Deejay Tommy Edwards did not set out to document a defining decade in rock ’n’ roll. But he was a budding documentary photographer, one with unusually good access. Between the summers of 1955 and 1960, Edwards took photos of just about every musician and movie star who passed through the studios of AM radio station WERE where he worked. His camera was a Kodak Pony.
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| The Big Bopper |
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| Bill Haley and Elvis |
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| Link Wray |
By 1956, Edwards was showing his color Ektachrome slides at the dances he promoted around town. While a slideshow may sound dull to 2011 ears, in 1956 there was no Facebook, television was black and white, and the exposure given to pop music by the mainstream press was downright stingy. For some of the kids dancing the night away in their local high-school gymnasium, a 12-foot-high blowup of Elvis Presley was as close as they would ever get to the future King.
WOW! Pictures to go with sounds of my youth. For my birthday Dad bought me a Webcor portable phonograph, and two records, "Sixteen Tons", and "See Ya Later, Alligator". Thanks NAG.
ReplyDeleteCool Dad!
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