American Music Photographs

The impulse to create American Music "came from a desire to return to my original subject and look at it with a mature eye. Bring my experience to it ... make it a real American tapestry," writes acclaimed photographer Annie Leibovitz. Beginning with her work as Rolling Stone's chief photographer in the 1970s, Leibovitz has gone on to create a legendary body of work that does more than capture the performer-it conveys the art of making music. For this brilliant collection, Leibovitz traveled across the country to juke joints in the Mississippi Delta, honkytonks in Texas, and jazz clubs in New Orleans, "to take pictures in places that mean something." The book includes stunning photographs of musicians who are known mostly to cognoscenti-the legendary fife player Othar Turner; the Mississippi hill country percussionist and blues singer Jessie Mae Hemphill-as well as portraits of popular American greats: B. B. King, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Beck, Bob Dylan, Mary J. Blige, Jon Bon Jovi, Steve Earle, Ryan Adams, Miles Davis, Etta James, Pete Seeger, Emmylou Harris, Tom Waits, the Dixie Chicks, Dr. Dre, the Roots, and many more. American Music also features commentary by Leibovitz, short essays by Patti Smith, Rosanne Cash, Steve Earle, Mos Def, Ryan Adams, and Beck, and short biographical sketches of all the subjects. American Music triumphantly reveals the hearts and souls of many of this country's most renowned artists, and in doing so tells a story not only about their music but also about a country's traditions and enduring spirit.Leibovitz, Annie is the author of 'American Music Photographs', published 2004 under ISBN 9780812973044 and ISBN 0812973046.