1936-2010

One of the all-time iconic rock-and-roll photographers, Jim Marshall had unparalleled access to rock's biggest artists – he was the only photographer granted backstage access for the Beatles' final concert at San Francisco's Candlestick Park in 1966.

Born in Chicago and raised in San Francisco, he purchased his first camera in high school and began documenting San Francisco’s burgeoning beat scene. After serving in the Air Force, Marshall returned home and had a chance encounter with John Coltrane: Marshall offered Coltrane a lift, and the jazz legend returned the favor by letting Marshall shoot nine rolls of film. Marshall moved to New York and was hired by Atlantic and Columbia to shoot their artists at work in the studio.

For Marshall, it was all about the music. He once said, “Too much bullshit is written about photographs and music. . . . let the music and the photograph be something you love and will always enjoy.”