Forever Young: The Rock and Roll Photography of Chuck Boyd

A photographer from age 16, Boyd had the good fortune of being in the right place at the right time. Music journalist Schwartz documents how, through a combination of chance, hard work, and a daring personality, Boyd gained the confidence of major musical peers; a luxury that also enabled him to get shots of band members in compromising positions (none of which have been published here). Boyd, who died in 1991, didn't leave notes to accompany the thousands of images, so Schwartz and friends have tried to document the images as accurately as possible. Many of the photos speak for themselves: a young James Brown primping for a 1965 television appearance, a sweat-drenched Little Richard in the studio, Martha and the Vandellas belting it out, and a bearded Jimmy Page with his violin bow aloft. Only a handful of Boyd's images were staged; the majority feature artists mid-performance or in candid moments. These were shots a fan or friend would take, and though Boyd wasn't the most technically-precise photographer, his work's warmth, immediacy, and charm reveal the work of a man who loved what he was doing and had a genuine affection for his subjects. (Nov.)