• https://www.dead.net/features/news/legendary-rock-photographer-jim-marshall-dies-74
    Legendary Rock Photographer Jim Marshall Dies at 74

    So many of photographer Jim Marshall’s images are iconic that I can just say “Janis backstage with a bottle of Southern Comfort,” or “Johnny Cash giving the finger,” or “Dylan rolling a tire down a Greenwich Village street,” and chances are you’ll know what photo I’m describing. Marshall died March 24 in New York, where he was promoting a new book he put together with photographer Timothy White called Match Prints. One could convincingly argue that Marshall was the greatest rock photographer of them all, but he was also one of the all-time great jazz photographers and did amazing non-music work, as well, from the late ’50s up until the present. As one of the key chroniclers of the San Francisco scene in the ’60s and early ’70s, Marshall took thousands upon thousands of pictures of the Grateful Dead (and all the other local Bay Area bands) and his body of work through the years constitutes a vital and indelible record of those groups and those times. Jim was an official photographer at Monterey, at Woodstock, on the Stones’ ’72 tour…just hundreds of concerts and events.

    Anyone who actually knew Jim Marshall probably has a story about him, because he was truly a larger-than-life character who made an impression—positive and/or negative—on nearly everyone he encountered. I met him in the late ’70s when I was a writer/editor for BAM magazine (a free Bay Area music magazine). I can’t recall the details, but somehow the mag’s editor/publisher, Dennis Erokan, befriended Marshall (who was already a legend) and because BAM was a cash-strapped free monthly magazine, Jim took pity on us and allowed us to run some of his photos dirt-cheap. He came by the office a couple of times early on, I recall, and he was like a cartoon: short, Middle-Eastern-looking with a great hook nose, Jim was brash, irascible, foul-mouthed—he insulted anyone he cared to, and in the most extreme ways imaginable; not content merely to drop f-bombs, he invariably littered his tirades with all sorts of anti-Semitic, anti-gay, anti-everything invective that was so over-the-top it was comical… unless you were on the other end of it, in which case you hoped there was some cooler presence there to reassure you, “Oh, that’s just Jim.”

    The first time we “worked” together was when I was BAM’s representative for a Garcia cover photo shoot at the Dead's Front Street studio in November 1977. Jerry had known Marshall for years, of course, and seemed thoroughly amused by him. I recall Marshall insulting Jerry a bit—Jerry loved it!—and they had a nice, easy-going rapport. Maybe you’ve seen some of the shots of Jerry from that day—like the ones where he’s holding a big glass of red wine; quite different. There was another time in my BAM days in the late ’70s when Dennis Erokan and I went up to Bill Graham’s house in Mill Valley (known as “Masada”) and Jim convinced us he should be the photographer for the cover shoot, since he and Bill went way back. Well, Bill and Jim were quite a volatile mix, and there were definitely a few moments of tough-guy bickering between the two of them (which had Dennis and me laughing nervously). It was like tossing oil on a napalm fire. Still, the photos that came out of the day were, as usual, magnificent.

    When I really got to know Jim a lot better, though, was when I started my Grateful Dead fan magazine, The Golden Road, in early 1984. Because we’d had a pretty good working relationship during my BAM years, when I approached him about my magazine idea and asked (sheepishly) if I could run some of his Dead shots from time to time, he couldn’t have been more supportive. He only asked for $50 a shot, which was unbelievable considering what he charged folks like Rolling Stone and other “real” magazines. But the greatest thrill for me was actually choosing those shots. Now, the way he generally worked with his archival material was he had certain favorite shots that he had multiple prints of, and then when he’d get a request from a magazine or book publisher, he’d send off a few prints—Jimi at Monterey? Here are these; Santana at Woodstock? Check these out. But because I was local and he seemed to like me, he allowed me to go over to his flat—first in a Victorian on Union Street; later his pad in the Castro District (ironically enough, for this surface homophobe… who wasn’t actually homophobic) and actually go through his proof sheets and select photos for The Golden Road. So, although there might be two “famous” images from the Dead’s last night at the Fillmore West in ’71, I got to choose from five or six proof sheets (with 36 shots per sheet) from that night. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to look at all of his proof sheets from Woodstock, for instance, to select a few for The Golden Road. And I’m here to tell you, folks, nearly every shot this guy ever took was a winner; no lie. He just had an incredible eye, and he understood how to use natural light to his advantage, and stage lights in non-clichéd ways. I consider the numerous times I got to do this, one on one with Jim, me huddled over his proof sheets with a magnifying loupe, to be among the peak creative experiences of my life.

