December 21, 2020

On December 12th, we all lost another friend and great musician in Mr. Charlie Pride due to COVID-19 at 86 years old.

In 1972 at Milwaukee's Summerfest, I photographed him and chatted with him backstage for quite a while. He was a very nice gentleman to talk to and had quite a career.

Along with his pedal steel player, Gene O'Neil, we talked about music, baseball and of course pedal steel guitars. At the time, I was trying to learn how to play one.  It's not easy! I failed hugely!!!  I'll stick to photographing musicians rather than being one!

Charlie Pride's baseball career is quite interesting. He was a great pitcher until an injury made him lose the "mustard" as a pitcher. In 1953 he was with the Yankee's Class D team in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and later that season he played in the Negro League with the Louisville Clippers. He became an Honorary Milwaukee Brewer in 1970. He also played with multiple teams in the minors.

Charlie and Jesse Mitchell were two baseball players that were traded to the Birmingham Black Barons for a team bus! They were probably the only players to have that kind of trade in baseball!

Even with the injury, Charlie tried out for the California Angels in 1961 and the New York Mets in 1962, unsuccessfully. He later became part owner of the Texas Rangers.

He taught himself how to play the guitar at age 14 and had a great career writing some really great songs. Charlie became the first black country music player to be successful. He sold more records for RCA Records than anyone other than Elvis Presley.

"Just Between You and Me" plus "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" are probably his most popular songs and my personal favorites.

In 1974 I was able to photograph Mr. Pride at Summerfest again but didn't get the chance to chat with him. He was getting quite popular and getting better each time he played.

Going to miss you Mr. Pride. RIP and prayers for you and your family.

Enjoy some photos of Mr. Pride from 1972 at Summerfest.

Thanks,

Rich ZImmermann

April 20, 2020

In the past I have written blogs about John Prine who is in my opinion is the best songwriter and storyteller in the world. Steve Goodman was a good musician and friend of John's who would have to be the second best. John Prine lyrics are just amazing and to think he wrote some of his early material during his six years as a mailman in Maywood, Illinois!

John passed away on April 7, 2020 at 74 years old. It put tears in my eyes and I'm sure a lot of other people felt the same way.  COVID-19 was stronger than John and took him to heaven. He is now with his buddy Steve Goodman who passed in 1984. When they did a show together it was really a fun time with many great songs and stories.

I had the pleasure of photographing John twice, in 1972 and then again in 1974 when I worked for the Bugle American newspaper. I have seen him probably six or seven times and every performance was just great.

My photographs of John are some of my favorite images. In 1974 when he played at Milwaukee's Summerfest Schlitz Country stage, I gave him a photo from the Milwaukee PAC 1972 show and had a few Schlitz beers with him backstage. It was called the Schlitz Country Stage after all so we had to have some Schlitz beer and it was flowing pretty good and I was only 19! John loved the photo and we joked about the 1972 photos where he had Pabst beer on his stool and now it was Schlitz! I always wanted to get a photo autographed by him and never did after all these years...

The 1974 photographs are fun to look at because it was about 100F and the Summerfest Skyglider ran almost right above the stage. John was talking to the people up there and they were talking to him which made for some interesting banter.  It also made for some great photographs of him looking up at them talking and playing around.

John had some health issues and could not smoke anymore and he LOVED to smoke cigarettes! He often said that when someone would lite up a cigarette he'd rush over to get a whiff of that first puff! He even wrote a song about going to heaven and smoking a nine mile long cigarette.

My heart goes out to his family and to our Milwaukee promoter, Peter Jest and his wife Karen who became very good friends of John.

We lost a good one on April 7th.  He will be sadly missed.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

October 7, 2019

On October 5, 2019, my old friends Pure Prairie League came to Milwaukee. For the second time I have had to miss their show because of prior commitments!! This is a great band with a lot of wonderful history.

The show in the pictures here was on December 1, 1972 when I was a senior in high school and working with the Bugle American newspaper as a music photographer. They played in Milwaukee at the Performing Arts Center which is still my favorite venue in Milwaukee.

Ben Sidren opened the show followed by Pure Prairie League, with John Prine being the headliner act.

This was way before Vince Gill came and left the band. That will be a separate blog someday soon.

Enjoy a look at the guys in 1972.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Pure Prairie League at Milwaukee's Performing Arts Center on December 1, 1972.

February 18, 2019

I first met Linda Ronstadt in a locker room/dressing room in 1972 when I was 17 years old!  I then took one of my favorite photographs ever! That black and white photo is with Ramblin' Jack Elliott listening to her warm up before she went on stage.

I've been working on some photos of Linda Ronstadt from 1972 and 1980 lately for something coming up!

Other than that picture, these are photos from 1980 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Always have loved Linda's talented voice. She has sung just about every type of music I believe other than opera in her long career.

Not sure on the band here but I think the main guitar player is Danny Kortchmar. Any help in identifying the band would be appreciated.

Enjoy the photos.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

March 19, 2018

Finally found time to edit all of the Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives photos from my new Sony camera! This show was at the Stoughton Opera House on February 24, 2018.

Marty and the guys are amazing and so is my new Sony A7R3 camera. This camera is so good in low light. I have been a true Nikon man since 1972 but it was time for a change.

Since 2008 when I photographed Marty at Summerfest, I recognized Clarence White of the Byrds guitar in his hands. Marty uses Clarence White's legendary B-Bender Fender guitar in most of his shows.

This show however is in a very small venue and as Marty says, "if he used the B-Bender he would blow the paint off the walls"! His acoustic show is very intimate and very good.

Enjoy a look at Marty and the guys!

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives at the Stoughton Opera House 2-24-2018.  Fabulous Superlatives indeed!!

April 17, 2017

Hope everyone had a nice Spring holiday!

In doing my research for Summerfest, I keep finding things that I have forgotten about- like this picture of Willie Nelson in July 3, 1977.

Take a look at a young Willie Nelson and friends.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Willie Nelson at Summerfest in 1977.

March 6, 2017

Last week we looked at the Marshall Tucker Band in 1975. This week we have a few photos of them with Willie Nelson at Summerfest on July 3, 1978.

There are more photos of their trucks and buses than the band because we weren't allowed to shoot that night!

I got a few shots from the edge of the stage and the crew tour bus backstage. Love the logo of  "the road crew the chosen few".

Enjoy! Next week we will look at  pictures of John Oates that I shot last week.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann