Backstage Pass: Rock & Roll Photographs

This striking collection of photographs features nearly every important figure in the world of rock & roll, from Elvis to Eric Clapton, the Beatles to Bob Dylan, and Janis Joplin to Kurt Cobain. Many of the images have rarely been published, and all reveal fascinating glimpses of celebrities offstage, away from the glare of the spotlights. Shot from the mid-fifties to the present, the portraits have a spontaneous, informal, and everyday feel, and most record their subjects before they had become immensely famous and well practiced in posing for photographs. The more than fifty featured artists - including Lee Friedlander, Lynn Goldsmith, Bob Gruen, Mick Rock, and many more - are among the most talented in their field.
Five original essays address topics embedded in the photographs. The authors discuss the coded nature of celebrity portraiture, the seventies music scene in New York City, the frank sexuality of rock musicians, and race and rock & roll. This book will be treasured not only by fans of rock & roll music and admirers of photographic portraits, but also by those who remember the vanished time when photographers had genuine access to performers, and were a crucial element in the worlds they documented.