Amy, the eternal blues voice
“Who shot Rock & Roll” is an exhibition which happens between June 23th and October 7th at Annenberg Space for Photography, located in 2000 Avenue of the Stars, Los Angeles, California, that pays tribute to eternal music artists that will be reminded by their unique performances on both stages: the one that belongs to the audience and real life.
Music, one could say, is a matter of the eardrums. Yet, what would Amy Winehouse’s “Valery” sound like without the legendary images of her in that punk-styled figure, wild face and a bottle in the hand as she humps the stage?
What you hear is what you get, until you see the sweat, passion, and gyrating motions that make a song an experience.
With over 160 images and a short film by Arclight Productions made solely for Annenberg, this exhibit pays full tribute not to the stars of the shows, but to the photographers—the silent vigilants of the musical stage.
Above is one of several personal polaroids by Shawn Mortenson of Courtney Love endearingly hand-signed “fuck you,” taken in between a photo shoot for a new album that was released 7 days after Kurt Cobain’s death.
The show includes works from acclaimed and talented photographers such as Annie Lebowitz, Diane Arbus, Ed Colver, Henry Diltz, Jill Furmanovsky, Lynn Goldsmith, Bob Gruen, Norman Seeff, and Guy Webster –to name a few. In a dome-shaped screening room, the short film gives an intimate view of their lives from touring for three years with Oasis to Linda McCartney’s fairytale love story with the beloved Beatle, Paul McCartney.
Photo by Charles Peterson
Courtney Love with his well-known alter ego
Photo by Michael Putland
