Govinda Gallery

The baseball season begins today, so spring must really be here. This photo of President Eisenhower, throwing out the game ball for a New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers World Series game in New York City, was taken by the legendary Cuban photographer Osvaldo Salas. What a great photo it is! Elvis at 21: Photographs by Alfred Wertheimer opens this Saturday at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, Kansas. 1956 was a big year for Elvis and Ike… America was prosperous and the charismatic Eisenhower won a landslide re-election for President of the United States in the same year that Elvis recorded Hound Dog and Don’t Be Cruel and went to #1 on the charts. Play Ball!!

President Eisenhower throws out the fist ball for the 1955 World Series. Copyright ©Osvaldo Salas. All Rights Reserved.

Elvis Presely, Russwood Park, Memphis, Tennessee, 1956. Copyright ©Alfred Wertheimer. All Rights Reserved.

What a confluence of wonderful events around the time of St. Patrick’s celebrations over the past several days. As Irish Ambassador Michael Collins told the Washington Post “St. Patrick’s day is no longer a day – it’s a week, it’s a festival.”

To begin with, Govinda Gallery is delighted to announce that Carlotta Hester has been invited to show her exhibition of drawings, The Pure Drop: Drawings of Traditional Irish Musicians, Singers, and Dancers, in Ireland this coming August. The exhibition takes place at the Johnston Central Library gallery in Cavan town during this year’s All Ireland Music Festival, Fleadh 2012. The drawings were made over the past two summers during Fleadh 2010 and 2011 in County Cavan, and The Pure Drop is sure to be much appreciated during this year’s festival. More details to come.

On St. Patrick’s eve I went to see the great traditional Irish music band The Chieftains in concert at the Kennedy Center, who are celebrating their 50th anniversary. The six time Grammy winners performance was both exhilarating and brilliant. The audience gave The Chieftains a rousing standing ovation at the concert’s end. It was a great show. The New York Times recently wrote a feature story about The Chieftains, the Rolling Stones, and the Beach Boys all celebrating their Golden Jubilee this year. The New York Times said “These are among the first living pop bands to turn 50″.

The Chieftains, Ireland’s Musical Ambassadors. GAB Archives/Redferns

On St. Patrick’s day President Obama visited the Dubliner Irish Pub in Washington, DC and enjoyed a pint of Guinness. Last year the President visited Ireland and his ancestral home of Moneygall and was very warmly received by the Irish people.

President O’Bama at the Dubliner Irish Pub, Washington DC, March 17, 2012. Copyright ©Carolyn Kaster All Rights Reserved.

On Tuesday, March 20th, we were invited by The Ambassador of Ireland and Mrs. Marie Collins to meet Enda Kenny, Ireland’s Prime Minister, at a reception at the Fairmont Hotel. Sean McKiernan Jnr., the Chairman of the Cavan County Council who is also a friend of mine and Carlotta Hester’s, was visiting from Ireland. It was a great pleasure for me to introduce Sean to Enda Kenny. The Taoiseach, as the Prime Minister is called, gave a spirited speech highlighting the great ties between Ireland and America. He then honored several distinguished Irish Americans with Irish Heritage Awards. Among them were National Book Award winner Alice McDermott and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Maureen Dowd. It was great to see these two enormously talented writers celebrated. Afterwords Enda Kenny and his wife Fionnuala left for the White House for dinner with President Obama and the First Lady. Maryland governor Martin O’Malley and his Celtic rock band, O’Malley’s March, performed as the night’s entertainment.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Irish Ambassador Michael Collins. Copyright ©Carlotta Hester All Rights Reserved.

Govinda Gallery director Chris Murray and Chairman of the Cavan County Council Sean McKiernan. Copyright ©Carlotta Hester All Rights Reserved.

A great treat for me, and a wonderful kick-off to the Irish celebrations, was seeing a photograph of my sister Rita, a beautiful Celtic woman, with Bono in Dublin just a week ago. Rita and Cecelia Haggerty were accompanying their college roommate and lifelong friend Nancy Pelosi to Ireland where Congresswoman Pelosi was honored by the University Philosophical Society of Trinity College and was given the Gold Medal Award for her “excellence in public life and outstanding contribution to politics”. Congresswoman Pelosi surely deserves that honor.

Rita Murray Meyer, Bono, and Cecelia Lynett Haggerty. Copyright ©Catlin O’Neill All Rights Reserved.