    (OK, since, as I said, those who knew him all have stories about him, I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the time he greeted me at the top of the stairs of his Union Street flat pointing a gun at me—I believe there were some coke dealers he was on the outs with; Jim and coke as not a good combo, I’m afraid. And there was that time several years later when he insulted a waitress so viciously at a place we were having lunch I spent most of the lunch apologizing to the poor woman—“Don’t mind him. He’s an asshole. He doesn’t mean it.” You could say that in his presence… and he still wouldn’t mellow!)

    I didn’t have much contact with him in recent years. I was excited to attend his 60th and 70th birthday parties—big blowouts attended by dozens of friends and colleagues, who invariably swapped outrageous stories about their host, who always seemed genuinely humbled by the waves of affection aimed in his direction at these affairs. It’s funny—the subtext of each of these parties was “Can you believe that Jim Marshall is still alive?!” Because he lived fast and hard and pissed off so many people along the way, you figured there was no way he’d make it to 60 and 70!

    The last time I saw him was probably a year or more ago, at a gallery show opening in San Francisco. A lot of his classic rock and jazz shots were there, of course, but also a number of photos I’d never seen—of people in the street crying the day John F. Kennedy was shot, of poor folks living in shacks in Appalachia… every one a gem in its own way. And he couldn’t have been nicer—he took the time to talk to my teenage daughter and we chatted about his favorite musicians to photograph: Duane Allman, Kris Kristofferson, Mimi Farina, Janis, Johnny Cash… He loved music and musicians.

    Bottom line: For all his coarseness and grumbling and threats, deep down, Jim was a sweetheart—loyal to his friends and colleagues, (mostly) nice and encouraging to young photographers who came up after him, always interested in presenting musicians in the best light possible while still telling the truth. He was one-of-a-kind and will be greatly missed. But what an incredible legacy he leaves!

