Max’s love of Blues was triggered at school when a friend brought Howling Wolf  and Lightnin’ Hopkins records back from his school holidays in Germany where many GI’s were also stationed post-WW2, little  Blues music was known of or heard at that time in the UK. Max’s earliest photography of musical subjects started in 1974 , photographing Neil Young and Ry Cooder in New York at a (now legendary) gig at the Bottom Line and continuing throughout the 1980’s and ’90’s when he shot many Blues artists as well as other predominantly American/a artists. Being a keen amateur musician himself, Max has an affinity with the subject, and this has formed a part of his own private work since 1985. A selection of his Blues portraits, featuring some of the great artists of post-war Blues, were exhibited at the Jazz Lounge at Glastonbury in 2005.

The images on display at Fenton House were shot over approximately 20 years, and whilst they represent several of the greats of Blues music, they include lesser known protagonists too. Max states that “the aspect of celebrity was only important inasmuch as  it served my main goal of capturing an intense presence and persona- I am principally a portrait photographer, so that was always my objective”.

Free Entry
Monday – Friday. 9.30 – 16.30
Please note we are closed on Bank Holidays

The Royal Photographic Society
Fenton House
122 Wells Road
Bath BA2 3AH

For further information please contact Lesley Goode.  01225 325720 lesley@rps.org