Ethan Russell | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1945-11-26)November 26, 1945 (age 79) Mount Kisco,New York, U.S. |
| Education | Cate School University of California, Davis |
| Occupation(s) | Photographer, author, video director |
| Years active | 1968−present |
| Known for | Photography work withthe Beatles,the Rolling Stones andthe Who |
| Website | shop |
Ethan Allen Russell (born November 26, 1945, inMount Kisco,New York) is an American photographer, author and video director, mostly of musicians. He is known as "the only rock photographer to have shot album covers forThe Beatles,The Rolling Stones andThe Who."[1]
The son of Charles Howland Russell and Alice Allen Russell, he is the great-grandson of suffragistFlorence Jaffray Harriman and the great-grandson of Episcopal bishopHenry C. Potter. He has three siblings. His brotherJeremy Borden Russell (1944–2005) was founder and manager of the rock bandBlue Cheer. Other siblings are Linda Russell Matson, (1947-) and Adam Henry Russell (1953–2009). His godfather isCole Porter.
His family moved toManhattan in 1950, then toSan Francisco in 1952. Russell attended high school atCate School outsideSanta Barbara,California, then theUniversity of California, Davis, where he majored in English and Art. He was first introduced and became interested in photography at Davis, but did not work professionally until 1968 when he traveled to England.
The Philadelphia Inquirer described Russell when he was beginning his career: "In 1968, Ethan Russell, a lanky Californian fresh out of college, was living in aLondon flat,psychedelic posters on the wall, battered purpleBeatle boots thrown in a corner, aNikon camera on the table."[2] He had moved to London with aspirations of becoming a writer, working (and photographing) in a home for autistic children part-time. In a 2013 interview withThe Guardian he cited the movieBlowup as an inspiration for his move to the UK.[3]
He was introduced toMick Jagger that year. TheSunday Times described the results of that meeting: "Russell ... hit it off with the singer, and from 1968 to '72 was the Rolling Stones' main photographer. One of his early sessions featuredBrian Jones at his home,Cotchford Farm in East Sussex, previously owned byA. A. Milne. Russell's pictures of Jones, draped around a statue ofChristopher Robin and provocatively waving a gun, encapsulate the troubled nature of the doomed guitarist, who was found dead at the bottom of his swimming pool six months later. But it's Russell's photographs of the band on their 1969 US tour – most unseen until now – that provide the most compelling insight."[4]
Music criticJoel Selvin wrote about the moment in time when Russell connected with the Rolling Stones: "Russell caught the Rolling Stones at a historic juncture. He took some of the last photos ever taken of Brian Jones, before the founding member was fired from the band. He photographed the Stones' free concert inHyde Park that served as Jones' memorial after he was found drowned in his swimming pool."[5]
A photo he took was used on the cover of the 1969 albumThrough the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2), which was dedicated to Brian Jones.
The Stones were taking dangerous quantities ... People ask if I ever was tempted to take drugs with them, but I never worked high or drunk. All the people who wanted to be just likeKeith ended up dead.
Russell was hired as the photographer forThe Rolling Stones American Tour 1969, and was part of the band's small entourage. TheSan Francisco Chronicle described his role: "Russell was one of only 16 people on the tour, including the band. With unprecedented access to the Rolling Stones, he captured photos that have become classics."[6]
Joel Selvin observed: "Russell joined a touring party of 16 for the Stones' tour of the United States in 1969, which ended with the disastrousfree concert at Altamont Speedway. It was really the first big-time rock tour ever and the world in transition he captured disappeared almost immediately.[5]
His photography was used to illustrate the cover ofGet Yer Ya-Ya's Out! The Rolling Stones in Concert, which was recorded during the 1969 tour.
Critic Todd Leopold ofCNN Entertainment wrote: "Ethan Russell first met the Beatles in early 1969. Photographs of Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones productionRock and Roll Circus attracted the interest of Beatles consigliereNeil Aspinall, who invited Russell toTwickenham Studios, where the group was makingLet It Be. Russell's photographs ended up on the cover and gatefold of the LP, the last the Beatles released. ... Russell's photographs show four men trying to rescue their fading musical marriage."[7]
Russell was among three photographers at the final formal photo session of the Beatles on August 22, 1969. This was held atTittenhurst Park, a home then owned byJohn Lennon andYoko Ono, and later owned byRingo Starr. Two of these photos were used forThe Hey Jude album. Other photographers participating that day were Monty Fresco of theDaily Mail and Beatles' assistantMal Evans.[8]
Working withThe Who, Russell did the cover photography forWho's Next in 1971 and the photography for the book that accompaniedQuadrophenia in 1973. However, Russell did not shoot the cover for Quadrophenia. That was shot by photographer Graham Hughes.[9]Pete Townshend's opinion of Russell's photographs was: "They look ready to put up in theNational Gallery. Ethan is the civilised eye of an uncivilised art-form: rock 'n' roll."[1] Russell received aGrammy nomination for his work onQuadrophenia. One of Russell's photos was used on the cover of the 1988 compilation album,Who's Better, Who's Best.
His roster of subjects also includes;Audioslave,Elkie Brooks,Rosanne Cash,Eric Clapton,Cream, theEagles,Phil Everly,Jimi Hendrix,John Hiatt,Rickie Lee Jones,Janis Joplin,Jerry Lee Lewis,Jim Morrison,The Moody Blues,Linda Ronstadt,Spooky Tooth, andTraffic.
In 1978 Russell shifted his focus to film and video, becoming "a pioneer in producing music videos",[1] but leaving a cache of iconoclastic still photographs largely unseen for nearly 30 years. He produced and directed films withRosanne Cash,Emmylou Harris,Rickie Lee Jones,k.d. lang,John Lennon,Joni Mitchell,Yoko Ono,Leon Redbone,Paul Simon,Randy Travis, andHank Williams, Jr.[10]
In reviewingRosanne Cash's videoWhat We Really Want in 1991, theLos Angeles Times wrote: "Photographer-director Russell has concocted a weird, two-dimensional world of paintings for Cash to step into, singing one of her latest songs of woe and miscommunication. It's a visual effect that's been tried in videos many times before, but never quite to this successfully surreal an effect."[11]
In the 1990s Russell garnered his second Grammy nomination for the videoThere's A Tear In My Beer with Hank Williams, Jr.[12][13]