    You can check out examples of Jim's work at https://www.marshallphoto.com/
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  • heidilee2
    14 years 6 months ago
    Jim Marshall
    My sister and her sorority sister first met him at The Fillmore. He fell for her. She brought him home and he showed us his pcture of Jimi Hendrix, I was sixteen, (now am 57) and was 'smitten' by this OLDER man. He took her to meet Joan Baez and kind of kept in touch because of Leslie through the years. We all thought he was wonderful, interesting, full of mystery and an exciting person to be able to say we knew!!! I am deeply and profoundly feeling his passing. I can only say, he is over on the 'other side' with all the other men in my life that I have loved and FEEL the hollow world about me without them. I hope he's having a good time over there.
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    kristinpknight
    14 years 7 months ago
    A gentle man with a fire in his soul
    I met and spent time with Jim Marshall during the times of the Monterey Pop Festival, The Big Sur Folk Festival and then back in the Bay Area in Marin and In San Francisco. He was always a fun, kind and gentle person with me. I would give anything to have copies of the pictures he took up in the ridges above Big Sur.... what an incredible time. We are lucky to have several of his originals which my husband picked out with Jim in years later but the true treasure is the picture he gave us of one he had taken of me in his place in the City. It captures the freedom, innocence, joy and lack of fear which was still a very real part of many of us at that time. He was a huge LIGHT and I am glad to have seen only the beauty though it was easy to feel the whirling dervishes within. Rest in Peace and Swim with the Dolphins you loved... Dear Friend...My heart is with your family. We cherish your pictures, especially my own... it says it all and at that time it was all good...... Aloha ke Akua, Kristin Pflueger Knight
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    sherbear
    14 years 7 months ago
    ------------(------@
    If it can't be over the summer then anytime...maybe a few times. We'll just hang out every once in a while...in the "air". To All of Jim Marshall's Friends and Family, May you remember the TRUST... Jim used ~with every shot you shoot. Some pictures were meant to be deleted and some were meant to last forever, trust me. Don't be afraid of the delete button. Someone will appreciate you for it. In Lovingkindness Always, ------------(-----@ SherBear
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So many of photographer Jim Marshall’s images are iconic that I can just say “Janis backstage with a bottle of Southern Comfort,” or “Johnny Cash giving the finger,” or “Dylan rolling a tire down a Greenwich Village street,” and chances are you’ll know what photo I’m describing. Marshall died March 24 in New York, where he was promoting a new book he put together with photographer Timothy White called Match Prints. One could convincingly argue that Marshall was the greatest rock photographer of them all, but he was also one of the all-time great jazz photographers and did amazing non-music work, as well, from the late ’50s up until the present. As one of the key chroniclers of the San Francisco scene in the ’60s and early ’70s, Marshall took thousands upon thousands of pictures of the Grateful Dead (and all the other local Bay Area bands) and his body of work through the years constitutes a vital and indelible record of those groups and those times. Jim was an official photographer at Monterey, at Woodstock, on the Stones’ ’72 tour…just hundreds of concerts and events.

Anyone who actually knew Jim Marshall probably has a story about him, because he was truly a larger-than-life character who made an impression—positive and/or negative—on nearly everyone he encountered. I met him in the late ’70s when I was a writer/editor for BAM magazine (a free Bay Area music magazine). I can’t recall the details, but somehow the mag’s editor/publisher, Dennis Erokan, befriended Marshall (who was already a legend) and because BAM was a cash-strapped free monthly magazine, Jim took pity on us and allowed us to run some of his photos dirt-cheap. He came by the office a couple of times early on, I recall, and he was like a cartoon: short, Middle-Eastern-looking with a great hook nose, Jim was brash, irascible, foul-mouthed—he insulted anyone he cared to, and in the most extreme ways imaginable; not content merely to drop f-bombs, he invariably littered his tirades with all sorts of anti-Semitic, anti-gay, anti-everything invective that was so over-the-top it was comical… unless you were on the other end of it, in which case you hoped there was some cooler presence there to reassure you, “Oh, that’s just Jim.”

The first time we “worked” together was when I was BAM’s representative for a Garcia cover photo shoot at the Dead's Front Street studio in November 1977. Jerry had known Marshall for years, of course, and seemed thoroughly amused by him. I recall Marshall insulting Jerry a bit—Jerry loved it!—and they had a nice, easy-going rapport. Maybe you’ve seen some of the shots of Jerry from that day—like the ones where he’s holding a big glass of red wine; quite different. There was another time in my BAM days in the late ’70s when Dennis Erokan and I went up to Bill Graham’s house in Mill Valley (known as “Masada”) and Jim convinced us he should be the photographer for the cover shoot, since he and Bill went way back. Well, Bill and Jim were quite a volatile mix, and there were definitely a few moments of tough-guy bickering between the two of them (which had Dennis and me laughing nervously). It was like tossing oil on a napalm fire. Still, the photos that came out of the day were, as usual, magnificent.

