Problem Solved

I was right. For once. The photos I thought were Keith Knudsen were indeed Keith Knudsen.

I went over to Marty Wolff's house this afternoon. Just down the street. A house that I drive by at least three or four times a week. What are the chances of that? A guy that was at the same concert in Vancouver as I was, way back when, now living down the street from me?

Marty did the Doobie Brothers lighting for many years. He did a great job. My photographs will attest to that. He is also a photographer. Check out his website.

Not only did he confirm the shots of Keith drumming...I had a couple of other shots of a guy singing at the front of the stage. I thought thye looked like Keith but thought I was crazy. What would he be doing standing in front? He's a drummer. Turns out I'm not crazy. They are of Keith...and they're good. Now that I think of it, I don't know why that surprises me - I have lots of pictures of Dennis Wilson singing up front. And The Eagles drummer Don Henley, for that matter.

Thanks for your confirmation, Marty!

Now, if someone could tell me how Ronnie Barron died. And when Peter Wood was born and how he died.

Please.

Kismet

I wanted to call this post synchronicity but I used it already. Therefore, kismet will have to do. Or maybe it's fate.

As you know, I have been concerned about my Keith Knudsen photos. As opposed to my John Hartman photos. Both being drummers in the Doobie Brothers at the same time, the former being dead and the latter much alive. Even though I'm pretty sure who's who, it would be a colossal mistake if I printed John Hartman for Keith Knudsen.

I posted my conundrum and received several helpful suggestions but not enough to be certain. I was going to post again or maybe get Dave Chamness - the guy who won my Lowell George contest and seems to know everything about everybody as it pertains to rock'n'roll - to look at both pics and see if he could make a positive, without a doubt, I.D. Because the last thing I want to do is spend thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars to print a book that cannot be released.

Then today I had a lunch meeting with Roger. Remember Roger? He's my printer dude. He set up the meeting for me to meet another printer/publisher dude from their company. The publishing side of their company has put out several coffee table books pertaining to the music world. They wanted to know what my distribution plans were and are interested in playing a part. More on that next week.

Anyway, we had a very nice lunch at an Italian restaurant in Old Pasadena. In a previous post, I mentioned how much I liked Roger from the moment I met him. Turns out I instantly liked the printer/publisher dude, too. We'll call him Michael. We talked a lot about the business; what they were releasing this Fall and what I am planning to do with my book. We also talked a lot about marketing.

Then, toward the end of our lunch, Michael said something to Roger about the guy he met for breakfast today in Sherman Oaks. (Side note: I live in Sherman Oaks). A guy who toured with the Doobie Brothers. Uh, hello? I've been trying to get through to someone who could give me a positive I.D. on the Doobie Brothers' drummer for my book.

As luck or kismet would have it, the guy Michael met for breakfast gave him two business cards. So Michael gave me one of them. What's really weird is I think I've seen his card before. One of those deja vu feelings. Of course, I called him as soon as I got home. We're going to get together tomorrow. He lives about a mile down the road from me. Literally.

How 'bout them apples?

The Big Five-O

No, it's not my birthday.

I just hit number 50 on the list of musicians I shot who are dead. I received an email today from England enlightening me that another member of Back Door had also passed, just last summer. Drummer, Tony Hicks.

I started the book thinking there were 20.

Now there are 50.

Sheesh.

Some Are Harder Than Others

Yesterday and this morning I worked on the photo layout for Alex Harvey. It was difficult. He's not as famous as many of the musicians I am honoring but I have so many great photos of him. It's hard to leave any out. His show was very theatrical and he was an expressive guy. A photographer's dream. I finally finished it up at somewhere around 10 pictures in 6 pages.

I'm running out of pages again. I've done the layouts for 27 musicians. Nothing set in stone. Just a loose idea of what I want where. Still deciding whether to bleed some of the pages or frame all the photos in white. What I like about bleeding is the photo will be as large as possible. But then I have to crop top and/or bottom and some of them can't be cropped. Another downside is those pages may not look as 'clean.' It's weird. Some days I like the bleed. Some days I don't. Guess I'll figure it out when I print out some of the pages.

