Bill Graham's 1972 Lawsuit Against the Rolling Stones and Allen Klein Over the 1969 Tour

The most interesting angle: Bill Graham, the famously principled San Francisco promoter, didn’t just sue the Rolling Stones — he sued them in 1972 for $300,000 over the 1969 American tour, alleging that Allen Klein and the band had shortchanged him and broken promises. Graham claimed he had been promised a 10% cut of the tour’s gross receipts plus a $25,000 production fee, but after the tour he received almost nothing. The suit also alleged that Klein funneled money through shell companies and that the Stones had agreed to let Graham handle their next tour but then secretly booked a separate tour without him.

Graham had been the driving force behind the 1969 tour’s logistics, booking venues and handling security during a chaotic period that included Altamont. He felt personally betrayed — not just financially but professionally, because he believed he had gone to bat for the band when other promoters were wary. The case was eventually settled out of court for an undisclosed amount, but it exposed the ugly business side of rock’s “peace and love” era and cemented the distrust between independent promoters and bands managed by Klein.