There's rock photography and rock photography, David Corio's shot both. Born in London in 1960, David attended Gloucester College of Art & Design when he was 16. Through his sister’s then fiance Wreckless Eric, David was introduced to the fledgling Stiff Records and photographed their first tours featuring Ian Dury and Elvis Costello, along with the pub rock and burgeoning punk scene.
Whilst working in an industrial darkroom, David began freelancing for New Musical Express and worked for them on a regular basis from 1979 till 1984 getting to photograph Bob Marley, Jerry Garcia new unsigned bands like U2 and The Birthday Party. He worked for The Face, Time Out and Black Echoes and was photographer, music listings and nightclubbing editor of City Limits in the early eighties. He also took portraits for the Telegraph, The Times and The Guardian.
In 1992 David moved to New York City working for the New York Times and shooting for several UK papers, magazines and record labels. David’s work has featured on hundreds of CD sleeves particularly in the reggae field and in many books. In 1999 his first book ’The Black Chord’ (Rizzoli/Universe) with Vivien Goldman was published featuring over 200 of David’s photos of black musicians that he had shot over twenty years.
In 2003 David published ’Megaliths’ (Jonathan Cape) , a fifteen year project with author Lai Ngan Corio featuring his photographs of the prehistoric stones of England and Wales and the legends and folklores that are attached to them.
His work has been shown at the Victoria & Albert Museum, The Photographer’s Gallery, Special Photographers Company, London and Jack Shainman Gallery, Bronwyn Keenan Gallery, Morrison Hotel Gallery and Eyejammy Gallery in New York and in Remix Gallery, Osaka, Japan and Dusty Gallery, Hong Kong.
AC/DC's guitarist Angus Young is a great musician but very difficult to photograph as he moves non-stop. - Hammersmith Odeon, London, UK.
Unique contact sheet print of AC/CD's, Angus Young by photographer David Corio, taken at Hammersmith Odeon, London, November 1st, 1979
This was one of the first hip hop shows in England - Londoners had never experienced any gig like this before.
Bob Marley's last London show on 7 June 1980 at the Crystal Palace Bowl
Rare contact sheet by David Corio with a fantastic selection of images of Bob Marley performing in London in 1980.
Ian Dury just before he went onstage with The Blockheads at the Brighton Top Rank in June 1980
James Brown performing onstage at the Hammersmith Odeon, London in May 1985
Unique contact sheet print of Nick Cave And The Birthday Party by photographer David Corio taken in a disused church in Kilburn, London
Johnny Ramone’s super-fast ‘buzzsaw’ guitar had a huge impact on the punk scene and he could make a two-minute song sound like an epic.
Energetic contact sheet of The Ramones performing at the Hammersmith Odeon, London in 1980
The Specials performing onstage at the legendary Hope & Anchor pub in London in 1980
Tom Waits onstage at the Victoria Apollo, London in March, 1981.
Bono and The Edge of U2 performing live in Cork, Ireland in February 1980
This photo session was for No.1 Magazine (long since extinct) on a Eurythmics press day, they’d been doing interviews all day.
Early shot of The Fall at Central Station Car Park, Manchester in the summer of 1978
Shooting promotional films for the singles Rain & Paperback Writer at Chiswick Park Gardens in May 1966
In the studio in Santa Monica, California in 1980, Bob Dylan is captured whilst leaning on his guitar case.
The Ramones' loud, fast, straightforward musical style was influenced by music that the band members grew up listening to in the 50s & 60s.
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.
The Stranglers are one of the most enduring bands to have come out of the punk scene with an uncompromising attitude and idiosyncratic style
Lou Reed was one of music's most influential icons. His music defied all definitions of genre & left a legacy that has inspired generations
For eight years photographer Brian Duffy worked with David Bowie and shot his most iconic and enduring images. View his fantastic collection
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
Check out our great range of authentic fine art photographic prints available for £250 or less.
We are all still reeling from the tragic loss of David Bowie. Here is a wonderful tribute from one of our photographers, Mark Mawston.
