James Fortune - 36 Rocks per Roll

What a long, strange trip it’s been

Renowned photographer James Fortune came of age during the 1960s and 1970s, two decades that changed the world forever. There was political upheaval. There was social activism. There was the sense that a hopeful new age was dawning.

And, by God, there was rock and roll.

James Fortune witnessed it all from a vantage point few ever get: onstage, six feet away from the world’s most transformative rock stars. 

Here in these pages, he shares photographs – some iconic, some seldom seen, and some never seen – from his personal collection. For the first time, he also tells his stories from that mind-bending era in thoughtful detail.

James Fortune in his own words:

“I’ve smoked weed with Bob Marley. Been thrown out of a party by Berry Gordy. Escaped a lawsuit by Elton John by the seat of my pants.

I’ve watched Mick Jagger stalk the stage in a sparkly headband and harem pants three feet from my camera. Asked Alice Cooper to hug his Rolls-Royce for a shot and had him enthusiastically oblige. Had Paul McCartney smile my way and say, “Hello, James,” into the microphone in front of 20,000 fans at The Forum.

I’ve seen my photo of the Sunset Strip Riot run on the front page of every major newspaper in the country as a college kid. And stood next to Robert Plant before a massive crowd a few years later, capturing the charm of the moment a dove flew into his palm during ‘Stairway to Heaven’.”

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