Oct 16, 2009

Who shot rock & roll?

For all you music, photography, and music photography nuts out there, the Brooklyn Museum has a doozy of an exhibit coming up called Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955 to the Present. This is epic!


Andy Earl (British, born circa 1955). Bow Wow Wow, 1981 (printed 2009).

October 30, 2009–January 31, 2010
Morris A. and Meyer Schapiro Wing, 5th Floor


Who Shot Rock & Roll is the first major museum exhibition on rock and roll to put photographers in the foreground, acknowledging their creative and collaborative role in the history of rock music. From its earliest days, rock and roll was captured in photographs that personalized, and frequently eroticized, the musicians, creating a visual identity for the genre. The photographers were handmaidens to the rock-and-roll revolution, and their images communicate the social and cultural transformations that rock has fostered since the1950s. The exhibition is in six sections: rare and revealing images taken behind the scenes; tender snapshots of young musicians at the beginnings of their careers; exhilarating photographs of live performances that display the energy, passion, style, and sex appeal of the band on stage; powerful images of the crowds and fans that are often evocative of historic paintings; portraits revealing the soul and creativity, rather than the surface and celebrity, of the musicians; and conceptual images and album covers highlighting the collaborative efforts between the image makers and the musicians.


Baron Wolman (American, born 1937). Little Richard, Fillmore West, San Francisco, October 19, 1969 (printed circa 1985).

Featured photographers include:

Amy Arbus, Richard Avedon, Ray Avery, David Bailey, Roberta Bayley, Peter Beste, Adrian Boot, Justin Borucki, Patti Boyd, Ed Caraeff, Stephanie Chernikowski, Danny Clinch, Anton Corbijn, David Corio, Kevin Cummins, Henry Diltz, Alain Dister, George DuBose, Andy Earl, Barry Feinstein, Danny Fields, Nat Finkelstein, Glen E. Friedman, Jill Furmanovsky, David Gahr, Godlis, Lynn Goldsmith, Harry Goodwin, Julia Gorton, Jean-Paul Goude, Bob Gruen, Andreas Gursky, Ross Halfin, Hipgnosis, Dennis Hopper, Don Hunstein, Marvin Israel, Art Kane, Richard Kern, Daniel Kramer, David LaChapelle, Elliott Landy, Michael Lavine, Lisa Law, Annie Leibowitz, Jean-Pierre Leloir, Laura Levine, Ari Marcopoulos, Maripol, Jim Marshall, Elaine Mayes, Linda McCartney, Ryan McGinley, Dennis Morris, Shawn Mortensen, Terry O’Neill, Jean-Marie Perier, Charles Peterson, Ricky Powell, Michael Putland, William “Popsie” Randolph, Marcia Resnick, Ebet Roberts, Mick Rock, Ethan Russell, Jerry Schatzberg, Hannes Schmid, Stephane Sednaoui, Bob Seidemann, Mark Seliger, Stephen Shames, Lloyd Shearer, Kate Simon, Hedi Slimane, Pennie Smith, Gloria Stavers, Chris Stein, Ray Stevenson, Mayayoshi Sukita, Allan Tannenbaum, Edmund Teske, Storm Thorgerson, Ian Tilton, Philip Townsend, Albert Watson, Guy Webster, Barrie Wentzell, Alfred Wertheimer, Kevin Westenberg, Robert Whitaker, Timothy White, Ernest C. Withers, and Baron Wolman.

Featured subjects include:


The B-52s, The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Bjork, Blondie, David Bowie, Bow Wow Wow, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Nick Cave, Exene Cervenka, Eric Clapton, The Clash, Kurt Cobain, Elvis Costello, The Cramps, The Dead Boys, P. Diddy, The Doors, Bob Dylan, Marianne Faithful, Aretha Franklin, Alan Freed, Fugazi, Jerry Garcia, Bill Haley, Debbie Harry, Richard Hell, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Holly, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, Jay-Z, Brian Jones, Grace Jones, Janis Joplin, Joy Division, KISS, Gladys Knight, Led Zep, John Lennon, Little Richard, LL Cool J, Madonna, The Mamas and the Papas, Marilyn Manson, Bob Marley, Paul McCartney, Freddy Mercury, Metallica, Method Man, Morrissey, Jim Morrison, New York Dolls, Notorious B.I.G., Oasis, Wilson Pickett, Pink Floyd, The Police, Iggy Pop, Elvis Presley, The Pretenders, Prince, The Prodigy, Radiohead, The Ramones, Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Keith Richards, The Ronettes, Rolling Stones, Henry Rollins, Axl Rose, Run-DMC, Salt n Pepa, Sex Pistols, Tupac Shakur, Sid & Nancy, Patti Smith, Sonic Youth, The Specials, Buffalo Springfield, Bruce Springsteen, Sly Stone, Joe Strummer, Talking Heads, Pete Townsend, Ike & Tina Turner, U2, Velvet Underground, Bunny Wailer, The White Stripes, The Who, Amy Winehouse, Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, and Frank Zappa.

The Brooklyn Museum
Location: 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York 11238-6052
Telephone: (718) 638-5000
Admission: Suggested Contribution: $10; Students with Valid ID: $6; Adults 62 and over: $6; Members: Free; Children under 12: Free
Hours: Wednesday–Friday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday: 11 a.m.–6 p.m.


To go along with the exhibit of course is a companion book which I'm sure will be available at the museum.


Barry Feinstein (American, born 1931). Bob Dylan with Kids, Liverpool, England, 1966 (printed 2009).

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

This looks like a great show, and it's great to see that hack/phony 'rock and roll photographer' Kevin Mazur has fortunately been omitted in a list of otherwise amazing talent.

JamesChanceOfficial said...

I had never heard of him until you mentioned him here. From the looks of his website, it seems as if he does purely contemporary stuff. I didn't see much that would have any historical value for a show like this.

As far as him being a hack & a phony I have absolutely no idea.

Anonymous said...

He is in fact an amazing photographer that is conspicuously absent from the list.

JamesChanceOfficial said...

While I appreciate the comments, I wish anonymous commentors would leave their name or give us some sort of perspective on why they're saying what they're saying.

I can think of a few folks who are absent from the list but it's still a hugely impressive endeavor.

Anonymous said...

It is indeed an impressive endeavor and looks like a great show. My original comment was (unsuccessfully) sarcastic. To be clear Mazur is a great photographer and I was astounded that he was not featured in the show. There are others that aren't listed as well, but I guess you can't include everybody.

JamesChanceOfficial said...

Thanks for clarifying!

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