They are the often unsung creatives behind the camera who roam the pit at live gigs, help discover emerging artists, and shoot iconic album covers.
For the past three years, Abbey Road's world famous recording studios have been championing the art of rock photography with its annual awards.
Each year the St John's Wood landmark also honours one of the greats with an ICON award - with past winners including Eric Johnson and Henry Diltz.
This year they have named one of the rock music greats - Jill Furmanovsky, who over a five decade career has worked with the likes of Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Blondie, The Police, Led Zeppelin, The Pretenders, Bob Dylan, Joy Division, Amy Winehouse, and Oasis.
Arriving in London as a teenager from her native Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1965, the Beatles fan would visit the studios hoping to catch a glimpse of her idols.
In fact her first rock photograph - taken on a Kodak Instamatic - was of Paul McCartney, and after just two weeks of training in 1972 she became the official photographer for Finsbury Park's legendary Rainbow Theatre.
Working for major magazines and the weekly music press, she went on to create some of Abbey Road’s most famous images including Pink Floyd’s ‘Wish You Were Here’ recording session (1975) and Oasis recording ‘Be Here Now’ (1997).
In 2017/2018 she became the studios' first ‘Photographer in Residence’ and was a judge for the inaugural Music Photography Awards (MPA) in 2022.
Furmanovsky, who has a lifelong passion for spotting new talent and inspiring the next generation of music photographers, said: "It is an honour to be given such a prestigious award by Abbey Road, a place that holds a special place in heart.
"I’ve had the privilege of photographing some of the greatest musicians in the world, on the road, in concert on location, and recording in magical places like Abbey Road Studios. Sometimes I still can’t quite believe my luck. Many thanks to the MPAs for championing the Art of Music Photography for a whole new generation."
Furmanovsky will step up to receive her ICON award at Abbey Road on October 3 when the third edition of the MPAs will reward winners in six categories; Undiscovered Photographer of the Year, Music Moment of the Year, Live Music Award, Underground Scenes Award, Making Music Award, and Jazz: The Rebirth of Cool.
Jill is the founder of Rockarchive, a Magnum inspired collective of rock photographers formed in 1998, which curates ground-breaking exhibitions and specialises in fine-art rock photography.
She has also published acclaimed books including “The Moment: 25 Years of Rock Photography” (1995) and “Oasis - Was There Then: A Photographic Journey” (1997), alongside her recent Sunday Times bestseller “Oasis: Knebworth: Two Nights That Will Live Forever” (2021).
Her archive was celebrated through two major retrospective exhibitions in 2023-4: ‘Photographing the Invisible’ at Manchester Central Library, and ‘No Music No Life’ at Proud Gallery in London which featured her award-winning portrait of Charlie Watts, Chic’s performance at the Hammersmith Odeon (1979), Oasis at Maine Road (1996), and Amy Winehouse at the Union Chapel (1996).
Abbey Road’s Managing Director, Sally Davies, says: "Jill holds a special place in the heart of rock music photography. Her remarkable talent has gifted us some of the most iconic images that tell the Abbey Road story. From capturing the magic of Pink Floyd’s sessions in the 1970s and Oasis in the 1990s, to becoming our first ‘Photographer in Residence’ in 2017, her journey with us is a beautiful carousel of memories.
"It is with great joy that we honour her lifetime contribution to the art of music photography with the ICON Award 2024."
Head judge Rankin adds: "This year’s ICON winner is one of my favourite music photographers of all time. Not only is she extraordinary at what she does, but she is extraordinary in the sense that she embeds with the people that she works with and is probably one of the nicest people in the music industry. So, Jill, all power to you!"
Abbey Road has also announced that London photographer Sam Rockman will return to Abbey Road as their ‘Photographer in Residence’ for 2024. A finalist in two categories at the 2023 MPAs, Sam is also on the judging panel for this year's competition.
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