When I really got to know Jim a lot better, though, was when I started my Grateful Dead fan magazine, The Golden Road, in early 1984. Because we’d had a pretty good working relationship during my BAM years, when I approached him about my magazine idea and asked (sheepishly) if I could run some of his Dead shots from time to time, he couldn’t have been more supportive. He only asked for $50 a shot, which was unbelievable considering what he charged folks like Rolling Stone and other “real” magazines. But the greatest thrill for me was actually choosing those shots. Now, the way he generally worked with his archival material was he had certain favorite shots that he had multiple prints of, and then when he’d get a request from a magazine or book publisher, he’d send off a few prints—Jimi at Monterey? Here are these; Santana at Woodstock? Check these out. But because I was local and he seemed to like me, he allowed me to go over to his flat—first in a Victorian on Union Street; later his pad in the Castro District (ironically enough, for this surface homophobe… who wasn’t actually homophobic) and actually go through his proof sheets and select photos for The Golden Road. So, although there might be two “famous” images from the Dead’s last night at the Fillmore West in ’71, I got to choose from five or six proof sheets (with 36 shots per sheet) from that night. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to look at all of his proof sheets from Woodstock, for instance, to select a few for The Golden Road. And I’m here to tell you, folks, nearly every shot this guy ever took was a winner; no lie. He just had an incredible eye, and he understood how to use natural light to his advantage, and stage lights in non-clichéd ways. I consider the numerous times I got to do this, one on one with Jim, me huddled over his proof sheets with a magnifying loupe, to be among the peak creative experiences of my life.

(OK, since, as I said, those who knew him all have stories about him, I would be remiss if I didn’t also mention the time he greeted me at the top of the stairs of his Union Street flat pointing a gun at me—I believe there were some coke dealers he was on the outs with; Jim and coke as not a good combo, I’m afraid. And there was that time several years later when he insulted a waitress so viciously at a place we were having lunch I spent most of the lunch apologizing to the poor woman—“Don’t mind him. He’s an asshole. He doesn’t mean it.” You could say that in his presence… and he still wouldn’t mellow!)

I didn’t have much contact with him in recent years. I was excited to attend his 60th and 70th birthday parties—big blowouts attended by dozens of friends and colleagues, who invariably swapped outrageous stories about their host, who always seemed genuinely humbled by the waves of affection aimed in his direction at these affairs. It’s funny—the subtext of each of these parties was “Can you believe that Jim Marshall is still alive?!” Because he lived fast and hard and pissed off so many people along the way, you figured there was no way he’d make it to 60 and 70!

The last time I saw him was probably a year or more ago, at a gallery show opening in San Francisco. A lot of his classic rock and jazz shots were there, of course, but also a number of photos I’d never seen—of people in the street crying the day John F. Kennedy was shot, of poor folks living in shacks in Appalachia… every one a gem in its own way. And he couldn’t have been nicer—he took the time to talk to my teenage daughter and we chatted about his favorite musicians to photograph: Duane Allman, Kris Kristofferson, Mimi Farina, Janis, Johnny Cash… He loved music and musicians.

Bottom line: For all his coarseness and grumbling and threats, deep down, Jim was a sweetheart—loyal to his friends and colleagues, (mostly) nice and encouraging to young photographers who came up after him, always interested in presenting musicians in the best light possible while still telling the truth. He was one-of-a-kind and will be greatly missed. But what an incredible legacy he leaves!

You can check out examples of Jim's work at https://www.marshallphoto.com/
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So many of photographer Jim Marshall’s images are iconic that I can just say “Janis backstage with a bottle of Southern Comfort,” or “Johnny Cash giving the finger,” or “Dylan rolling a tire down a Greenwich Village street,” and chances are you’ll know what photo I’m describing. Marshall died March 24 in New York, where he was promoting a new book he put together with writer/photographer Timothy White called Match Prints. One could convincingly argue that Marshall was the greatest rock photographer of them all, but he was also one of the all-time great jazz photographers and also did amazing non-music work, as well, from the late ’50s up until the present. As one of the key chroniclers of the San Francisco scene in the ’60s and early ’70s, Marshall took thousands upon thousands of pictures of the Grateful Dead (and all the other local Bay Area bands) and his body of work through the years constitutes a vital and indelible record of those groups and those times.

