November 26, 2012

After doing my blog last week, I realized that I forgot to include some other images that I really like. 

Then, I found a few more color photos that I thought you might enjoy, so this week it's David Bowie Part 2.

That was one of the most amazing shows ever!

The photos featured on the blog each week are for sale at $30.00 for an 8 X 10 or 8 1/2 X 11.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

November 19, 2012

On October 13, 1974, David Bowie and his Soul Tour appeared at The MECCA Milwaukee Arena for a terrific show. 

In October of 1974, David rebranded the show from The Diamond Dogs Tour to the Soul Tour and got rid of a lot of the theatrics on stage that had been used   As a photographer, I was looking forward to The Diamond Dogs staging which was said to be very elaborate.

The sound check was just as good as the show, and the stage looked pretty void of theatrics but the lighting was beautiful!

That show is still one of my favorites of all time. The first photograph shown here is one of my personal favorites and has been a trademark of Rich Zimmermann Photography.

Enjoy the photos and for the week of the blog all the pictures shown are on sale at $30.00 for an 8 X 10 or 8 1/2 X 11.

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

November 12, 2012

In May of 1973, I was fortunate to be in the dressing room when Frank Zappa was being interviewed.  He is one of the most interesting and intelligent people I have ever had the chance to meet.

The interview was more about politics than music that day. Frank chain smoked and drank a lot of coffee during the whole thing.

Frank was in Milwaukee at the Milwaukee Arena with his band, The Mothers of Invention.  The opening act was John McGlaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra.

With his daughter named Moon Unit and son named Dweezil, Frank seemed to be a real family man.  He was married to the same woman for many years.

Dweezil plays Frank's music around the world and Moon Unit had a hit song with Valley Girl several years back.

Enjoy the interview photos and a future blog will feature the show.

Thanks,

Rich

November 5, 2012

My blog #30 a few weeks ago was about the band Soup.  The photos shown were from a concert they did with the band Focus on March 25, 1973 at the Performing Arts Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Focus, was on a US tour featuring their hit song Hocus Pocus that they were most famous for.  Vocalist, keyboard and flute player, Thijs van Leer, does some amazing vocals in this song.  I believe you could say it was a mix of screaming, yodeling and singing!  The look on his face shows how much effort he puts into his vocals.

Guitarist, Jan Akkerman, accompanied him with some fine guitar playing.

Focus was very popular and had a good show, but personally, I think the opening act of Soup with Doug Yankus was the better performance that night.

All blog photographs are for sale at a special price of $30.00 for a limited edition 8 X 10 or 8 1/2 X 11 gloss print which includes shipping in the U.S..  This sale is just during the week of the featured blog.  Contact us soon.

Please visit me on Facebook or Twitter @ richzimmermann.com

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

October 29, 2012

My start in music photography began at the Alternate Site Park on Milwaukee's lakefront.  During the 1970's the Alternate Site was the place to meet people, hear local bands and have a good time just about every weekend.  The best part was that it was free!

The first band I photographed was Sugar Cane, July 4th, 1971 and those are the color photos attached here. They were good, but the weekend I really remember was July 25, 1971 when the Ox played.  Jon Paris, Bob Metzger and Brad Seip showed me what live rock 'n' roll was all about!  They made me want to be a music photographer and get close to the action on stage.

Thanks to the Ox, my life of becoming a rock photographer started and we became good friends.  The attached black and white photographs are from the second edition of The Ox.  There would be a third edition when Brad left and gave the drums to Ed Sisson.  The Ox invited other people on stage and Tony Brown is shown here singing with the Ox.

Presently, Bob Metzger plays guitar for Leonard Cohen. Jon Paris is in New York city playing with his band at B. B. King's Lucille's Bar and Grill.  He has played with a lot of great people, from his good friend Les Paul to Link Wray to Johnny Winter to Bo Diddley and many more.  I would have loved to have seen Jon play with Link Wray.

All blog photographs are for sale at a special price of $30.00 for a limited edition 8 X 10 or 8 1/2 X 11 gloss print which includes shipping in the U.S..  This sale is just during the week of the featured blog.  Contact us soon.

Please visit me on Facebook or Twitter @ richzimmermann.com

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

October 22,, 2012

It was a hot day on June 7th 1987 when I went to the Milwaukee Mile to see the CART Indy cars race.  I have always loved Indy cars but had not been to a race in years because I was too busy trying to make a career as a rock 'n' roll photographer!

I took my Nikon camera and sat in the grandstands with some friends who were there to cheer for Rick Mears.  It was hard for me to just sit there in my seat!  I wanted to be closer to the action to get a better photograph with all the colors of the cars.  The best I could do was walk down to the fence and try to shoot through it, or somehow use the fence in the photograph.

