For over ten years Barrie Wentzell worked as the exclusive chief photographer for legendary music publication 'Melody Maker'. He photographed one of the most important decades in the history of popular music, shooting many unknown musicians who went on to be global superstars. Celebrated artists such as Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and rock and roll icons such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton all have their place in Barrie Wentzell's vast archive.
Barrie's career began at a photo studio in Belgravia in the the early 1960s. It was then, upon meeting his soon to become mentor, photojournalist Maurice Newcombe, that he became inspired to pursue a photographic career of his own and he started working in the area of music. In 1965 he had a chance encounter with the young Diana Ross and the image he captured of this yet-to-be global icon became a riveting front cover of Melody Maker and caught the attention of Bob Houston, the assistant editor at the time. And so the journey began ...
2017 saw the release of the film 'Melody Makers' in which Barrie Barrie tells the story of the rise and fall of the magazine, which marked the end to a style of rock n' roll journalism that no longer exit's today.
We are proud to offer a selection of Barrie's fantastic images for sale
A rather pensive Jimi Hendrix captured in his manager's, Mike Jeffreys, office in 1968
Iconic shot of Jimi Hendrix, 1969, in his flat on Brook Street, Mayfair, London, during an interview for Melody Maker
Bob Dylan relaxing and having a pint during the recordings for his BBC concert at BBC Studios in June 1965
John Lennon & Yoko Ono in the kitchen of their home in Tittenhurst Park Ascot, UK in 1971, taken after an on-site press interview.
Jimmy Page playing his legendary bowed guitar solo during 'Dazed & Confused' whilst onstage with Led Zeppelin in Belfast in March 1971
Jimi Hendrix after performing on Lulu's TV show in London in January 1969
Contact sheet of David Bowie images taken during an interview in London, 1972. One of the images was used on the cover of Melody Maker
Jimi Hendrix onstage during his legendary performance at the Woburn Music Festival in 1968
At Brian Epstein's house in London during the launch party for The Beatles album 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'.
The Beatles outside Brian Epstein's home in Belgravia, London during the launch party for 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band' in 1967
The ’Bopping Imp’ as we used to call him in his acoustic days, becomes the ’Electric Warrior’.
Bob Dylan rehearsing for the recording of his BBC In Concert show at BBC Studios, Shepherds Bush in London in June 1965
Barrie Wentzell shoots the back cover for Cat Stevens album 'Tea for the Tillerman' on Primrose Hill, London.
"We met in his manager's office in Mayfair, the original Kinks had gone and future photo shoots were done in the ’Pub.’
This photo session was for No.1 Magazine (long since extinct) on a Eurythmics press day, they’d been doing interviews all day.
Shooting promotional films for the singles Rain & Paperback Writer at Chiswick Park Gardens in May 1966
Angus Young, from AC/DC, captured in a small street outside a press meeting in Copenhagen in 1977
In the studio in Santa Monica, California in 1980, Bob Dylan is captured whilst leaning on his guitar case.
The Who are an English rock band that formed in 1964 & are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century.
Madness are an English band from Camden Town, London & one of the most prominent bands of the late 70s & early 80s 2 Tone ska revival.
Fleetwood Mac are one of the world's greatest rock bands having sold over more than 100 million records over the last 50 years
The Stranglers are one of the most enduring bands to have come out of the punk scene with an uncompromising attitude and idiosyncratic style
Jill Furmanovsky is one of the greatest ever rock & roll photographers with a huge archive of iconic shots of the world's best music artists
For eight years photographer Brian Duffy worked with David Bowie and shot his most iconic and enduring images. View his fantastic collection
Our contact sheet collection is a rare opportunity to look back at the hidden moments surrounding some of rocks most iconic images.
We are all still reeling from the tragic loss of David Bowie. Here is a wonderful tribute from one of our photographers, Mark Mawston.
