Live Nation and
Royal Albert Hall Present:
The Nashville Portraits by
Jim McGuire
One of country music’s most legendary photographers, Jim McGuire, was drawn to hillbilly music from a young age – to the sounds, the emotion, the honesty, and then of course to the people who made it.
The Nashville Portraits exhibition brings his work to the UK for the very first time, showcasing 25 of his iconic black and white portraits, featuring legends of country music including Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.
Inspired by Irving Penn’s black and white portraits of small trade workers in their work clothes with their tools, Jim began a series of musicians’ portraits in 1972 with a photograph of singer/songwriter John Hartford. He developed a practice during album cover photo sessions of asking artists to sit for a portrait on his hand-painted backdrop with the tools of their trade. Thus, was born the ‘Nashville Portraits’ series, which grew to include more than 1,000 images of America’s most influential singers, songwriters, and musician, all photographed on the same iconic canvas backdrop.
This is a free exhibition accessible to anyone with an event ticket.
The Nashville Portraits images are presented courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry Archives and Jim McGuire.
Presented as part of HighWays Festival
THURSDAY 27 APRIL-TUESDAY 30 MAY 2023 #HIGHWAYSFEST
About McGuire
I’ve always felt I had a bit of a lucky streak….somehow…great things seem to come my way. A prime example is being able to make a living combining two things I have a passion for…music and photography. And the best part is that I didn’t have to get a job. After 50 years shooting…I consider that lucky. Being in Nashville and in the music business in the 1970s-80s and 90s…..was the place to be…..and I consider that lucky. And the places it’s taken me and the friends I've made….I consider that lucky. So if you don’t believe it….just wade thru this web site and see for yourself…. I would not change a minute of it.
The Nashville Portraits
Growing up in the 1950s, I was always in love with black and white.
LIFE magazine, Rebel Without a Cause...On The Water Front….The Wild One… these were very powerful images for my young eyes. Even in later years, black and white images had a way of staying with me longer and speaking to me louder than anything else.
Color was too literal. You could get all the color you would ever want by just walking out your front door. But when you create a black and white image, you are not recording it on film, you have an obligation to bring your own vision to the process. For me, black and white had a way of making things you would normally take for granted seem more important…..and I like that.
Like many things in my life, the collection of photographs that became “The Nashville Portraits” began quite accidentally. From a young age, I was drawn to hillbilly music, to the sounds, the emotion, the honesty, and then of course to the people who made it. Discovering country music changed my life in ways I couldn’t have imagined.
Over the past 50 years, I have had the good fortune to have met, photographed, and befriended many of my musical heroes. John Hartford, David Bromberg, Vassar Clements, Norman Blake were the first...all shot late one night in 1971 after a gig in New York. The hand painted canvas background I used that night was barely dry and is the same one used in all these portraits thru the years.
Most of us have a drawer full of snapshots that remind us of the good times. These are some of mine.
Other Work
My work mostly involved shooting album covers and press photos of bands, singer/songwriters and solo musicians. When the photo session was winding down and we had what we needed, I always asked if they would let me shoot a few black and white portraits for myself that were not going to the record company. No one ever turned me down….and that is how The Nashville Portrait series began.
Thru the years, The Nashville Portraits took on a life of it’s own and grew into an interesting series of B&W portraits spanning 47 years. It evolved into many late night picking parties that happened in the studio and even into taking my old canvas backdrop to other locations to get portraits I wanted to include in the series. After shooting nearly 700 album covers, these portraits are what I am most proud of. But here is just a glimpse of some other work, aside from the B&W series, that are some of my favorite moments thru the years.
PRINT FOR SALE:
JOHN WITH BIG BOYS PRINT FOR SALE ON “PRINTS” PAGE
Outtakes
One of the things I love about working with musicians is you just never know what’s going to happen… no matter how well you plan. So many great, unexpected things happen when you put really creative people in a room together where they are comfortable and left to their own devices. You just have to be ready for them….and it doesn’t hurt to add a little encouragement by keeping an open bottle of Tito’s or Tequila nearby…. At least that was always my plan. So these are just a few of my favorite moments.
