Sun 10/18
When most people think of classic Rolling Stone photography, they think of Annie Leibovitz. But she didn’t start shooting for the magazine, which was founded in 1967, until 1970 and didn’t become its staff photographer until 1973 — missing the eventful era of the late ’60s and the creative ferment of its home base, San Francisco, during that time.
Who was there to capture it all? A man named Baron Wolman, whose name is well known to music photography aficionados, though less familiar to the general public. More than a decade older than Leibovitz, he was already 30 (!) when the magazine was founded when the motto “Don’t trust anyone over 30” was being bandied around. But he ran into Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner just as he was launching the publication and agreed to shoot for free if he could retain ownership of the negatives — a prescient choice given that he had incredible access to artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones, access unheard of in today’s professionalized pop music world.He passed away November 2, the day before the election, at the age of 83.
Now the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is mounting an exhibit that will hopefully raise Wolman’s profile. It’s called Iconic: Baron Wolman Images of an Era, opening October 18. It includes images of artists such as Hendrix, Joplin, Tina Turner, the Grateful Dead, Pete Townshend and more, both performance shots and off-stage portraits. The exhibit also includes one of Wolman’s Nikon cameras.
Rock Hall hours are 11am-5pm seven days a week, with advance tickets required.
1100 Rock and Roll Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44114