James Fortune (photographer)
James Fortune (born June 23, 1947) is a British-born American rock and roll photographer.[1] He has worked closely with such artists as Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Cher, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson and many others.[2]
Career[edit]
Fortune was born in London England. He immigrated to the United States in 1952. His parents were James and Jean Fortune and his father was a sheet metal worker. Fortune grew up in Southern California.[1]
In 1966 he attended Los Angeles Pierce College in Woodland Hills, CA. In 1967 he photographed Jim Morrison and The Doors recording their second album Strange Days for his college newspaper at Sunset Sound Recording Studio.
In 1967 Fortune joined the United States Navy and served with the United States Pacific Fleet Combat Camera Group as a combat photographer on various ships during the Vietnam War. In in 2001 said that he was "thinking he might prefer a photo lab with camera equipment to the jungle and an M-16."[3]
In February 1973 Fortune was asked to photograph Led Zeppelin at the Hyatt Hotel on Sunset Blvd, in West Hollywood, Ca. His black and white group photo from that hotel room session became Led Zeppelin's official PR photograph for 1973–1974.[4]
In 1974, Fortune photographed an Iggy Pop show at the Whisky a Go-Go, where a shirtless Iggy cut his chest open and was pictured flipping the bird at the audience. Other photographs from that year included Ray Manzarek, Keith Moon, Elton John, Jethro Tull, Linda Lovelace, Alice Cooper, Joe Walsh and many more.
One photograph featured Led Zeppelin with a color image of Robert Plant standing on stage at Kezar Stadium[5] in San Francisco, with a white dove that just landed on his hand, and a beer and cigarette in the other. Plant said in a 2005 Rolling Stone interview; "I like the one from Kezar Stadium in San Francisco."[6]
A photograph of Paul and Linda McCartney from April 1975 became their official PR photo for Capital Records. Other photos from that weeks session show the whole McCartney family relaxing by their Beverly Hills Hotel bungalow.[7]
Legacy[edit]
In 2013, The Adam Matthew Publishing C. in London, England chose 122 of Fortune's photographs to be included in their new DVD "Popular Culture in Britain and America, Vol. 2" to be used for college and university studies world wide.
Over 150 photographs that Fortune took are now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's permanent collection in Cleveland, Ohio. In 2016, The Smithsonian Anacostia Museum in Washington DC. chose several of Fortune's photographs to be included In their "Washington DC, 1965–1975" year–long show[8] which ran from November 1, 2015, through October 31, 2016.
In 2017 Smithsonian Books published "Smithsonian Rock and Roll" . The front and back cover featured his Led Zeppelin photograph taken in 1973 of the band on live on stage, plus 7 pages of photographs published inside.[9] In November 2017, five photographs of Jim Morrison and The Doors were published in the 50th anniversary release of "Strange Days" for Rhino Records. On October 15, 2018, "Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin" published by Reel Art Press has several of his photographs. A John Bonham statue in England was designed around one of Fortune's photographs of the Led Zeppelin drummer Taken in 1973.
Over the past 40 years, many of Fortune's photographs have appeared in over 40 books, films and other world World-wide media. Fortune's photographs have often been reproduced without permission, leading to several copyright infringement lawsuits.[10][11]
Critical response[edit]
Michael O'Sullivan, writing in the Washington Post, referred to Fortune as a "prolific chronicler of rock royalty".[12] O'Sullivan went on to speak of Fortune's work on display at the Alla Rogers Gallery, as "Other compelling images feature curious, if slightly unnatural, groupings..."[12]
Personal life[edit]
In 1980 Fortune moved to Richmond, Virginia in 1980 with his family and worked as a portrait and wedding photographer until later working as a photographer[13] for the Fort Lee Military Base from 1987. He retired in 2010. He continues to host gallery showings.[14]
Books, Magazines & Articles[edit]
- "Right place right time with a lens on life, he caught splits seconds of rock history" by Pete Humes, Richmond Times-Dispatch Staff Writer, August 21, 2005
- "Hard Rock Meets High Rez" by Jeff Kent. PEI Magazine, March 2001
- "Casino art show highlights other side of rock musicians" by Devin Loring. The Press of Atlantic City, 2011[14]
- "Photographer James Fortune puts his rock and roll past on display" by Wayne Melton. Style Weekly[15]
- Salon "Iggy at his most Iggiest": Rock heroes like you've never seen them before:[16]
- Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen, by Bill Bentley 2017[17]
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame[18]
- Mr Music Head[19]
- 36 Rocks Per Roll by James Fortune and David DeCouto, 2017[20]
Shows and exhibitions[edit]
- 2015 "Rock Style" Sotheby's, London, England[21]
- 2005 "Rock & Roll Icons of the '60S And '70S: James Fortune Photographs" Alla Rogers Gallery, Washington, DC (US)[12]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Rocking Out In Georgetown". Washington Post. 2018-02-09. Retrieved 2020-07-07. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "James Fortune". Rock Paper Photo. Retrieved October 9, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ Melton, Wayne. "Photographer James Fortune puts his rock 'n' roll past on display". Style Weekly. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ↑ "Led Zeppelin Posing - James Fortune". Rock Art Show. Retrieved October 9, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Led Zeppelin". jamesfortunephotography.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ↑ Scaggs, Austin; Scaggs, Austin (2005-05-19). "Q&A: Robert Plant". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-07-08.
- ↑ "The Beatles". jamesfortunephotography.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ↑ O'Sullivan, Michael (2005-10-28). "Rocking Out In Georgetown". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ↑ "Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen". ledzeppelin.com. Retrieved October 9, 2020. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Photographer Sues Playboy Over Fantastic Paul McCartney Mullet Photo". Spin. 2016-11-22. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ↑ "Liebowitz Loads Up September With More Infringement Suits". Insideradio.com. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 O'Sullivan, Michael (28 October 2005). "Rocking Out In Georgetown". Washington Post. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ↑ "Army Sustainment: Gulf War Logistics Records Donated to the Sustainment Community". alu.army.mil. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Press, DEVIN LORING, For the. "Casino art show highlights other side of rock musicians". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
- ↑ Melton, Wayne. "Photographer James Fortune puts his rock 'n' roll past on display". Style Weekly. Retrieved 2020-08-12.
- ↑ ""Iggy at his most Iggiest": Rock heroes like you've never seen them before". Salon. 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ↑ Bentley, Bill (2017). Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Live and Unseen. ISBN 978-1588346001. Search this book on
- ↑ "James Fortune". Zazoo Fine Art Gallery. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ↑ "James Fortune". Mr Musichead Gallery. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ↑ Fortune, James; DeCouto, David (2017-02-26). 36 Rocks Per Roll: A Photographer's Odyssey Through the '60s & '70s (1st ed.). Triple Wood Press. Search this book on
- ↑ "Rock Style Curated by Tommy Hilfiger and Jeffrey Deitch". Sothebys.com. 22 September 2015. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help)
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