New York, NY (Top40 Charts / Dover Publications) For over five decades,
Eric Clapton has ranked among rock's premiere guitarists - and since the early 1980s, famed music photographer Gene Shaw has been capturing great moments from Slowhand's electrifying career. Now, coinciding with the Hall of Famer's upcoming 70th birthday, Journeyman:
Eric Clapton - A Photographic Narrative delivers more than 150 of Shaw's high-quality color and black-and-white photographs, offering a front-row perspective on many magical musical events from Clapton's later career. Highlights include the legendary performance at the 1983 ARMS benefit; the star-studded 1992 show with
Elton John at Shea Stadium; the long awaited 2005
Cream reunions at the Royal Albert Hall and Madison
Square Garden; several appearances at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies; and the current Crossroads Guitar Festivals. Shaw provides an insider's perspective to each concert, offering an abundance of insightful commentary as well as complete set lists and band lineups.
"There are quite a few books on
Eric Clapton available, but Journeyman definitely stands out from the pack," says Mr. Shaw, whose acclaimed photography has appeared in Vogue, Rolling Stone, Time, People, and various books and museums. "Approximately 75% of the photographs have never been published before and I was able to capture rare and intimate moments between Eric and his fellow musicians not seen anywhere else. These artists include some of the biggest names in the business, so there are also exclusive images of Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Joe Cocker, Keith Richards, Albert Collins, Bob Dylan, and other superstars."
But the photos are just a part of the total package. "Through my vivid recollections of each show, Journeyman not only captures one of the greatest performers in rock history, it also chronicles my personal growth as a photographer," Mr. Shaw continues. "As my opportunities and experiences evolved, Eric's career blossomed in unexpected ways. He turned to the past for fresh inspiration, as the smash Unplugged album revisited classic hits in an acoustic setting. Plus, recordings like Riding With the King and Me and Mr. Johnson powerfully demonstrated the impact such blues greats as B. B. King and Robert Johnson had on his guitar playing and songwriting."
A few of the author's rock-and-roll friends contributed to the book, including the popular Rolling Stone writer Anthony DeCurtis, who won a "Best Album Notes" Grammy® for Clapton's 1988 "
Crossroads" boxed set. "Along with documenting the deeply personal story of photographer Gene Shaw's abiding admiration for Eric Clapton, this book provides the valuable service of offering a visual history of the wonderful work the guitarist has done during his time," says Mr. DeCurtis in his Introduction. "As with so many people who successfully chose recovery, Clapton has enjoyed many richly productive years as a result." Plus, artist John "
Crash" Matos, the designer of some of Clapton's signature guitars, adds a Foreword. "As I went through many of Gene's photographs, I could see that they were not just shot by a fan, or by someone looking for a payday… it went much deeper," states Mr. Matos. "His work was about capturing a moment not only on stage, but in his own life, and how the photos became parallel to his own walk."
Not only is Journeyman:
Eric Clapton — A Photographic Narrative the ultimate gift for any Clapton fan, it will appeal to photography enthusiasts, rock and roll historians, and anyone attracted to a beautifully designed book. It is available for purchase at www.doverpublications.com, Amazon.com, select book and music stores, gift shops, and other major retailers.
Dover Publications, Inc., founded by New Yorkers Hayward and
Blanche Cirker in 1941, is headquartered in Mineola, New York. A niche book publishing house with over 130 employees,
Dover produces titles ranging from Einstein's The Principle of Relativity to Glitter Butterfly Stickers.
Dover also publishes a full line of Gift & Activity sets, including the popular
Dover Fun Kits™. More than 10,000 titles include books on architecture, astronomy, chess, clip art and fine art, crafts, history, literature, and mathematics, as well as music scores, the world's premier paper doll line, value-priced
Little Activity Books, and titles by over two dozen Nobel Laureates.
Dover also offers eBook versions of thousands of titles, available at a variety of online retailers, including the Apple iBookstore, Google, and Amazon. Mr. Cirker passed away in March 2000 at age 82, and the privately owned company was purchased by Courier Corporation.
