Legendary Rock Photographer Jim Marshall Dies

Jim Marshall, the legendary rock photographer that snapped everyone from the Stones to Hendrix to the Beatles to the Doors to Zeppelin, has died in New York aged 74.

Marshall was without doubt one of the most important rock photographers of all time. He was trusted and liked by the stars, and as a result was responsible for some of the most iconic rock images ever taken.

After leaving the air force Marshall’s career began in earnest in 1959 after a chance encounter with jazz legend John Coltrane that resulted in him shooting nine rolls of film in exchange for a lift in his car.

Soon after he was hired by Atlantic and Columbia records to shoot their artists at work in the studio, but it was when he moved to San Francisco that his career took off – quickly finding himself photographer of choice for bands such as the Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin.

The photograph for which he is perhaps the most famous, is the Jimi Hendrix / Flaming Guitar picture taken at the Monterey Pop Festival. In his last book, Trust (released last year), Marshall revealed how he bonded with Hendrix initially.

"The first time I shot Jimi was at Monterey Pop," Marshall writes. "It was during his soundcheck and there was just me, Jimi's band, a few crew and Al Kooper in an empty arena. Jimi was on the stage and I went up to him and introduced myself, 'I'm Jim Marshall, photographer, I'm gonna be taking pictures, is everything cool?' He says, 'Man, maybe this shit is meant to be.' I'm like, 'What do you mean?' He goes, 'The dude who makes my amplifiers is called Jim Marshall.' Like a smart ass I say, 'Yeah I know that' and he says, 'But what you don't know is my name is Jim Marshall too.' His given name was James Marshall Hendrix. We were a little stoned as I recall."

Marshall was the only photographer allowed backstage at The Beatles’ final ever live show at the Candlestick Park in San Francisco on 29 August 1966, while he accompanied the Rolling Stones on their legendary 1972 tour. He was also the chief photographer at Woodstock in 1969.

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He continued to work all the way until his death, and was in New York for an exhibition of his work at the Morrison Hotel Gallery. He never had any children, recently revealing the reason being that "My photographs are my children.”

RIP Jim Marshall, 1936 - 2010