About the Book:
From Elton John to Led Zeppelin, Bjork to Janis Joplin, James Brown to John Lennon, Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History 1955–Present by Gail Buckland (Alfred A. Knopf) is the first book to explore the extraordinary work of the photographers who captured the energy, intoxication, rebellion, and magic of rock & roll with images that have become icons unto themselves.
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Featuring more than 250 photos, including many rare and never-before-seen images, Who Shot Rock & Roll is an unparalleled compendium of our shared cultural history. Author and photo historian Gail Buckland provides a compelling collection of portraits, live concert shots, behind-the-scenes snaps, and studio work selected for their aesthetic quality and power. The extended captions tell stories from the photographers that reveal their roll as both creative collaborators and tireless journalists.
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As Buckland writes, “Rock and roll is not a musical genre; it is a communal spirit.” Her book reveals the very essence of rock photography- these mythical rock gods could not exist without artists to document their gifts. “Who Shot Rock & Roll is a silent window into a world of sound,” Buckland continues. “There are photographs of crowds and fans reminiscent of the great historical paintings of battle scenes where bodies blend and bend and faces radiate with what can only be described as transcendence. Snapshots reveal the passion, ambition, and insecurity of aspiring young musicians. There are portraits of godheads, objects of mass adoration; the best could hang next to paintings of Renaissance princes, so similar are these royals with their finery, wealth, and power.”
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From Ryan McGinley’s Morrissey crowds to Bob Gruen’s John Lennon, Maripol’s Madonna to Richard Avedon’s Everly Brothers, David LaChapelle’s Lil Kim to Henry Diltz’s Tina Turner, Who Shot Rock & Roll presents our idols at their most divine, as captured by some of the greatest artists—most of whom are yet to be recognized—to work in photography.
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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.
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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.
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About the Author:
Gail Buckland has written and collaborated on eleven books of photographic history, including Fox Talbot and the Invention of Photography, The Magic Image (with Cecil Beaton), and The American Century (by Harold Evans). She is former curator of the Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, professor of the history of photography at The Cooper Union, and guest curator at many American museums. She lives in Warwick, New York, and New York City.
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A Word from Gail Buckland:
“Sara Rosen is incredible. She has brains, energy, contacts and concern for her clients. She also writes and speaks well and has a terrific reputation. I would certainly use her again to help promote my books.”
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Miss Rosen’s Contribution:
Miss Rosen handled the international publicity campaign for Who Shot Rock & Roll: A Photographic History, 1955–Present.
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Coordinated international publicity campaign including coverage in
American Photo, ArtNet, Cool Hunting, Flavorwire, French Photo, InStyle, Interiors, Interview, Modern Painters,
Mother Jones, New York Daily News, New York Magazine, New York Press, New York Times Holiday Book Review, The New Yorker,
NPR Picture Show, Nylon, Observer, Photograph, Popular Photography, Publishers Weekly, Refinery 29, Selectism, Spin,
T Magazine, Teen Vogue, Time Out New York, Vanity Fair, and Washington Post, among others.
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Photographs ©Roberta Bayley, ©Jianai Jenny Chen, ©Ian Dickson, ©Maripol,
©Charles Peterson, ©Chris Stein/John Holmstrom, ©Albert Watson
Cover courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf