly, the band ever had Neil on stage with them as a guest.

Weirder still: despite having covered over 200 songs in concert, the Dead never tackled a Neil Young song... and Neil never covered any of theirs.

Someone could put a change to all of this. John Fogerty is currently on tour. Tonight he plays the iconic Ryman Auditorium with gigs around the country through the middle of November. Then at New Years Eve he begins a short residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.

Will he break the seal on covering The Dead? Get tix on his website to see.