Pete Seeger at Summerfest in 1977.
December 29, 2025
Just a simple blog to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Let's hope that 2026 brings us all less visits to doctors and hospitals.
Enjoy some pictures of our animal friends in the yard from this past year.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
December 15, 2025
Just a short little blog with a few photos of Jesse Colin Young and Leo Kottke from May of 1975.
In May of 1975 I was still working for the Bugle American newspaper.
It was a rough time in my life as my studio, Intrepid Trips, closed and from then on I worked out of where ever I lived.
I would stretch out a 36 exposure roll of film for 2 or 3 shows so I could save money. With film of course you didn't see what you shot until after the film was developed. Digital photography did not exist then.
Here you see the result of good photos from 15 shots taken that night! I really like digital photography now for the instant results and especially in low light for rock'n' roll.
Chemotherapy #18 is up next so I actually wrote this a bit early (December 9th) because I never know how I'll feel. It's different every time. The last one was awful.
Enjoy a couple shots from way back in 1975.
Just heard that Raul Malo passed last night (December 8th) from cancer. Cancer SUCKS. We texted a few times during our cancer journeys. Love to his family and we're going to miss Raul a bunch. He had such a great voice and left us records to remember him by.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
December 1, 2025
Been a bit crazy around here with another urinary tract infection (#11) a week before chemotherapy (#17) on November 20th. I was sick from both and it was not fun.
First time I've gone this long without publishing a blog due to health. I didn't even sit at the computer for a while unless necessary.
Healed up just in time for Thanksgiving with some family which was great. We all went out for Thanksgiving dinner. There were no dishes to do and the food was delicious!
Hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving too.
Prior to all that, I was back into writing my autobiography which is up to 1975 and the band Queen that I photographed on March 7th 1975.
It's going to take a few years to do this autobiography on rock'n'roll in my life and a photo history but it's a project I've wanted to do for years.
The Queen show at the beautiful Uptown Theater here in Milwaukee was excellent of course. This was really at the height of their career I think.
Freddie Mercury was such a great vocalist, writer and performer who loved every minute performing.
The band with Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon were the perfect match for Freddie. Brian May and Roger Taylor with Adam Lambert still continue touring a bit making Freddie proud.
That concert for me was fun but I had one incident at that show.
Photographing from the orchestra pit filled with a lot of equipment cases I could not resist going on top of one of those cases to take some pictures. So I did and I got some shots.
Then at one point they fogged the stage and I was kneeling at that time. I shuffled to the left a few inches and dropped down with two cameras! Nobody saw me go down about 5 feet because of the fog. But I was 21 years old and got right back up and started shooting again.
I recall being a little sore the next day but well worth it. My Nikon and Hasselblad cameras also made it unscathed. I remember that fall like it was yesterday!
Enjoy some photos of that show and have a great Holiday season.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
November 10, 2025
Recently Marco Andretti announced his retirement from auto racing to focus on just his family.
He had a few shinning moments in his Indy Car career that were mostly at the Indy 500 where he got close a few times to winning but never got it done.
He won 2 Indy Car races in his career from 2006 to 2025 and competed in just about every form of racing. That includes Star Mazda, Indy Car Pro Series, Nascar, Formula E, International V8 Supercars, ARCA, Craftsman Truck Series, A1 Grand Prix, Infiniti Pro Series, Star Mazda, the American LeMans Series and won the Camping World SRX Championship in 2022.
His grandfather, Mario Andretti, and his father, Michael Andretti, were always coaching him and Mario could always be found in his pit area trying to help.
Marco didn't have the race craft of his father or grandfather, but he tried.
Enjoy retirement Marco with the family.
Here are a few photos of him from through the years.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
October 27, 2025
Very sad to hear that we lost one of the founding members of the band KISS, "Ace" Frehley on October 16th.
Always wanted to photograph KISS but never got the chance. I did get to photograph Paul Daniel "Ace" Frehley in 2021 at Summerfest.
He was a great guitarist who played with KISS from 1973 to 1982. He also played the farewell tours in 1996 and 2002.
"Ace" never took guitar lessons but he came from a family of guitar and piano players. His father also played the church organ.
In 1978 "Ace" did a solo album that went Platinum and then did a few more solo albums in addition to a few with his band Frehley's Comet.
His Gibson Les Paul guitar had smoke coming out of the neck and it had a spinning pyrotechnic feature.
We will miss the Space Ace or Spaceman as he was called when he was with KISS.
Enjoy some photos from 2021. I have one of those guitar picks from that night
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
October 13, 2025
On a cold February afternoon in 2018, we saw Marty Stuart and his Fabulous Superlatives at the Stoughton Opera House in Stoughton, Wisconsin.
It was a great show in a beautiful theater and it is one of Marty's favorites venues.
He was going to build his theater in Mississippi to resemble the opera house as much as possible. That's how much he loved it. During his performance that day he wouldn't bring out his Clarence White B Bender Fender guitar that was friend Clarence Whites from The Byrds.
My previous blog goes into that story with Clarence White.
Marty said that "it would blow the paint of the walls of the little theater"! I'll never forget that.
Marty is coming to our neighborhood to the Wilson Center for the Performing Arts on October 24, 2025 here in Brookfield, Wisconsin. Hope the B Bender comes out that night because he really plays it well and Clarence White would be proud of him.
Take a look at Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives. They are all fabulous musicians. "Cousin" Kenny Vaughan, "Handsome" Harry Stinson and Chris Scruggs whose dad and his grandfather ,Earl Scruggs, I've had the pleasure to meet and photograph. Even did an interview with Earl Scruggs many years ago who started an amazing musical family.
Hope you are coming to the show. I think and expect tickets are sold out.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
September 15, 2025
Here is part 2 of the Indy Car race at the Milwaukee Mile on August 23rd and 24th 2025.
Saturday was hot and humid with Alex Palou taking the pole position and Sunday was a cool jacket weather day. Christian Rasmussen getting his first win in Indy Car was the excitement of that day.
Alex Palou finished second with Scott McLaughlin in third. Nolan Siegel spun right in front of me and was the first car out of the race on lap one.
Indy NXT had a great race with Salvador de Alba taking the win and his Andretti Global teammates Dennis Hauger second with Lochie Hughes third.
The driver to keep an eye on is Myles Rowe. He got the win in the final Indy NXT race in Nashville a week later.
The main grandstand sold out which was great to see and hear as they were very loud and into the race.
Marshall Pruett, Dario Franchitti and Will Buxton had a little meeting with the media on the 10th anniversary of Justin Wilson's passing. Marshall told us that a documentary is in the works and can't wait to see it as Justin was a great racer and friend. Miss him.
Enjoy the photos and thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
Race day at the Mile saw Alex Palou on the pole but Christian Rasmussen got his first win!