#NewYorkNotes #CulturedPeachy #WestCoastPeachy @GRAMMYMuseum #WhomYouKnow GRAMMY MUSEUM® TO LAUNCH BRUCE W. TALAMON: SOUL, R&B, AND FUNK PHOTOGRAPHS 1972–1982: A LOVE LETTER TO THE MUSIC ON JUNE 23, 2018
NEW EXHIBIT FEATURES RARE PHOTOGRAPHS OF R&B ROYALTY, INCLUDING JAMES BROWN, GEORGE CLINTON, EARTH, WIND & FIRE, ARETHA FRANKLIN, MARVIN GAYE, AL GREEN, THE ISLEY BROTHERS, THE JACKSON 5, CHAKA KHAN, PATTI LABELLE, PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC, STEVIE WONDER, AND MORE
Select photographs of legendary artists photographed by Bruce W. Talamon at one of the most fertile times in R&B, will receive their first-ever exhibit at the GRAMMY Museum®. Bruce W. Talamon: Soul, R&B, and Funk Photographs 1972–1982 will open on June 23 and run through Aug. 1, 2018. The exhibit provides a revealing look into the untold and unknown moments that happened off the stage and outside the recording studio, showcasing a period in musical history as seen through the eyes of a young African-American photographer at the start of his career. Additionally, Talamon will discuss his distinguished career at the GRAMMY Museum’s popular An Evening With public program series, moderated by GRAMMY Museum Artistic Director Scott Goldman, on June 27.
"I’ve always thought of my photographs as documents that went beyond screaming into a microphone," Talamon said. "I recognize now that I used my Nikons and Leicas like movie cameras. During that period, my mind was trying desperately to catch up with my eyes. I wanted my pictures to move. I wanted people to see what it took, what the performer is forced to give. For me this was always more than just photography. I considered myself a visual caretaker of black folks’ history—our music."
The GRAMMY Museum exhibit marks the launch of a summer-long celebration honoring the works of Talamon. Taschen Publishing will release the book, Bruce W. Talamon, Soul, R&B, And Funk Photographs 1972–1982 in September.
"Bruce Talamon captured a vital part of music history, and his photographs give us new insight into the artists from this electrifying era,” said Nwaka Onwusa, GRAMMY Museum Curator. "The GRAMMY Museum celebrates not only music-makers, but also the musical contributions of artists of all mediums, and we are excited about this opportunity to share this unparalleled body of work by one of today’s most celebrated photographers. We are grateful to Taschen for their support in making this exhibit happen."
In 1972, Bruce Talamon shot his first R&B photograph of Isaac Hayes at the historic Wattstax Music Festival, a benefit-concert presented by Stax Records to celebrate the community of Watts after the 1965 Watts riot. For the next decade, he worked as a contributing photographer for SOUL newspaper and photographed R&B artists everywhere. From smoke-filled clubs to large arenas, Talamon captured rehearsals, sound checks, recording sessions, costume fittings, performances, and all the frenzy and beauty that came to define an unprecedented musical period. The exhibit features images from this exciting time in his career, as well as his personal cameras and equipment. Many of the photos were taken at landmark venues in Los Angeles such as The Forum, Hollywood Palladium, Troubadour, The Roxy, and the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Visitors can expect revealing looks into special moments, including Muhammad Ali and jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron backstage at The Roxy discussing Nelson Mandela’s imprisonment. Another image shows Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White and Al McKay listening to playback at AIR Studios on the island of Montserrat, and another shows Stevie Wonder with Berry Gordy after Wonder delivered the final tapes for his album, Songs In The Key Of Life.
ABOUT THE GRAMMY MUSEUM
Established in 2008 as a partnership between the Recording Academy™ and AEG, the GRAMMY Museum is a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating a greater understanding of the history and significance of music. Paying tribute to our collective musical heritage, the Museum explores and celebrates all aspects of the art form—from the technology of the recording process to the legends who've made lasting marks on our cultural identity. In 2017, the Museum integrated with its sister organization, the GRAMMY Foundation®, to broaden the reach of its music education and preservation initiatives. As a unified organization, today, the GRAMMY Museum fulfills its mission of making music a valued and indelible part of our society through exhibits, education, grants, and public programming.
For more information, visit www.grammymuseum.org, "like" the GRAMMY Museum on Facebook, and follow @GRAMMYMuseum on Twitter and Instagram.
ABOUT BRUCE W. TALAMON
For 39 years, Bruce W. Talamon worked in the film industry, shooting pictures on movie sets as a stills photographer in Los Angeles. In the ’80s, he was a contract photographer for Time magazine. Prior to that, he photographed what he calls, "R&B Royalty.” It changed his life. In September 2018, Taschen Publishers will release Bruce W. Talamon: Soul, R&B, And Funk Photographs 1972–1982. This is the first photo book ever published on soul, R&B, and funk music. This book project is about soul music as seen through the lens of a young African-American photographer at the start of his career. Taking a photograph of a singer on stage is easy. The hard part is establishing trust and trying to come back with more than just someone screaming into a microphone. He was there when they exhaled. Starting in 1972, he was there for the rehearsals and sound checks, the recording sessions, and costume fittings and, of course, the wild photo sessions and memorable performances. Alone with the artist before taking the stage, or seconds after the last song, he had total access and was never asked to put his camera down. And for 10 glorious years, he had the best seat in the house. From the smoke filled clubs on Crenshaw Boulevard and the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles, to large arenas around the world, his cameras recorded the frenzy and beauty of the music. James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Jackson 5, Labelle, Aretha, Chaka Khan & Rufus, Sly Stone, Parliament Funkadelic, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder…he photographed all the usual suspects. The Taschen book will be released in two editions. An extra-large artist edition of 500 books in a clear plexiglass slipcase with a portfolio containing four signed photographs, and a trade edition without slipcase or portfolio. They both will be released simultaneously. Each edition will have 376 pages, 300 photographs, and a love letter to the music and the period by Atlanta playwright Pearl Cleage, translated into French and German as well as English. Bruce Talamon’s photographs capture a visual period in black music that lasted way past the midnight hour and will never come again. This is what he saw. Follow Bruce Talamon on Instagram: @brucewtalamon