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Thank you Blair for the kind words. I did not know the man but his photographs are legendary. It sounds like the man was too!
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pics were some of the first glances that I had of people that became my personal heroes. His photo's had a way of bringing out the personality of the subject, what an eye. I suppose right now he is up there with Jer, Jimi, Janis and Jim, and all the rest of those heroes, gettin ready for the "Heart of Gold Band" shoots. Fare thee well, Jim.
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His photos brought an almost exotic world to this Midwest farm kid and stirred my imagination.So many classic photos. Last night I went to his web site and visited some of them. Not only rock but of Miles, Coltrane and Johnny Cash. The world will never see the like of the folks he caught on film and their images and spirits live on through his work. Thank you Jim and thank you Blair for your memories of him. If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is, infinite. William Blake
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Blair's stories are really bringing back the memories. See, our aforementioned ex-boss Dennis had this ongoing relationship with Jim, who in the '80s was fond of bursting in the office door, dropping a few F-bombs, and charging up the stairs to Dennis's office. We had a very sweet receptionist at the time who was utterly terrified of him. Now if you refrained from being terrified of him, he was sweet as can be, and as others have noted quite generous with his work. I was cleaning out the closet not long ago and there was a signed print of one of the Hat series that he just gave me one day. By the time I knew Jim his more spectacular coke-and-guns days were behind him, though he certainly enjoyed the notoriety. Dennis worked out a deal with him to do a bunch of covers for the computer magazine I edited, and many was the drive we'd take to Silicon Valley to shoot some innocent interviewee as Jim filled the air of my vehicle with every profanity, slur, and promise of bad behavior under the sun. And of course we'd get there and he'd be charming and lovely, and I'd be explaining to the nerds that this guy was taking famous pictures of the Beatles when I was in high school. In later years I'd see him backstage at the Bammies, Leica in hand. Hey, I got to work in an office where his legendary prints were all over the walls. And I do get to say I worked with Jim Marshall on photo shoots. Thanks Jim.
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...for sharing your stories of a legend with a lens
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said, "No immediate family members survive."New York Times 3/24/09 by: Ben Sisario He must of forgot about me and maybe some of you. To my brother, Jim Marshall, you don't need blood to have a brother. Love Ya Jim, xo ---------------(-----@ X~~~~~~Fare Thee Well and Not Fade Away. --------------(-----@ @@Rest In Peace@@ @@Darling One@@@ @@@@Jim@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@ SherBear
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These photos are timeless and iconic. Along with the posters by Kelley, Mouse, Singer, Wilson, Moscoso, Griffin, etc., they convey a lot of the feeling of the era.
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Jim liked my smile (f*%kin' contagious), that's how we got to talking in NYC. Well, my grandfather's name is Marshall and I told Jim about him in conversation and we laughed about a kid named Marshall Marshall. It was a so funny, I still think of it, Marshall Marshall. To me, it's still funny. I hope his stuff is in good hands and I hope he inspires others from the other side. I have an eye condition that he thought was cool. I saw things like him and I will be forever grateful that I got to see pictures through him. He brought the "good" goods everytime. Gonna miss you, Jim. --------------(-------@ SherBear
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to see the color separation of BAM, August 9, 1985. It's this photo cropped differently, and it was for the issue that had an excerpt from David Gans's Playing in the Band, which had just come out. Jim did a bunch of pix like this of various bands (I recall the Airplane but think there were others too; check his site).
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Johnny Cash "finger" poster in a used book/music store last weekend, bigger-than-life-size. I stood there staring at it thinking about where I could put it in our house. And thinking, "I gotta have this!" after seeing and admiring the photo for years. Never knew who the photographer was until I read Blair's tribute. Ultimately I walked away from it after seeing the pile of books and DVDs that my wife was planning to buy...and now I GOTTA have it! RIP Jim Marshall...
