VIA PRESS RELEASE | Over the years, the world’s most timeless musical artists have done more than create sound: they’ve put forth enduring images that invoke a flood of memory and emotion. Every year at the Grammys, legendary musicians gather to applaud the vision that goes into creating a song, an album, and an overall image that makes an indelible mark on hearts as well as history.
With the Grammys fast approaching, Morrison Hotel Gallery is saluting the canon of history-making musical legends with a world-class exhibition, A Grammy Celebration: Covers, as well as a special exhibit honoring Aretha Franklin. The exhibition will be open to the public beginning February 9th and run through March 1st at Morrison Hotel Gallery, located inside the beautiful Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood. Gallery hours can be found here.
The photographs that appear on the covers of some of the best albums in music history are inseparable from the music that’s contained inside. These images, captured by the world’s most talented photographers, are intricately tied to the sound and the overall message of the music itself. From the Mick Rock photo shoot that brought about the cover for Queen’s smash Queen II album (and was the inspiration for the “Bohemian Rhapsody” music video) to Frank Stefanko’s gritty shots of Bruce Springsteen that grace the covers of albums such as Darkness on the Edge of Town, the albums and the artwork are forever connected.
“The Grammys are always an exciting time of year for us to celebrate the best music on the planet!” said Los Angeles gallery director Casey Fannin-Kaplan. “This year we wanted to pay tribute to all of the photographers whose hard work made it on the iconic album covers we all know and love. The album art is so essential to the music—you can’t have one memory without the other. Our exhibition will juxtapose the original photograph next to the album cover it was used for, so get ready to go down memory lane!”
In addition to a look at album artwork, the exhibition will also feature a stunning tribute to the Queen of Soul. A music legend for the ages, Aretha Franklin exuded power, control, and elegant style in every note and every image—whether she’ was posing in front of a piano in a frothy yellow gown for a Timothy White photograph or mid-performance in shots by Ebet Roberts.
In addition to purchasing prints of the album artwork, guests will also have the opportunity to purchase copies of the actual albums for their listening enjoyment at home. All images can be purchased at the Los Angeles gallery or online.
Photographers featured in the Covers exhibit include:
Joel Bernstein
Pattie Boyd
Joel Brodsky
Michael Cooper
Henry Diltz
Duffy
Barry Feinstein
Lynn Goldsmith
Bob Gruen
Art Kane
Herman Leonard
Jonathan Mannion
Lance Mercer
David Montgomery
Mick Rock
Ethan Russell
Rowland Scherman
Norman Seeff
Frank Stefanko
Masayoshi Sukita
Francis Wolff
Photographers featured in the Queen of Soul Tribute:
Robert Altman
Don Hunstein
Janet Macoska
Ebet Roberts
Jerry Schatzberg
Stephanie Pfriender Stylander
Barrie Wentzell
Timothy White
About Morrison Hotel® Gallery | Morrison Hotel® Gallery (MHG) was founded in 2001 by former record company executive Peter Blachley, music retail industry professional Richard Horowitz, and legendary music photographer Henry Diltz. In 2012, author, director and photographer Timothy White joined the team, launching an additional West Coast gallery at The Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood. In 2016, the gallery launched its third location at Mick Fleetwood’s General Store in Maui, Hawaii.
MHG is the world’s leading brand in fine art music photography representing over 125 of the world’s finest music photographers and their archives. Their vast catalog of photography encompasses jazz, blues, and rock imagery spanning several generations through to today’s contemporary music artists and now includes iconic photographs in the world of celebrity and sports as well. MHG has a robust online presence, featuring over 100,000 images searchable by photographer, music artist, band or concert
