Some of a treasure-trove of unpublished photographs of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones will be part of Abbey Road on the River, May 21-25, on Louisville's Belvedere and in the Galt House Hotel.
On hand will be an exhibition of 20-25 images taken by the late Bob Bonis, former tour manager for both bands. His work was unknown until its inaugural exhibition in April, "The British Are Coming: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones 1964-66," at the new Not Fade Away Gallery in New York City.
Also on hand in Louisville will be a selection of photo reproduction prints at prices ranging from $325 to $4,800.
Larry Marion, 53, a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., owns the photos. Marion, a longtime collector of rock 'n' roll memorabilia turned dealer and consultant, said, "About a year ago, Alex (Bonis) called me up at my office where I was doing my auction business. He told me, 'My dad was The Beatles' and The Rolling Stones' U.S. tour manager.' I said, 'OK. Now tell me the truth.'" The younger Bonis wanted to know if some Beatles artifacts were of value.
"It was very limited memorabilia," Marion recalled. There were some backstage passes, some thank-you notes. He appraised it and agreed to sell it for Bonis, who had bought a new house. He had inherited the photo archive after his dad died in 1991.
"Just before he left, almost like an afterthought, he pulled out a little binder. It had a dozen or so contact sheets in it," said Marion. "I said to Alex, 'The photos are really good, but contact sheets don't have much value. If you have the negatives and the copyright, then we're talking about an extraordinary discovery.'"
He did, and it was.
"I made a deal with Alex, and I acquired the entire archive of 3,500 unpublished photos from 1964 to '66," said Marion.
The first show of the Bonis photos opened with tremendous fanfare. It has sparked plans for an international tour of the images and a two-book deal with HarperCollins, said Marion. He won't just be resting on the laurels of The Beatles. Acquiring the Bonis archive "has enabled me to do something I've always dreamed of doing, which is to open a fine art photography gallery," Marion said. His second show at Not Fade Away is "New York in the '70s" by Allan Tannenbaum, a SoHo Weekly photojournalist.
Reporter Diane Heilenman can be reached at (502) 582-4682.
Abbey Road
on the River
When: Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25.
Where: on the Belvedere Festival Plaza in downtown Louisville.
Admission: Ticket prices vary and packages are available. Tickets are available at the Visitors Center, Fourth and Jefferson Streets, or by calling (216) 378-1980.
Information: www.AbbeyRoadOnThe River.com.
| Abbey Road on the River is produced by Abbey Road on the River LLC, a Kentucky Limited Liability Corporation, and 365 Events, an Ohio Corporation.
For more information, call 216.378.1980 or e-mail. "The Beatles" is a federally registered trademark of Apple Corps Limited ("Apple"). Abbey Road on the River is not endorsed by or affiliated with Apple Corps Limited. All sales Final. No refunds. If you are traveling and cannot attend, you will be issued a credit for the 2011 AROTR |