My plan is to finish all the layouts by the end of the month. What's that? Six days? I have 22 musicians left and 4 dedicatees (is that even a word?). 26 divided by 6 = 4.33333 per day. Gotta get it done. No time to linger on my photo decisions, like I did with Alex Harvey. 'Cause I'm going to need every minute of April and May to finish the written portions.

Off and Running

Yay!

It's happening.

The first batch of negs and slides went out today for hi res scans.

Marc Bolan, Stanley Turrentine, Donny Hathaway and Steve Currie.

Less than 10% but you gotta start somewhere.

No turning back now.

Pet Food Recall

If you have a dog or cat, please visit my friend, Max Adams' blog.

She's got all the latest info and links you need to keep your pets safe.

Barron/Bolan/Kath

Almost sounds like a law firm, doesn't it?

First, a moment of silence for the 10th anniversary of Ronnie Barron's death.

Second, I did the layouts for Marc Bolan and Terry Kath today, and I don't think their fans will be disappointed. I know that both of these guys have tons of fans. I can tell by the search words people use to find this blog. I wonder if their fans are mutually exclusive?

I couldn't decide what Marc Bolan photo should be the full page, so I gave him five full page photos - 4 color, 1 black and white, one page with a 3/4 black and white and a row of 5 small black and white photos across the top, and 3 smaller color shots on the text page. Not much room for words, but I suppose the fans will appreciate me shutting up.

Terry Kath fans should also be happy. He's got a full page color and two full page black and white. Plus a black and white neg strip that holds another 4 shots, and a full page with 4 color band shots. Oh, and one more band shot on the opening text page.

In further news, I decided to expand the book from 152 pages to 208 pages. That means more photographs. Way more. I don't have a final count but probably close to 400. Hopefully, something for everyone. I mean, who would ever expect to find John Lee Hooker, Tammy Wynette and Marc Bolan in the same book? I really hope that if you get the book for one musician, you'll enjoy the other 48 as well.

Keep rockin'.

Woe Is Me

I used to think I would make a great detective. I've always been good at figuring things out. And finding things. Except the whereabouts of some of my best pictures. Like the ones I shot of John Lee Hooker in his dressing room at the Jubilee Auditorium in Calgary. I have great shots of him that I took in Vancouver but the ones I shot in Calgary...damn.

Anyway, I'm obviously a crappy detective because I missed yet another musician who died. And again, I had checked out the band's website and there was nothing. Probably because they're just promoting their most recent line-up. Or, like on John Hartford's site, I didn't dig deep enough.

The latest find is Keith Knudsen, drummer for the Doobie Bros. He passed away in 2005. Only problem is the Doobie Bros. had two drummers - think how I'd feel if I put John Hartman's picture in the book instead of Keith Knudsen's. I'm pretty sure I know who's who but just in case, I'm currently looking for someone who can verify Keith's identity for me.

So, I'm quickly closing in on having 50 musicians in the book. When I started, I figured I had 20. I was fine with 20. I am not at all happy with the body count. It's really sad that we've lost so much great talent. Really, really sad.

Ronnie Barron Question

Ronnie Barron was a keyboard player originally from New Orleans. He played with tons of people. I shot him when he was with Paul Butterfield Better Days.

He died on March 20, 1997 at the age of 53.

Anybody know how he died?

Thanks.

Mike Gibbins

Without realizing it was his birthday today (Monday), I did his layout today (Sunday). He would have been 58 today. Here's one of the pictures of him that I didn't put in the book.

Happy Birthday, Mike.

I Work On Sundays...

...and I'm closing in on brain dead. By the end of today - or first thing tomorrow - I have to decide how many pages Everybody I Shot is going to be. I did my first estimate with the printers at 152 pages. When I got into the actual layout, I quickly realized that wasn't going to work. For starters, each musician is getting at least one full page photo. No text, no labels...just the photo. That means they also need another page with their name on it and some biographical information of who they are and when I shot them.

