It All Started With Roger McGuinn

As a teenage musician growing up in the 1960's and 70's, I was fortunate enough to witness and be a part of that exciting era of rock music culture. One group that had made a significant impression on my style of playing, was the Byrds. The iconic sounds of Roger McGuinn's 12 String Rickenbacker combined with the clean crisp vocal harmonies, established what is know today as Folk Rock. 

When I was not playing music or going to concerts, I started to become interested in photography as another means of creative expression. I shot film on a friend's Pentax camera and dabbled in developing and dark room techniques in his basement. Then came that night.

Roger McGuinn was going play a solo performance at what is now a legendary venue, My Father's Place, in Roslyn, NY. This club was a gateway for many to perform original music and helped launch the successful careers of several artists of that era. Having been there for other shows, I knew it would be the perfect venue that to capture Roger live and up close.

Armed with another borrowed camera, this time a Minolta SLR, with a 35mm lens and a roll of Kodak Tri X pan, I set out to the venue. I arrived early and managed to get a front row seat. His performance was awesome and I fired off the entire roll of 36 images over the course of the night.

The next morning I rushed to my friends house, anxiously waiting to see the results from the previous evening. As I saw the photos developing in the tray, that was the moment that ignited my passion for photography. Fifty years later it still burns strongly. I am happy to share this little bit of music history and some of the photos from that night.