Rock 'n' roll photography was going to the back seat for a while because now I wanted to be an Indy car racing photographer for a magazine or the Milwaukee Mile or anyone!

The race itself that day was a good one with Michael Andretti, the son of Mario Andretti, starting fourth and winning the race in his Kraco car.  Roberto Guerreo started on the pole in his True Value car but finished 16th.  Bobby Rahal in his Red Roof Inns car started second and finished second.  Derek Daly came in third and then went on to become an announcer. He has a son, Conor, who races just  like Bobby Rahal's son Graham races, Arie Luyendyk's son, Arie Jr.,  and Michael Andretti's son, Marco!  Rick Mears did not finish the race that day.  He crashed.   Many fans at the race came to see Arie Luyendyk who was living not far from the track and was sponsored by the local company Provimi Veal.  Arie started sixth and finished fourth.

Attached are a few photographs from the race that day for you to enjoy.

All blog photographs are for sale at a special price of $30.00 for a limited edition 8 X 10 or 8 1/2 X 11 gloss print which includes shipping in the U.S..  This sale is just during the week of the featured blog.  Contact us soon.

Please visit me on Facebook or Twitter @ richzimmermann.com

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

October 15, 2012

Last week, a good friend and great musician, Jon Paris, (check out jonparis.com), posted a photograph of John Lennon on Facebook.  In the photograph, John  Lennon is having some scrambled eggs for breakfest and a copy of a record album by the Wisconsin band Soup is seen.

Soup, was a popular band in the early 1970's.  It consisted of Doug Yankus on guitar, with Dave Faas on bass and Rob Griffith on drums.  Doug Yankus did the main vocals and the majority of the song writing.

Their first album was a plain brown jacket with a bright green insert listing the songs and credits.  The insert said the cover art was to be done by "You"!

The attached photographs show my own personal cover art and photographs from a show they did with the Dutch band Focus at the Performing Art Center in Milwaukee, March 25, 1973.

All blog photographs are for sale at a special price of $30.00 for a limited edition 8 X 10 or 8 1/2 X 11 gloss print which includes shipping in the U.S..  This sale is just during the week of the featured blog.  Contact us soon.

Please visit me on Facebook or Twitter @ richzimmermann.com

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

October 8, 2012

In 1987, I was fortunate enough to be the house photographer at Alpine Valley Music Theater in East Troy, Wisconsin.  It was a great job, with no pay, but it was fun.  When I was a bit younger and in high school I was on the Alpine Valley Ski Patrol at the ski hill at the same resort!  That could be a whole different interesting blog with some good stories.

Alpine Valley is legendary for all the acts that have performed there, but Madonna's show on August 2, 1987 was truly amazing. 

When she came to Alpine Valley on her True Blue Tour, construction had to be done because she required a bigger stage.  They took out the back walls and made the stage deeper for her big show.  She had a huge band and showed a lot of video on a large screen during her show which was why the stage had to be expanded.

She did not disappoint. The crowd loved her singing and every costume that she wore.

All blog photographs are for sale at a special price of $30.00 for a limited edition 8 X 10 or 8 1/2 X 11 gloss print which includes shipping in the U.S..  This sale is just during the week of the featured blog.  Contact us soon.

Please visit me on Facebook or Twitter @ richzimmermann.com

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

October 1, 2012

After talking with a friend this week who liked Jackson Browne, I went back to my archives and found some pictures from a show on May 10, 1975.  On that day, Jackson Browne played the Milwaukee Performing Art Center and Phoebe Snow was the opening act.

I have always liked Jackson Browne. He has a voice and sound that I can never hear enough of.  Jackson also plays slide guitar and David Lindley plays in his band.  He too is one of the best slide guitar players around.

All the new music coming out these days will not last as long as Jackson's music will.

Phoebe Snow was a great opening act.  She had a great voice.

Please visit me on Facebook or Twitter @ richzimmermann.com

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann

September 24, 2012

This past weekend, my wife Claudia and I, photographed Michelle and Chris Jerina's wedding.  Congratulations to them and they are presently on a nice honeymoon in Hawaii.

After downloading all the photographs from Saturday, it made me realize how the digital world has spoiled us wedding photographers.  I used to shoot one or two rolls of film before the ceremony and then make sure I had a fresh roll of film for the ceremony.  Now, we can just shoot away and capture every moment possible without reloading!  It is very nice and all the new digital photographers do not realize how nice it is!

I think in this digital wedding world I take a lot more pictures than I used to because I do not have to reload a camera.  I need to edit about 1000 photos and put some on collages.net for the family and friends to view. We still put an album together of 4 X 6 photos but putting the wedding on the web is really a nice new feature of the digital world.

How the photo/wedding world has changed is for the good I think and here are just a couple of photos from the wedding.

Please visit me on Facebook or Twitter @ richzimmermann.com

Thanks,

Rich Zimmermann