Henry Diltz’s Photography Chronicles Folk Legends And Beyond

Henry Diltz started his artistic life as a musician as one of the members of the Modern Folk Quartet.

So naturally, in the 1960s and 1970s, he was ensconced within the folk music scene stemming from Laurel Canyon, California. He was surrounded by musicians like Crosby, Stills and Nash; Joni Mitchell; Jim Morrison and the Doors; and the Mamas and the Papas.

But, unlike everyone around him, Diltz had a camera. What were at first pictures of his friends turned into iconic album covers. And expanding from the California folk scene to that of the greater United States, Henry had the opportunity to photograph James Taylor, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, the Monkees, Frank Zappa and some of the other biggest acts in American music history.

“I’m very interested in people, in life and what this all means — and who people are and what makes them tick,” Diltz said. “For me, it’s sort of a passport to people’s lives, having a camera. I get to be there, and hang out with them and get to know them.”