The music industry has changed dramatically over the years. Photographers now have far less personal relationships with musicians. Darrell is am humbled to have developed such deep and meaningful relationships with some of the biggest names in music. You will find that SNAP CLICK FLASH provides some unique photographs and stories that will likely not happen with the current generation’s stars. The 80's were crazy...I'm just saying.
In this book, we invite you to join us on a visual journey from the 70's through 2001, starting in the 70's with the likes of David Bowie and Tom Petty, through the 80's with Bon Jovi and Aerosmith, into the 90's with Nirvana and Alice in Chains and into the 2000s with Adam Levine, No Doubt and many more.
In 1969, Darrell got his hands on a Yashica twin lens. Back then, you had to manually develop and process the film; photography was much more of an art form. He got his start by taking pictures for the local newspaper and his high school year book. Two years later, he was introduced to rock music photography at The Satsop Rock Festival in 1971 featuring Youngbloods, Eric Burdon, Spencer Davis Group, Steve Miller Band, Ike and Tina Turner, and Derek and the Dominos. He was hired by the promoter to photograph the four-day, 60,000 attendee Festival.
Over the coming years his work started getting recognized and thus began getting introduced to the decision makers at radio stations and record companies in the Pacific Northwest. Little did he know that his love of cameras would turn into a 45+ year career photographing the world’s greatest stars in music as a rock photographer.The rest is history...
"I first met Darrell in 1974 when I was the General Manager/Program Director of a radio station KGHO. Darrell came to my office and showed me some pictures from a recent Elton John concert. They were really great shots and I asked Darrell where he got them. He told me he had shot them himself. I was amazed. The photos were as good as anything I had ever seen taken at a rock concert.
A year later I left radio and went to work for Capitol Records of Hollywood as their West Coast Promotion and Marketing Manager. Much of my job involved artists touring and promotional events. I need a true pro-photographer to capture the action backstage and at radio stations and in-store events. Most of the photographers I had met in the music industry just weren't up to the task. But I remembered the young guy from Montesano who had come to my office with the Elton John photos.
I asked Darrell to shoot for me at the Paul McCartney & Wings Seattle concert in 1976. As usual he came up with some incredible shots. We had a fun time together doing shows with Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Bob Seger, Heart, Bonnie Raitt, Hammer, Little River Band, Anne Murray, Duran Duran, you name it, if they were on the Capitol label, Darrell captured the action. Many artists just don't like doing photos after a show but Darrell had a way of putting them at ease. He would get his motor drive cameras flashing from every angle, bouncing around the room and taking the pics. Darrell did his own show right in front of them and the biggest names in the music industry would ask me "Where did you find this guy? He's terrific!!" Darrell and I continued to work together until I retired from Capitol Records in 1998.
I would like to say congratulations to Darrell on a wonderful career. Man, did we have some big fun together as you captured some of rock music’s historical moments. You are, as Tina Turner once said, "Simply The Best"!"
-Stan Foreman, Formerly of Capitol Records
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