Ed Caraeff (a.k.a Eddie J.) is a name recognised by anybody who is anybody in the music industry. A photographer, illustrator, and graphic designer, he has directed art for, photographed, and designed hundreds of record album covers from 1967 to 1982 for numerous artists, including The Stooges, Elton John, Steely Dan, Carly Simon, Three Dog Night, Tom Waits and Dolly Parton.
Ed's career began in 1965 during his high school days and led him to photograph many of music's greatest icons. His photography has appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone and boasts a rightful place in the permanent collection at The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His ground-breaking chance photo of Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar on-stage at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 is widely considered to be one of the most iconic rock photos of all-time and is the only photo ever to appear twice on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.
In an interview with the Hollywood Times in 2022 Ed described himself as an accidental photographer, "My whole photography career was 15 years during which time I had an unlisted phone number. No portfolio, no business manager, no agent, no photos on my wall, yet I worked all the time".
After his photography career Ed became a chef and now journeys across the United States in his vintage camper van documenting his travels as he goes.