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts magazine, On Stage, Mosque Theater Copyright ©Alfred Wertheimer All Rights Reserved.

This coming weekend is the last chance to see Elvis at 21 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. Many of my favorite photographs that Alfred Wertheimer made of Elvis were taken in Richmond, Virginia. This weekend is also the anniversary of Alfred Wertheimer first photographing Elvis on March 17, 1956.

I visited the VMFA a couple of weeks ago and the exhibition looks terrific there. The museum itself is extraordinary with engaging art in every gallery, a wonderful restaurant, and an excellent book store and gift shop, which was well stocked with the exhibition catalogue; Elvis 1956 (Welcome Books, 2009).

The cover of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts magazine features a photograph of Elvis performing at the Mosque Theatre in Richmond, now known as the Landmark Theatre. Another site where Wertheimer photographed Elvis is at the Jefferson Hotel, where I stayed and where Elvis spent several hours while performing in Richmond on June 30th, 1956. The beautiful marble check-in counter is still there though guests no longer check in at that location. You can compare how it looked when Elvis checked in in 1956 with this picture of Govinda artist Carlotta Hester at the same spot just a couple of weeks ago.

Carlotta Hester at the Jefferson Hotel in 2012 Copyright ©Chris Murray All Rights Reserved. and Elvis Presely checking into the Jefferson Hotel in 1956. Copyright ©Alfred Wertheimer All Rights Reserved.

Last Thursday night W Hotels Worldwide presented an exhibition of Mick Rock’s photographs at the W Hotel in Washington, D.C. on 15th and F Streets, along with a concert featuring Washington’s own Thievery Corporation and the band Fitz and the Tantrums, who Mick Rock did a photo session with earlier in the day. Both the exhibition and the concert were packed with a lively and lovely group of fans. W Hotels also published a wonderful catalogue of Mick’s photographs from the exhibition, and everyone in attendance was given one as a great souvenir of the evening. Mick’s exhibition, with images of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Freddie Mercury and Queen, Iggy Pop, Lady Gaga, The Ramones, Cee Lo Green, Kate Moss, Jimi Fallon, Syd Barrett, and more, remain at the W Hotel in Washington in “The Living Room” lobby for everyone to enjoy through March 31, 2012.

Mick Rock’s photographs are featured in Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock & Roll Photography currently on view at the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia. Mick had his first exhibition, Mick Rock: A Photographic Record, at Govinda Gallery in 1999, and a second exhibition at Govinda Gallery, Moonage Daydream: The Life and Times of Ziggy Stardust in 2002, which was also a launch for his amazing limited edition book of the same name, published by Genesis Publications. Mick’s photographs are available to collectors through Govinda Gallery.

Rocked: Photographs by Mick Rock at the W Hotel Washington, D.C. Copyright ©revamped.com. All Rights Reserved.

Souvenir catalogues. Copyright ©revamped.com. All Rights Reserved.

Govinda Gallery Director Chris Murray with photographer Mick Rock and Rob Garza of Thievery Corporation. Copyright ©revamped.com. All Rights Reserved.

Govinda Girls, Room 906. Copyright ©Mick Rock. All Rights Reserved.

The New York Times published today a story about “premier rock pianist” Chuck Leavell being made an honorary forest ranger by the United States Forest Service. Chuck is known best perhaps for his work with the Rolling Stones. Not as well known is that Chuck has been a friend of forests for a long time and as the New York Times wrote today, is a “dedicated conservationist”.

By a happy coincidence, Chuck is presenting a program tonight at the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia, where Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock & Roll Photography is being featured. That exhibition is co-organized by the Columbus Museum with Govinda Gallery. We are honored that An Evening with Chuck Leavell is being presented in conjunction with the exhibition.

Chuck will have a chance to see his friends, the Rolling Stones, close up at the Columbus Museum in Gered Mankowitz’s large scale portrait of the Rolling Stones which is featured in the exhibition. Here is a link to our webpage for Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock & Roll Photography which includes the tour schedule for the exhibition.

Behind the Buttons, the Rolling Stones, 1966. Copyright ©Gered Mankowitz. All Rights Reserved.

I so much enjoyed Martin Scorsese’s recent film documentary on the the life of George Harrison, Living in the Material World, that was broadcast by HBO in October, 2011. I also treasure Olivia Harrison’s book of the same title that was published by Abrams at the same time. I was most fortunate to spend an afternoon with George at his home in England in 1982. Scorsese used a photograph of George in his film that I had taken while enjoying a walk with him through his wonderful garden.