I now have around 48 musicians, not counting my 4 dedicatees. Right off, that's 96 pages. Call it 100 if I give a page for each dedication. Then there's the title page and the copyright page and the contents page and my introduction. And what if I get someone else to do an intro?

Then, of course, I am not limiting each musician to 2 pages. Some will only be two pages because I don't have enough photos to warrant more. But others are screaming at me for more space. Take John Bonham, for example. Right now, he has 9 pages, 4 of them full page photos (2 color and 2 b/w) and 4 or 5 other photos breaking up the text...which is long because I thought you might enjoy my Led Zeppelin story.

Some of the lesser known musicians will also have more pages because I love the pictures - just as pictures. Papa John Creach falls into that category. He let me hang out in his dressing room while he was warming up and chilling out. I got some really great candid shots. John Lee Hooker is another guy that my camera loved.

And I have a lot of great shots of the Beach Boys...and Maurice Gibb...and Terry Kath...and Waylon Jennings...and...and...and...

...and now I'm looking at the 200 page range. That's with designing it based on what I think are the best pictures, not necessarily the most popular names getting the most space. Do you think that's the best way to go?

Also, let me ask you...

Which musicians are you most looking forward to seeing?

Will you feel cheated if your favorite musician has less pages than a musician you have no interest in?

Would you prefer more pictures at a smaller size? Or less pictures at a bigger size?

And regarding price...

I would have been able to sell the 152 page version for $35. Would you be willing to pay more ($40-$45) for the extra 50 pages?

Thank you for participating in the interactive creation of Everybody I Shot Is Dead... where your opinions count!

Is Everybody I Shot Dead?

Beginning to seem like it. Two nights ago when I went through some of my negs again, I looked up John Hartford. Saw his website. Thought, "He's looking good. Glad he's still playing." And moved on.

Then today, I'm browsing an extensive 'these entertainers are dead' list online and there was his name. Did some more checking - just in case there was another John Hartford. Sure enough, the John Hartford I shot is dead. From non-hodgkin’s lymphoma on June 4, 2001. His website is online as a memorial. But it doesn't say anything about him being dead until the end of his biography. Nothing on the front page.

Thankfully, I found out from another source so I can honor him in the book. If you don't know who he is...he wrote the multi-Grammy winning song, Gentle On My Mind. And for those of you who are too young to remember that song, he also won a Grammy for his contributions to the O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack.

Some days this project is really depressing. Like today. Damn. I really wish everybody I shot was alive.

I Can Barley See...Oops, Barely See

I never shot a lot of film at concerts. No motor drive. I would lay in wait. Until I saw the picture I wanted. Click.

In addition to the fairly simple task of compiling my Camel (a roll of color and a roll of black & white) and Back Door (3/4 of a roll of black & white), I scanned my Gene Pitney pictures. I shot him in L.A. at a recording studio. I was hired by Columbia Records. And I must have succumbed to the L.A. paradigm of over-shooting because I have around 100 pictures of him.

I've been sitting in front of the computer since 10 o'clock this morning. It's now 11:45 PM. Scanning. Printing. Trying to figure out how to fit all the good shots of Gene into the book without turning it into The Gene Pitney Book, starring Gene Pitney and a few supporting musicians. It's tough. There are a lot of good pictures of Gene and I'm sure his fans would love to see them all. But I can't put them all in the book.

I'm going to have to sleep on this and look at the printouts in the morning and see what jumps out at me. I'm pretty sure the picture of him eating his hamburger is going to make it. And probably the one where he fell asleep in a chair. There's three of him standing in front of a microphone with headphones on. In one he's singing, wearing a jacket and sunglasses. In another he's singing, no sunglasses and a tee shirt. And the other one, he turned and looked in the camera. I don't know. Which one should I pick?

Thank you for your support. I'm going to sleep now.

More Dead

I am continuing to work day and night on the book. Last night I finished up around midnight. Since it usually takes a half hour or so to unwind before I can fall asleep, I decided to take another look through a book of black and white negatives that I had previously checked and alphabetized. Sure enough I found two more musicians. Granted they are from more obscure bands, two bands I had checked out before but somehow missed the information of their deaths.