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I interviewed Jim Marshall for BAM (where Blair Jackson was my editor and Mary Eisenhart was a colleague!) in November 1978. I spent yesterday editing that tape (and bleeping out a zillion F-words); I will broadcast it next Wednseday, March 31, 8pm on KPFA 94.1 fm in Berkeley CA (and streaming online at http://www.kpfa.org ) Gans/GD Hour blog
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more days....I don't even think he's dead, yet. I can't find him. I know it sounds strange and all but...I can't even find a funeral parlor to send a rose to. Some articles got him dying on Tuesday and others on Wednesday. But then, maybe it's just me. Where is he / are you? Who has him, what parlor, or are there no funeral services? Can anyone tell me? Give me a location for a delivery? And if this a prank, Jim... ooooooohhhhh>>>> Taking up a moment for you now--- either way. It'd sure be funny. No disrespect intended, (please believe me) shock and disbelief, perhaps but not that. And for that one time, I'm sorry, hope you'll forgive me. And thanks for all the years... x~~~~ of truth and...shots, lots and lots of shots.* -------------(-----@ In great lovingkindness, xo SherBear -------------(----@
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frisko[jay] 1975 berkeley i knew jim quite well for some time in the 80s. i met jim through a friend chester simpson the rolling stone photogerpher at the time. we were introduced cause chester knew i loved the desd and also knew jim loved what i had. jim would come over daily for some time and bring me picturews of the dead that i never seen, in trade of course. i lost all his work somewhere in my life shuffle. just wanted to give my condolances to jims family and may jim rest in peace, cxause i know his life was was anything but peaceful...
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How many of us are still around, having seen Jimi, Jim Morrison, Carlos Santana, early Stones and the Who. After I watch the Hot Tub Time Machine, I'll figure out how to turn back the clock and witness Grace Slick, Janis Joplin, and ultimately, Miles Davis. I really like that photo of Grace and Janis together. Thanks for the references, Blair.
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REPOSTING 'cause the interview airs tonight... I interviewed Jim Marshall for BAM (where Blair Jackson was my editor and Mary Eisenhart was a colleague!) in November 1978. Tune in tonight (3/31) at 8pm PDT on KPFA 94.1 fm in Berkeley CA (and streaming online at http://www.kpfa.org ) Gans/GD Hour blog
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Gonna try and listen but I'm not sure about it. Wanted to ask if maybe, over the summer we could do it again too? K ~ thanks. xo --------(------@ SherBear
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If it can't be over the summer then anytime...maybe a few times. We'll just hang out every once in a while...in the "air". To All of Jim Marshall's Friends and Family, May you remember the TRUST... Jim used ~with every shot you shoot. Some pictures were meant to be deleted and some were meant to last forever, trust me. Don't be afraid of the delete button. Someone will appreciate you for it. In Lovingkindness Always, ------------(-----@ SherBear
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I met and spent time with Jim Marshall during the times of the Monterey Pop Festival, The Big Sur Folk Festival and then back in the Bay Area in Marin and In San Francisco. He was always a fun, kind and gentle person with me. I would give anything to have copies of the pictures he took up in the ridges above Big Sur.... what an incredible time. We are lucky to have several of his originals which my husband picked out with Jim in years later but the true treasure is the picture he gave us of one he had taken of me in his place in the City. It captures the freedom, innocence, joy and lack of fear which was still a very real part of many of us at that time. He was a huge LIGHT and I am glad to have seen only the beauty though it was easy to feel the whirling dervishes within. Rest in Peace and Swim with the Dolphins you loved... Dear Friend...My heart is with your family. We cherish your pictures, especially my own... it says it all and at that time it was all good...... Aloha ke Akua, Kristin Pflueger Knight
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My sister and her sorority sister first met him at The Fillmore. He fell for her. She brought him home and he showed us his pcture of Jimi Hendrix, I was sixteen, (now am 57) and was 'smitten' by this OLDER man. He took her to meet Joan Baez and kind of kept in touch because of Leslie through the years. We all thought he was wonderful, interesting, full of mystery and an exciting person to be able to say we knew!!! I am deeply and profoundly feeling his passing. I can only say, he is over on the 'other side' with all the other men in my life that I have loved and FEEL the hollow world about me without them. I hope he's having a good time over there.