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Sunday, January 8, 2012

1950s Radio in Color by Christopher Kennedy

I'd seen the photographs circulating around on the internet, but had no idea of their historical context.  Chuck Berry in a wood paneled room, with a strange guitar, short blue pants, and a pale blue jacket.  Same string tie. Behind him, the usual assortment of children on backup.

What amazes me, now that I've found the source, is that this picture was taken at the very beginning, mid August 1955, a month after the release of "Maybellene," by Chicago deejay and photographer Tommy Edwards.  Check out the story, and some of the photographs HERE.  It's part of a whole bunch Edwards photographs found in a basement and turned into a book by Christopher Kennedy.
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2 comments:

  1. Chris KennedyJanuary 9, 2012 at 12:01 PM

    Hi Peter
    Thank you for mentioning the book. In the 1950s, Tommy would project his color slides at record hops. He also would lend the slides to other deejays. That's how some of the photographs he took wound up in circulation.

    ReplyDelete
  2. PeterJanuary 9, 2012 at 12:27 PM

    Christopher-- If you're able to, contact me through the profile. I'd love to do an "interview" about this great story.

    ReplyDelete