Ron Aspery was part of the English band, Back Door. They recorded four albums with Warner Bros. and toured with Emerson, Lake and Palmer. He passed away on December 10, 2003 after a long illness.

Peter Bardens, also a Brit, is best known for his progressive rock band, Camel. However, his influence on the rock'n'roll world goes much deeper. More on that in the book. He died of lung cancer on January 22, 2002.

I'm still searching for my Muddy Waters and Canned Heat photos, so who knows what else I may find.

Back to work.

More Bee Gees Questions

These are from some backstage photos that include Maurice Gibb. Just trying to identify the other people in the photos.

This woman is standing next to Barry Gibb. Is she his wife?

Anybody know this guy with her?
I think this could be a Bee Gees band member...anybody know his name?
Thanks for your help!

Another Plea For Help

The next three months are going to be crazy for me. I will be working 14/7. It would be 24/7 but even I have to sleep. It will be a miracle if I get the book finished in time, so I am counting on each and every one of you to help me. Whether you have been following this blog since the beginning or have just arrived, I'm asking for your participation.

Sometimes I will ask for your opinion on something. Questions that every one of you can answer. Other times, like today, I will ask you to help me identify a musician.

I'm hoping some of the Bee Gees fans are still hanging around. This guy opened for them at the concert I shot in Vancouver (mid-seventies). Dead or alive (hopefully, alive), he's going to be in the book because he's in a backstage shot with Maurice Gibb. I'm at a loss for his name. Do you know who he is?





Thanks!!

Quark

I've been on the phone with Quark for the past hour. I'm still on the line with them. Okay. Finally I'm off. But I'm not done.

Last week I decided that I finally needed to update my Quark software. I've been printing my movie posters from a 4.1 version since it came out. I didn't think about upgrading until I got OS 10. That was when all the graphics software companies had to develop compatibility with 10. I updated photoshop first. I was going to update Quark but my printer said it had bugs. So, I waited. Why spend the money?

But now I am laying out Everybody I Shot Is Dead and I'm printing in China. The production and film separations are done in Northern California. This is a big project. I can't risk doing it on old software and running into problems down the line. I'm on a tight deadline. I decide to get the upgrade to Quark7.

I received the package yesterday. Couldn't wait to pop the disk into my computer. Pressed the install button. It did it's little testing the landscape thing. Then gave me a window that said something like, "you must have OS 10.4 of later to install Quark." Yup, I'm still running Panther. That's 10.3.9. Crap. I was worried that if I installed Tiger it would stop me from using Classic (9) and I need that for my accounting programs. Definitely don't want to update those at the moment. $. $. $.

Thankfully, the Apple Genius said it would survive the upgrade. Cool. I got a copy of Tiger (somewhere) this morning. Installed it. Took over 30 minutes. Then popped in the Quark disk. Yes, I'm cleared to install. Get to the "type in your validation number" - ack - gotta find that in some box I haven't seen in two years. Okay. Got it. Type it in. Wait. Why are there still a bunch of space boxes that are empty? Whatever. Click "continue." Boink. It ain't working.

Call Quark. Hold...hold...hold. A woman takes my call. I think they outsource to India. I can barely understand a word she says. Except every sentence starts and ends with "Deborah." I give her my old version's serial number. No record of my registration. Okay. She says she can register it for me. After many hoops - I jumped through all of them, thank you very much - Miss India was able to email me a validation number. An alphanumeric with 45 freakin' digits. An hour or so later I could open Quark. But then I had to install an update disk. And then I had to go online and download a second update and install it. Sheesh.

I'm done now. Finally I can get to work. It's crunch time. I'm going to the book expo in N.Y. It starts on June 1. I need to have two mock-ups to show buyers. I'm also looking to set up some meetings with some of the international rights companies - see if I should have it translated into foreign languages. And I'm in a hurry to get it to the printers. It will take three months from the day I deliver for the books to arrive back. Gotta have it out in time for holiday gift giving, right?

I better get busy.