Portraits from a Rock & Roll photographer

I'm reading Bob Gruen's 2020 book Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer. Here are some of my favourite Gruen portraits.

The photo spread over the back & front cover of Bob Gruen's book is his self-portrait taken in an airplane bathroom enroute to Japan during a KISS tour, in 1977.

John Lennon by Bob Gruen, NY, 1974

A testimonial from Yoko Ono:

"Bob's magical photos and brilliantly telling captions together present a kaleidoscope of John Lennon's New York Period. It is beautiful, clear, and truthful. I know. I was there."

More John Lennon from Bob Gruen, 1974

Debbie Harry by Bob Gruen, 1978

Good colours for this car: two-tone powder blue & white. Great colour scheme with Harry's outfit & the New Jersey sky.

Sid Vicious by Bob Gruen, 1978

David Cassidy by Bob Gruen, Monticello NY, 1971

"Cassidy looked good in those pictures: long, tousled hair, an impish smile, eyes the color of some warm, placid sea. He seemed holy."

- Amanda Petrusich

Robert Plant by Bob Gruen, New York, May 1974

Bob Gruen's shot of The Ramones at CBGB, April 1979

David Byrne and Andy Warhol by Bob Gruen, August 1978

John Lennon, Wayne Tex Gabriel of Elephants Memory and Mick Jagger recording at The Record Plant, New York. October 1972.

Bob Gruen's shot of the late Jeff Beck, from a 1975 concert in Japan.

Marc Bolan by Bob Gruen, New York, 1971

Here's a treat: David Kaff (Viv Savage), Christopher Guest (Nigel Tufnel), R. J. Parnell (Mick Shrimpton), Harry Shearer (Derek Smalls) and Michael McKean (David St. Hubbins) of Spinal Tap, in a shot taken by Bob Gruen, backstage at CBGB, May 6, 1984.

Joan Jett by Bob Gruen; taken at a show by The Runaways at The Place in Dover, New Jersey, March 1977.

Bob Gruen's shot of Patti Smith and Lou Reed at The Ocean Club, New York, July 1976.

Stevie Wonder by Bob Gruen, Detroit, September 28, 1974.

Prince by Bob Gruen, MSG, New York, March 1985

Joe Strummer, Terry Chimes, Mick Jones & Paul Simonon of The Clash by Bob Gruen, New York, 1982. This is the Cadillac the group drives around in in the "Should I Stay or Should I Go" video.

Bob Gruen took this shot of John & Yoko on December 6, 1980. 

"People were hurrying to work around them, and John and Yoko were standing confident and ready to face the world, to start another day."

Two days later John Lennon was killed. 

Gruen tells this story in his book: "The day after the murder, when Yoko told Sean his father was dead, Sean said, 'Now he's everywhere'."