Even the most casual consumers of rock ‘n’ roll iconography have seen Bob Gruen’s iconic images. He’s shot album covers, photographs that ended up as posters and postcards, and portraits that come to be so associated with superstar musicians, they run in their obits. John Lennon’s New York City T-shirt. Led Zeppelin’s plane. That kind of thing.
New York’s Pop International Galleries will host 100 of Gruen’s photos in a show running April 4 through May 4, including many images that have influenced the way we perceive some of rock ‘n’ roll’s biggest stars, from Lennon and Zep to CBGB icons like Debbie Harry and The Ramones. Flavorwire presents ten photos from the show in this gallery, which includes the aforementioned icons as well as The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, The Sex Pistols, Elton John, Joan Jett, New York Dolls, and Chuck Berry.
John Lennon, 1974. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.
Gruen began his career by shooting Bob Dylan’s infamous plugged-in performance at 1965’s Newport Folk Fest. “Photography has led me to some great experiences and enduring relationships,” he says. “Blurring the line between work and play, many of the people I met through my work have become friends; some are like family to me.” This is particularly true of the late Lennon, who employed Gruen as his personal photographer throughout the 1970s. The above image is perhaps the photographic symbol of Lennon in his post-Beatles career.
Tina Turner on tour, 1970. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.
The Sex Pistols’ Sid Vicious, 1978. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.
The Rolling Stones’ 1972 “Exile on Main Street” show at Madison Square Garden. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.
The Ramones on the subway, 1975. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.
New York Dolls’ Johnny Thunder and David Johansen, 1973. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.
Joan Jett, 1976. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.
John Lennon, 1974. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.
Elton John, 1971. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.
Chuck Berry, 1971. Photo by Bob Gruen, courtesy of Pop International Galleries.