Blog
April 5, 2021
Last year at this time, the world was going crazy with the COVID-19 virus. The first loss of someone I met a couple of times and hardly knew, but loved, happened on April 7, 2020. John Prine was now gone.
I hate this virus a lot as we all do. I have now lost 18 friends mostly from the racing and music industry. But this also includes a couple of high school friends too.
Hopefully, we are on the other side of it now. However, it doesn't bring back John Prine or any of the others.
The first time I met and photographed John Prine was in 1972. After the show I met him backstage and we laughed a bit as we drank our Pabst! I was almost 18 so what the heck, why not? He was so nice to me. I was just a young kid photographer doing a few photos and a little story for the Bugle American newspaper.
The next and last time I met with him was in 1974 at the Schlitz Country Stage at Summerfest. I gave him a photo of himself playing on stage with a can of Pabst on the stool next to him. That picture was taken in 1972. Should have gotten one of my photos signed but I never did. I just enjoyed sharing my work with him and comparing Pabst and Schlitz back then.
We even made an executive from Schlitz laugh a bit as he looked at the photo and said, "no Pabst around here young man"! So we enjoyed a Schlitz and laughed and John went out to play and I went out to photograph him.
I believe I saw him 4 or 5 more times through the years but never did photograph him again.
John was such a great songwriter and musician.
Miss you John Prine...
Thanks for the fun times.
Rich Zimmermann
March 22, 2021
On September 10, 1989, the CART Indy Car show came to Road America.
I was just getting back into racing photography after some years of commercial work, rock and roll photography and having fun participating in BASS fishing tournaments.
For this race I only took a few photos and actually attended for the race itself. Now, I'm usually up at Road America for the full three days of competition. I travel back and forth each day from home so I can see my wife and download the day's work.
The cars in 1989 were awesome looking and sounded even better! They were powered by methanol. It is a nice, unique smell in the morning with Indy Cars in pit lane!
The race had the now famous Porsche Indy Car with driver Teo Fabi. Teo and his Porsche won only one race in the history of Porsche Indy Car racing with a win at Mid Ohio in 1989. Here at Road America, Teo Fabi finished second. Considering all the problems with the Porche racing program in Indy Car this was very good.
Danny Sullivan won the race and Rick Mears finished third. Wisconsin favorite Arie Luyendyk finished fourth.
Miss those great high horsepower cars and wish I had taken more photos of them in 1989!
Enjoy a look the photos and imagine the smell of methanol fuel.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann
March 8, 2020
Taking a look back at the Steve Miller Band in 1978, performing at the Dane County Coliseum in Madison, Wisconsin.
Steve Miller's first band was started in 1966 and has had many transformations throughout the years. He is still playing! He was Wisconsin born and his Godfather was the great Les Paul!
The version shown here has two personal favorite musicians in the band. They are Norton Buffalo who passed in 2009 and Leslie West who passed just last year.
This band was always having a fun time filling halls, arenas and what ever festival they played.
Steve has sold a lot of records and his greatest hits 1974-1978 album, that was released in 1978, sold over 13 million copies! One of them is downstairs and was recently played!
The photo with Leslie West is not the greatest but he was an amazing player so I had to include it. He and Steve had a lot of fun playing together at this show. They also played together a year earlier at Milwaukee's Summerfest.
Enjoy a look at the guys in 1978.
Thanks,
Rich Zimmermann