For nearly thirty years Bill Wyman was the bass player in the biggest rock ‘n’ roll band on the planet, The Rolling Stones.
He quit The Stones in 1992 and since then has recorded and toured with his own band, The Rhythm Kings. Since then he has worked producing and scoring both records and film, music for film in movies and television.
He’s the author of seven books and he’s also a keen archaeologist! Not to mention his famous Sticky Fingers Restaurant in Kensington. But, lesser known to all that, he’s a photographer, and you know what? He’s a bloody good one!
He’s photographed everything from his band mates, other celebrities and friends to nature and landscapes with an immaculate attention to detail, colour and composition.
In this exhibition, most of the prints are in colour and have NEVER been displayed before, so it was an absolute treat to experience!
Among my favourites were a picture of Charlie Watts in New York in 1980 looking sarcastically bored. There’s a fantastic one of a barefooted, bare-chested Keith in 1981 raising his fists with Mick & Ronnie chuckling in the background and one of Brian Jones looking incredibly cool, sporting a cricket-hat in the RCA Studios, Los Angeles, March 1966.
Apart from the brilliant pictures of The Stones, his landscapes are particularly eye catching and his pictures of butterflies are simply stunning. It’s hard to pick a favourite throughout the exhibition, but if I had to choose, I would say it’s his photo of the Glowing Dahlia taken at his Suffolk garden in 2008.
The photography is being displayed by ROVE – Kenny Schachter, at Lincoln House, 33-34 Hoxton Square, London until the 30th of November 2011. I strongly recommend (if you happen to be in London) you get yourself down there! Whether you’re a Rolling Stones’ fan or not, the photography on display is at an exceptional standard and shouldn’t be missed!
[nggallery id=79]Photos © 2011 Bill Wyman Archive (Bill Wyman / Ripple Productions Limited)
More info at www.billwymanarchive.co.uk