Front Row Center PHOTOGRAPHER SHERRY RAYN BARNETT HAS CAPTURED SOME of the MOST ICONIC LEGENDS in MUSIC
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front row center PHOTOGRAPHER SHERRY RAYN BARNETT HAS CAPTURED SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC LEGENDS IN MUSIC. AND NOW, MORE THAN 50 YEARS AFTER SHE EMBARKED ON HER FIRST PROFESSIONAL ASSIGNMENT TO SHOOT IKE AND TINA TURNER, HER WORK REMAINS AS RELEVANT AS EVER. Written by Karen Young | Photographs by Sherry Rayn Barnett A shot of Sherry’s from the Forum in 1984 when Tina Turner introduced her hit “What’s Love Got to Do with It.” Sitting in the living room of the epicenter of music history. It’s a story that might not have been told had the pan- cozy Toluca Woods home she shares demic not happened. with a couple of felines, surrounded Mustangs of the West, the all-female country rock quintet by her eclectic collection of music for which she plays lead guitar on a turquoise blue Fender Stratocaster, had just released their first album in 20 years. memorabilia, Sherry Rayn Barnett It was the second incarnation of the band, and they were set reflects with boundless enthusiasm on to go on tour. her life as a photographer and musician. Instead, Sherry shifted her focus to the book she long wanted to write. Her photos have been licensed across all “I am captivated by what I see on stage and always want media but have never been seen together in one place. to capture those feelings,” says Sherry, who adds she was Choosing to focus on two decades, Sherry tells a remarkable never comfortable performing solo. “Having the advantage of historical, visual story through many rare and previously playing music, I can anticipate the moment. It’s something unseen photos. very intrinsic to me.” Eye of the Music: The Photography of Sherry Rayn Barnett: New A petite brunette with an infectious grin, she regales with York to LA, 1969-1989 is a stunning collection of more than tales forged through five decades of rock, folk, pop, disco, 200 images, all shot on film—raw and emotive, powerfully jazz, country, punk and blues—a journey that began as a capturing the core essence of the performers. New York teen in the late ’60s—ultimately landing her in the “I wanted to include popular artists, but also others I felt A James Taylor concert at Queens College in 1970 closed with Joni Sherry on the job, with one of the half Mitchell as a surprise guest. dozen cameras she owns. | 39 needed to be honored and validated for their contributions to LORE—THROUGH THE LENS music—people who had something to say with socially con- Hearing Sherry talk about her career is like speeding through scious songs, or female musicians who never got their due a time machine. She vividly recalls a 1970 concert with James from a time when females were considered a novelty instead Taylor at Queen’s College, referring to it as a “magic night.” of legitimate musicians.” James had already hit the charts with “Sweet Baby James” She cites Birtha and Fanny, two female groups, who were and chose a relatively unknown Carole King to open for him. considered the precursors to The Go-Go’s, as examples. She introduced songs that would make up “Tapestry,” which Fanny, about which David Bowie once said, “one of the most would become one of the best-selling albums of all time. important female bands in American rock has been buried “The crowd grew impatient waiting for James,” Sherry without a trace,” is currently the subject of a new documen- recalls, “so Carole brought him onstage to play ‘You’ve Got a tary—Fanny: The Right to Rock—which features Sherry’s photos. Friend.’” But the icing on the cake, she says, was his special guest, Joni Mitchell. Sherry happened to be the only photog- COMING INTO FOCUS rapher present. With a songwriter mother who introduced her to rock and “Who knew what a rare, historic performance that roll, Sherry grew up with music ingrained in her home. She would become?” studied classical guitar at the High School of Performing Arts, which, after the popular ’80s movie and TV show, became LA WOMAN known as the “Fame” school. By 1971, lured by the sound of the folk singer-songwriter Attributing her passion to her father who let her play with movement coming out of Laurel Canyon, Sherry hitched her David Bowie appearing on the TV show Top of the Pops in 1987. his camera collection, Sherry started with a Brownie box way to LA for what would become a period of defining, electri- camera at age 10, bought her first single-lens reflex Nikon fying moments covering solo performers and bands. at 15, and by 17 was leading a dual life. Attending school by Toting her Nikon, she could be found everywhere—from Prince making his