March 3, 2014

Today's blog is a look back to Summerfest in July of 1973. These were the days when Summerfest still had the old "Main Stage". It was basically a big tent on a little hill that had grass in front of the stage! It was actually quite nice and some performers even walked down onto the grass performing.

In finding today's photos, which are slides, I discovered an error I made! Hard to believe, but yes I have dates screwed up. These photos are from 1973. My Blog #59 titled Steve Miller and Leslie West 1971 should read 1977! I will straighten those dates out soon.

So, enjoy some photos of Steve Miller in 1973, playing some good music!

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

December 16, 2009

My good friends, The Familiar Looking Strangers, have headed back home to Liverpool, England for the holidays.

Their album is done and coming out in March 2014 when they will start touring with the band Hawkwind.

You guys have worn out my Nikon and I have sent it away to get repaired and ready for your next visit!

The Strangers played a few dates here recently with Phil Vasser who is one of the nicest guys and hardest workers in the music industry!

In 2009 at Summerfest, Phil stayed around for every last person at a meet and greet, signing anything and everything plus taking photos with his fans! That is the way it is supposed to be, right?

Enjoy some photos of Phil from Summerfest here in Milwaukee back in 2009.

Please join me on Facebook at Rich Zimmermann Photography and have a great week.

Thanks,

Rich

Phil Vasser at Summerfest in 2009.

December 9, 2013

One of the world's leading heavy metal bands, Judas Priest, brought forth British Steel to Milwaukee's Summerfest on July 2, 2009.

Led by lead singer Rob Halford, I needed some earplugs as I photographed the band famous for their twin lead guitarists, Glen Tipton and Richie Faulkner. They were really loud on this particular night!

The band stuffed a lot of gear on stage and made the stage look a bit small for them.

I only had one and a half songs to photograph the band so this was a quick shoot.

Enjoy some photos from that night and please like me on Facebook at Rich Zimmermann Photography as I try to build up my Facebook presence.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

November 11, 2013

On July 20, 1972, Charlie Pride and his band came to Milwaukee's Summerfest for a show.

Charlie and his band were having a successful tour with his 1971 hit "Kiss an Angel Good Mornin". It was his biggest hit but he did have 30 others on the Billboard charts.

The photos of his band here are interesting and fun to look at! Anybody know who the steel guitar player is???

I know that Charlie loved baseball and tried to be a pitcher with the Yankees in 1953. He lost the magic on his fastball and the Yankees sent him to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin to play in their Class D team! Never knew that!

Enjoy some photos of Charlie and his band at Summerfest in 1972.

Please come join my Facebook page at Rich Zimmermann Photography and have a great week.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

October 7, 2013

Digging through my files for a blog this week, I came across photos of "The Killer", Jerry Lee Lewis, at Summerfest on July, 19, 1972!

He got the nickname "The Killer", because of his wild and crazy piano playing shows! One of my photos here shows Jerry Lee climbing his piano! He did have a wild show that night I saw him at Summerfest.

These photos are old but well worth looking at.  Doing my blog makes me digitize these old pictures and restore them.

Jerry Lee Lewis, is known for a lot of crazy things like marrying 8 times! One of those marriages was when he was 22, and it was to a minor who was 13 and his first cousin once removed!!

His start was in Louisiana, playing piano with Mickey Gilley and TV evangelist Jimmy Swaggart!

Some of his shows included his sister, Linda Gail Lewis, who can be seen here in the photographs from Summerfest.

Enjoy these pictures of "The Killer", and have a great week.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

Jerry Lee Lewis at Summerfest July 18, 1972.

Elvin Bishop at Summerfest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1979.

July 29, 2013

Before I begin, let me thank Andreas Wiegel in Vienna, Austria, for letting me know that Roger Sutton was the bass player and Tommy Eyre played keyboards for the Mark Almond band. In my blog #68 on the Mark Almond Band, I was not sure from my research and asked for some information on that. Very cool to see that I reach out to Vienna, Austria and Andreas!!

This week's blog looks back at Elvin Bishop and his band that came to Summerfest here in Milwaukee in 1979. This was an awesome show and had a guy named Mickey Thomas playing Saxophone and doing great vocals. Mickey Thomas then went on to Jefferson Starship and nearly became a household name. He has such a great voice. I forgot that he played saxophone until I looked back at these photographs!

Elvin Bishop is coming back to Milwaukee for the Harley Davidson Anniversary concerts at the Summerfest grounds on August 29th! I am looking forward to the show because I haven't seen him since 1979 when he was sleeping in the dressing room! The band that night was worn out because they had just come from Hawaii I believe!

Have a great week and enjoy the photographs. The first photograph is a copy of a press kit Elvin had back then.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

 

Arlo Guthrie at Summerfest 1972