The world has lost another great photographer. Jim Marshall, probably the finest photographer of musicians in the world, died yesterday in New York. He was 74 years old.
I first became aware of Jim’s photography by looking at photo credits on record album covers in the late 60’s. I spent many hours in record stores enjoying the art on the covers, and it didn’t take long to realize Jim had shot most of the great ones. When I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1970, to pursue my own music photography career, it wasn’t hard to find Jim. He was on stage, or back stage, at most of the concerts I photographed. Jim was very giving to other photographers and soon became my mentor. We would spend many hours at his flat on Union Street going over our proof sheets from recent sessions. His advice was invaluable and I became a better photographer because of it.
Jim also helped my career by introducing me to the photo editors at Rolling Stone Magazine, then published in San Francisco. Rolling Stone started hiring me to shoot concerts, which was great.
Jim also recommended me for jobs he didn’t want, the most memorable being Ringling Brothers Circus. Jim was too busy and successful to take the “grip and grin” assignment with the circus owners. But he recommended I offer to do it if they would give me carte-blanch to shoot anywhere and anyone. Ringling Brothers accepted and I got a one-year, all access pass that resulted in a series of photographs that were widely published in magazines and books around the world.
I lost touch with Jim for many years as I moved on to running a large photographic lab. But I kept an eye out for his work and was always asking mutual friends how he was doing. Earlier this year, I attended a memorial exhibit for another photographer, knowing Jim would be there. He was, and we had a great time catching up on lost years.
Rest in peace, Jim. Your images will live on for the world to enjoy.
Howard Brainen