LA debut in 1979 day and music clubs by night, she biked across Manhattan small clubs like the Troubadour, McCabe’s Guitar Shop and at The Roxy in a photo that would appear in Rolling Stone. to Greenwich Village clubs and coffeehouses with a camera North Hollywood’s notorious Palomino (where her band the strapped to her back, reporting for underground papers. Mustangs also played) to the grandeur of the Hollywood Bowl Describing herself as self-taught, Sherry recalls her first and the Forum. Among those she photographed during that professional assignment in 1969: to shoot Ike and Tina period: the Carpenters, The Go-Go’s, Little Richard, the Bee Turner at their Chelsea Hotel room, followed by a perfor- Gees, Chuck Berry, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, the Motels and mance at the infamous Electric Circus. In the room’s dim Bette Midler. light, Sherry captured the faux-leopard-clad duo sitting on One fateful night in 1979 she was at the Roxy on assign- a bed, as Tina, who had just awakened from a nap, flipped ment to shoot comedian Judy Carter, who was opening for a through a magazine. singer from Minneapolis making his Los Angeles debut. Clad In retrospect, Sherry says it was a “profound way to begin in zebra-patterned briefs, Prince commanded the stage. her career.” She would photograph the iconic Tina, who went “It’s funny, because the photo isn’t sharp, but Rolling Stone on to have an illustrious solo career, several more times. flipped out and published it because it was Prince’s first per- Among the soon-to-be legends she shot through her lens formance here in LA and nobody else had it.” eye were Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell and Nina Sherry credits much of her success to making the right Simone—all of whom she continued to cover in the follow- choices. “The difference between what I was doing and other ing decades. Other subjects: Joan Baez and Judy Collins at rock photographers is that the majority were guys who were Carnegie Hall, Don McLean first singing “American Pie,” and going for the big rock bands, shooting Led Zeppelin and the Janis Joplin just months before her death. “If I had to rate the Rolling Stones. But I was kind of following my passion for hundreds and hundreds of shows I’ve shot, that Janis Joplin the music that resonated with me, so I’d end up at the small concert out of all would have to be in my top 5. Very possibly clubs, or I’d find my way at the bigger venues to shoot the number 1.” Carpenters, The Go-Go’s, Cyndi Lauper, and Bette Midler.” 40 | Janis Joplin at Forest Hills Tennis Sherry caught Nina Simone Miles Davis in 1970 at the Central Stadium a few months before her performing by chance one night in Park Schaefer Music Festival, where untimely death at 27. 1971 in Greenwich Village. Sixteen he laid the groundwork for what years later she would shoot the cover would become jazz fusion. of “Let It Be Me.” With Jackson Browne “THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT I WAS Plus, Sherry says that access to musicians at concerts was THE CAREER CHORUS not controlled as it is now. With press credentials and her In recent years, Sherry has had a sense of coming full circle. DOING AND OTHER petite frame—she’s just 5’1”—she could easily maneuver to a Her band’s latest album was recorded at Jim Henson Studios front-and-center spot. Being up close was critical because at (formerly A&M Records) where she photographed several ROCK PHOTOGRAPHERS that time she always shot with a single lens. intimate recording sessions, including one with Joni Mitchell. “I learned how to make 36 exposures count. I wasn’t look- Several of Sherry’s photos will be used in the artist’s upcom- IS THAT THE MAJORITY ing to get one shot,” explains Sherry. “I was looking to get ing archive set. And then, there’s Sherry’s new book. several shots at one time. And that’s not from an ego stand- “I’m just thrilled to see the scope of my work in one place. WERE GUYS WHO WERE point. I didn’t have money for multiple cameras or rolls.” As a musician, I hope the photos bring us closer to the music For the 1987 British import TV show Top of the Pops, Sherry and closer to what the artist is conveying, so people can feel GOING FOR THE BIG photographed Sting, Natalie Cole, Joe Cocker, Roy Orbison, like they were there.” Carlos Santana and Gloria Estefan, among others. A moment With Carole King, Tina Turner and The Go-Go’s being in- on the set is recalled in her book: “witnessing the undeni- ducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in October, it’s fair ROCK BANDS, SHOOTING able, almost otherworldly energy of David Bowie rehearsing to bet that Sherry Rayn Barnett’s images will be there too.