'The Archer', David Bowie
I
first met John Rowlands in 2011 at ‘Ringside For Youth’, a fundraiser for the
Ottawa Boys and Girls Club.
The
movie ‘Almost Famous’, about a teenage
journalist hired by Rolling Stone Magazine, could have been written about John
Rowlands...with only one exception. John
Rowlands is a photographer. And a gifted one at that....cutting his teeth
in the world of rock ‘n roll photography at the age of 13.
The
date was September 26th, 1960.
Barely a teenager, John saved money from his morning paper route to buy
a ticket to the Brenda Lee show on Argyle Street in Ottawa. Armed with his Dad’s camera, a roll of Kodak
film and 12 large flash bulbs, John made his way to the lip of the stage and
exhausted all 12 shots, capturing his rock ‘n roll sweetheart then finding the
courage to knock on her dressing room door after the show. Brenda Lee gave John her autograph and her
address...which would change his life forever.
John sent Brenda all 12 shots, and a few weeks later a cheque for $35.00
arrived in the mail. A career in music
photography was born.
Word
travelled fast , and soon John Rowlands was photographing Sam Cooke, the
Ventures, Duane Eddy and others. Still
armed with his Dad’s camera, and still attending high school (at least ‘trying’
to), John quickly realized the benefits of shooting Ottawa concerts: access to popular artists, cash for a job
well done, and the added bonus:
attention from the girls in school.
In
late 1962, the Rowlands family moved to Toronto. John and his best friend Phil MacDonald
created their own company, ‘Row-Mac Productions’, while still in 10th
grade. The boys convinced Capital
Records to hire them to photograph Gerry and the Pacemakers. Their work was so impressive, a dream gig followed: they would photograph the Rolling Stones
Canadian tour. In 1965, John and Phil
toured with the Stones, travelled in the Stones’ rented cars, and ate pizza
with the band. The Stones played the
YMCA Auditorium on Argyle Street on April 24th, 1965. Ottawa had two street gangs in those
days: the Yohawks and the
Squirrels. The Yohawks wore sneakers, paisley
shirts and chinos. The Squirrels
strutted the streets in jean jackets and jet boots, with handfuls of grease in
their hair. Skirmishes between the two
groups were legendary, and they took their on-going battles all the way to the
Rolling Stones show on that cool spring night.
A band of police officers was dispatched to form a line in front of the
stage, to ensure that the Yohawks and the Squirrels didn’t poke each other’s
eyes out while Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the boys rocked out. There were only two people allowed between
the stage and wall of police: two
teenage photographers, John Rowlands and Phil MacDonald.
By
the end of 11th grade, John and Phil had quietly made $11,000. And raised an eyebrow or two when they
arrived at the prom in rented limousines.
Also
in 1965, at the tender age of 18, John was hired by Capital Records to
photograph the Beatles. The shows were
only 35 minutes long and if you really wanted to hear the singing voices of
John Lennon and and Paul McCartney over the thousands of screaming girls, you
would go down the venue hallway and ensure that there were at least 2 cement
walls between you and the performance. If
you did this, maybe, just maybe, you could make out which song they were
playing. It was backstage at Maple Leaf Gardens in
Toronto where John was invited to dine with the band. George Harrison befriended John Rowlands that
night, a friendship that would last for years.
John went on to work with the Beatles again in 1966, and was hired to photograph
George Harrison in ’74, Paul McCartney and Wings in ’75 and Ringo and his All
Starr Band in 1992. When John Lennon and
Yoko Ono began their ‘Give Peace a Chance’ campaign in 1969, John Rowlands and
his camera gear were on the scene.
In
the late 70’s, CBS records hired John to photograph Bruce Springsteen. There was only one small problem. The Boss was dating photographer Lynn
Goldsmith. CBS didn’t like Goldsmith’s
photos of Bruce, but didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, so John Rowlands
had to photograph Springsteen concerts without being spotted by Lynn
Goldsmith. So, John gave front row
tickets to three concert-goers before each show. But there was a catch. Seated on either side, their job was to ‘hide’
John and his camera as he snapped away.
The results were astounding:
sweat-soaked Bruce Springsteen in his prime, his legendary marathon
performances captured on film forever.
Not
everyone likes to be photographed. John
would have a big challenge in Neil Young, who would ensure that the stage
lighting was predominantly reds and purples:
colors that the camera didn’t translate very well, leaving several
photographers grumbling after a show.
When
Olivia Newton John played a 70’s era show at the Ottawa Exhibition, John was
hired to shoot the popular singer. He
was given all access, front centre, even a ladder was placed in front of the
stage for his use. Other photographers
were not so lucky, being ushered into a small area to the left of the
stage. Olivia Newton John then proceeded
to give her entire performance from the far right of the stage. John Rowlands was the only photographer who
went home happy.
John
Rowlands has photographed Elvis (almost 50 shows), Led Zeppelin, the Jackson 5,
the Bee Gees, the Who, Alice Cooper, the list goes on and on. His work has appeared in countless magazines,
and books, and his images grace over 130 album covers.
When
I asked John if there is one image that he is most proud of, he answered without
hesitation, ‘the Archer’.
A
stark, beautiful, and haunting photograph of David Bowie, one arm
out-stretched, holding an invisible bow, the other pulled back to grasp an
imaginary arrow. John had photographed
David Bowie several times, and knew Bowie’s nuances and tricks. During a performance, when Bowie made ‘the
archer’ pose, the crowd would applaud
wildly. When the time was right, Bowie
would drop his arms: his signal for the sound
guy to lower the volume and fade to
black.
David
Bowie himself has said that ‘the Archer’ is his favourite portrait.
There
is a restaurant in Palm Springs, California that became one of John’s favorite
spots. Whenever John entered the
establishment, the owner would shout, ‘Hey! Its ‘Almost Famous’!
From
those days in Ottawa as a precocious 13 year old armed with his Dad’s camera,
John Rowlands has earned his place among the most respected music photographers
of all time.
He
now lives in Gatineau, having re-kindled a relationship with his high school
sweetheart Monique. It was an incredible
thrill when John strapped on his trusty Nikon and photographed my husband’s
band, ‘The Bushpilots’ this past July at Ottawa Bluesfest.
The
master is home!
Don’t
miss an opportunity to see some of John Rowlands’ work. In conjunction with ‘A Taste of Wellington’,
there will be a Rowlands photography exhibit at the Elmdale Tavern, 1084
Wellington Street, this Saturday from 11:30 to 5:30. Photos will be available for purchase.
Here are more samples of John's work:
Mick Jagger
The Rolling Stones
Elvis
Bob Dylan
Paul McCartney
The Ramones
Rod Stewart
Pete Townshend
Roger Daltrey
The Who
Bob Marley
The Bushpilots, Ottawa Bluesfest
