Jim Marshall, Legendary Rock Photographer, Passes at 74
After more than 40 years of documenting rock and roll, Jim Marshall passed away in his sleep on March 24. The New York Times and Rolling Stone each have obit stories up, but the one that resonates with me is from Ctein at The Online Photographer.
If you don’t know his work, spend some time on his web site – he had access and an ability to connect with very difficult people.
Sometimes I wonder if his access had to do with the fact that he shared his name with another rock and roll icon, Marshall amplifier founder Jim Marshall.
Doesn’t matter. The kind of access he got to superstars was significant because we often got to see icons — both onstage and offstage — as human beings, instead of the slick, overly stylized, Photoshopped type of portraits that have become standard fare in Rolling Stone and its ilk.
His kind of documentary approach is vanishing, to the detriment of all.
As usually, someone else is much more eloquent than I. Check out Joe McNally’s bog:
http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/2010/03/24/jims-gone/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+joemcnally+%28Joe+McNally%27s+Blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader