Chances are you’ve seen numerous iconic pictures by award-winning portrait and documentary photographer Lynn Goldsmith at some point in your life. Her images have graced the covers of magazines worldwide from Life to Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, People and many more. She has also published 14 monographs of her photographs, including the New York Times best-selling photobook New Kids (Rizzoli, 1990).
Over the past 50 years, Goldsmith has photographed hundreds of musicians in studio portrait sessions, at live concerts, on the road and at home. Her new book, Music in the ‘80s, showcases an incredible range of artists during a decade when many new forms of music were gaining popularity: New Wave, Electronica, Rap, Metal, and Ska had chart topping success, as did R&B and Pop. Michael Jackson, Philip Glass, Run DMC, Miles Davis, Judas Priest – these are but a few of the names that during this period became icons. The 80’s was a time like no other in history, and the photographs chosen for this book are as diverse in their style as the music and dress of the decade.
As a recording artist herself in the ‘80s on Island Records using the aka of WILL POWERS, Goldsmith could elicit a special bond with musicians. Having written songs with Sting, Steve Winwood, and Nile Rogers, artists were always comfortable with her and willing to experiment. Lynn had a kind of access to them which allowed her to make images authentic to how the artist wanted to see themselves. Her access was based on respect and trust of the person on the other side of her camera. Lenny Kaye, author and guitarist in The Patti Smith Group, sums up her photography, “Lynn Goldsmith is an artist equal in respect to the legends she has captured on camera. She understands the rhythm and melody of a photograph, the ability to stop time and allow us to savor the moment, seeing ourselves within her frame, along with the layers of personality she reveals in her subjects.”
The book also features quotes from many of the people featured in Goldsmiths’ photographs—including Iggy Pop, Tina Turner, Keith Richards, Alice Cooper, Elvis Costello and more—as well as those who were influenced by the tremendous cultural importance of the decade, proving that Music in The ‘80s is sure to hit the right note for all lovers of music.
About the author: Lynn Goldsmith is a celebrity portrait photographer, as well as a fine art photographer and painter. In the past she has been an entrepreneur, film director, recording artist, and lyricist.
Lynn Goldsmith : Music In The ‘80s
Rizzoli New York
Hardcover / 10” x 13” / 352 pages / 250 illustrations
$75.00 U.S. / $100.00 CAD / £55.00 U.K.
ISBN: 978-0-8478-7225-1
www.rizzoliusa.com