George tending a lilly in his garden at Friar Park, 1982. Copyright ©Chris Murray. All Rights Reserved.

George Harrison: Living in the Material World by Olivia Harrison.

“He had everything – all the wealth, all the fame, whatever he wanted. But he was not attached to it. It didn’t seem to matter much to him, because he was searching for something much higher, much deeper.” – Ravi Shankar, from George Harrison: Living in the Material World by Olivia Harrison

George enjoyed my book Illuminations from the Bhagavad-Gita that I coauthored with the artist Kim Waters, originally published in 1981 by Harper-Collins. I happened to be in London when my friend and publisher extraordinaire, Brian Roylance, called me with an invitation from George to come to his home, Friar Park, for a visit. Brian was the founder of Genesis Publications who produce the most extraordinary limited edition books and with whom I enjoyed a close professional relationship as the U.S. distributor for Genesis Publications for over twenty years. Brian had given George a copy of Illuminations from the Bhagavad-Gita on my behalf.

Illuminations from the Bhagavad-Gita.

Brian Roylance outside George’s home, Friar Park, 1982. Copyright ©Chris Murray. All Rights Reserved.

It was a remarkable afternoon and one that I will never forget. George’s garden was absolutely magical and to walk through it with him was a very special treat indeed. George dedicated his first book, I Me Mine, “to gardeners everywhere”. He loved gardens and was a great gardener himself. After our walk George made me a cup of coffee in his kitchen while we looked through Illuminations together.

George enjoying Illuminations from the Bhagavad-Gita in his kitchen, 1982. Copyright ©Chris Murray. All Rights Reserved.

I Me Mine by George Harrison, Genesis Publications, 1980.

We love George Harrison at Govinda Gallery. In February of 2002 we organized a photographic tribute in honor of George that featured photographers Harry Benson, William Coupon, Barry Fenstein, Astrid Kirchherr, Gered Mankowitz, Linda McCartney, Max Scheler, Mark Seliger, Jurgen Vollmer, Robert Whitaker, and Baron Wolman.

Hamburg 1961 by Jurgen Vollmer and Los Angeles 1992 by Mark Seliger.

I miss George Harrison and Brian Roylance, and the inspiring creative work they both did will last forever. Hare Krishna!

I visited Columbus, Georgia and the Columbus Museum recently for the launch of Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock & Roll Photography. Govinda Gallery has been working for several years developing this touring exhibition with the Columbus Museum. This exhibition represents much of our work championing significant photographs documenting rock & roll, hip hop, and blues music. The exhibition is truly spectacular. Our hats are off to the Columbus Museum and their terrific staff for producing an extraordinary show. Please enjoy these installation photos of the exhibition and the covers for the Columbus Museum Fall 2011 and Winter 2011-2012 quarterly magazine The Muse, featuring the exhibition. Check out the touring schedule for Sound and Vision at the end of this post.

Donovan by Barry Fenstein, Bob Dylan by Daniel Kramer, Janis Joplin and Mick Jagger by Baron Wolman, Bob Dylan by Daniel Kramer, and Elvis by Alfred Wertheimer.

George Harrison by Barry Feinstein, The Beatles by Harry Benson, John Lennon by Jurgen Vollmer, Donovan by Barry Feinstein, Bob Dylan by Dan Kramer, Lou Reed by Mick Rock, Isaac Hayes by Joel Brodsky, and Janis Joplin by Baron Wolman.

Elvis Presley by Alfred Wertheimer and B.B. King, Son House, and Mississippi John Hurt by Dick Waterman.

The Who by Art Kane, Little Richard by Jim Marshall, George Harrison by Barry Feinstein, The Beatles by Harry Benson, and John Lennon by Jurgen Vollmer.

Kiss, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury by Mick Rock.

Janis Joplin and Mick Jagger by Baron Wolman, Jim Morrison by Joel Brodsky, and Jimi Hendrix and The Rolling Stones by Gered Mankowitz.

Lauryn Hill by Jonathan Mannion, Tupac Shakur by Danny Clinch, The Clash by Pennie Smith, and Bruce Springsteen by Frank Stefanko.

Patti Smith by Frank Stefanko and Peter Tosh, Bob Marley, and Bunny Wailer by Kate Simon.

Jay Z and Lauryn Hill by Jonathan Mannion, Tupac Shakur by Danny Clinch, and Kurt Cobain by Mark Seliger.

Michael Jackson and George Clinton by Greg Gorman, Madonna and Neil Young by Claude Gassian.

Ephemera: Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock & Roll Photography.

Guest curator Chris Murray presenting a lecture on Sound and Vision: Monumental Rock & Roll Photography at the Columbus Museum January 7th, 2012.

Director of Development Donna Atkins, Curator of Education Abbie Edens, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Kristen Miller Zohn, and Guest Curator Chris Murray with Baron Wolman’s photograph of Janis Joplin.

Copyright ©David Burnett. All Rights Reserved.

Happy Birthday Bob Marley.

All of our friends in Los Angeles can see David Burnett’s photographs of Bob Marley at Mr. Musichead Gallery, 7515 W. Sunset Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90046.

The Hamilton Live, an amazing new music venue in downtown Washington, D.C. celebrated it’s grand opening January 19th with a ‘sanctified’ set of music from the one and only Mavis Staples and her band. “I love this Hamilton club” proclaimed Mavis toward the end of her tour de force set of Gospel, Blues, Soul and Rock… and everyone at The Hamilton Live loved Mavis, as demonstrated by the standing ovation and calls for an encore. Mavis did not disappoint the ecstatic crowd. My favorite song of the evening was Mavis’ soulful version of “The Weight”, originally recorded by The Band in 1974.

Mavis exhorted the audience to “keep your eye on the prize”. The Hamilton Live features extraordinary photographic portraits to keep your eyes on, including monumental images of Marvin Gaye, George Harrison, Miles Davis, Patti Smith, Bob Marley, and Jerry Garcia, among others.

The poster for The Hamilton Live grand opening.

The Hamilton Live stage. Copyright ©Tim Scully. All Rights Reserved.

Tom Meyer of The Hamilton Live toasting Mavis Staples. Copyright ©Tim Scully. All Rights Reserved.

Mavis ‘sanctifies’ Hamilton Live. Copyright ©Tim Scully. All Rights Reserved.

Chris Murray and Carlotta Hester celebrating with Virginia Satterley. Copyright ©Tim Scully. All Rights Reserved.

Tom Meyer of The Hamilton and Govinda Gallery Director Chris Murray. Copyright ©Carlotta Hester. All Rights Reserved.

During the holidays I was in Nassau, Bahamas, on Keith Richards’ birthday, December 18th. We stayed at the Marley Resort and Spa and had a wonderful afternoon with the beautiful Rita Marley, who was also in Nassau.

Rita Marley and Chris Murray at the Marley Resort and Spa in Nassau. Copyright ©Carlotta Hester. All Rights Reserved.

Rita had been to Govinda Gallery in April of 2009 when she was last in Washington with Ziggy Marley who was preforming at the White House Easter Egg Roll. Rita came to Govinda to enjoy David Burnett’s exhibition Soul Rebel featuring photographs of Bob Marley and the Reggae scene in 1975 in Jamaica and in 1976 during the Exodus Tour in Europe. There are some wonderful photos of Rita and the I-Threes in that exhibition and book of the same name.

President Obama with his family and Rita and Ziggy Marley.

I had with me a copy of the book Rolling Stones 40 x 20, which I edited, and showed Rita the wonderful photo by Michael Putland of Mick Jagger with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, which she enjoyed very much.

Bob Marley, Mick Jagger, and Peter Tosh. Copyright ©Michael Putland. All Rights Reserved.

I also gave Rita the invitation card to Govinda Gallery’s exhibition in Havana at Fototeca de Cuba from 2002, La Revolucion del Rock and Roll, which featured Kate Simon’s photograph of Bob Marley on the invitation card. Kate’s photo is also currently featured in the Sound and Vision exhibition that just began at the Columbus Museum in Columbus, Georgia. We also had a lovely time with Stephanie Marley who tastefully manages the Marley Hotel. It is a lovely place to stay with only 16 rooms and a beautiful garden atmosphere.

Stephanie Marley and Carlotta Hester at the Marley Resort and Spa in Nassau. Copyright ©Chris Murray. All Rights Reserved.

I was excited to hear from Rita that Cedella Marley has designed the costumes for the Jamaican Olympic team for the opening ceremony of this summer’s 2012 Olympics in London. We will be there.