- Michael Ochs
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Michael Ochs is an American photographic archivist best known for his extensive collection of pictures related to rock music dating back to the 1950s and 1960s. The Michael Ochs Archive, located in Los Angeles, contains 3 million vintage prints, proof sheets and negatives which are licensed daily for use in CD reissues, books, films and documentaries.[1]
The Los Angeles Times called Ochs "America's preeminent rock 'n' roll photo archivist"[2] and described his archive as "the dominant force in the rock image marketplace";[3] The New York Times called it "the premier source of musician photography in the world".[1] Ochs sold the archive to Getty Images in 2007.
Contents
Biography
Ochs was born in Austin, Texas, in 1943.[4] He grew up in Ohio and New York.[3] He attended Adelphi University[5] and The Ohio State University.[3] Ochs served as manager to his brother, singer-songwriter Phil Ochs, from 1967 until the singer's suicide in 1976. Ochs also led the publicity departments at Columbia Records and ABC Records.[1]
Ochs began collecting photographs as a hobby.[6] He would allow friends, including rock critics Dave Marsh and Lester Bangs, to use the pictures for free to illustrate their articles. Ochs began to take a more professional approach after two incidents. First, the Los Angeles Free Press attributed one of his photos to the "Michael Ochs Archives". Then, Dick Clark sent Ochs an unexpected check for $1,000 after Clark used some of Ochs's pictures on a television special.[6]
In 1984, Ochs published Rock Archives: A Photographic Journey Through the First Two Decades of Rock & Roll, which featured an introduction by Peter Guralnick. Writing in The New York Times, Janet Maslin praised Rock Archives as "an amazingly comprehensive photograph collection" that "offers glimpses of just about everyone seen or heard from during rock's first two decades".[7] According to the Los Angeles Times, Rock Archives "put [Ochs's] archives on the map".[2]
During the 1990s, as record companies reissued large numbers of CDs, they often turned to Ochs for photographs to include in the liner notes.[1] Ochs' pictures are featured in practically every release by Rhino Records and Bear Family Records.[8]
The archive is also tapped for illustrations for books — according to one estimate, about half of the rock and roll books issued in recent history include photographs from the collection — and as background photos and research material in the production of documentaries, feature films, and television programs.[1]
Ochs sold the Michael Ochs Archives to Getty Images for an undisclosed amount in February 2007.[8]
Ochs was one of three producers of the 2010 documentary film Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune. Interviews with Ochs and his sister Sonny were featured in the film, which focuses on both Phil's life and the turbulent times in which he lived.[9] The film also features interviews with his friends and associates, as well as archival news footage and photographic stills, including selections from Michael's collection.[10][11]
Published works
- Rock Archives: A Photographic Journey Through the First Two Decades of Rock & Roll. Introduction by Peter Guralnick. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1984. ISBN 0-385-19434-X.
- 1000 Record Covers. Cologne: Taschen, 1996. ISBN 3-8228-8595-9.
References
- ^ a b c d e Schwarz, Alan (May 28, 2006). "They Had Faces Then: An Archive Keeps Stars Ever Young". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/28/arts/music/28schw.html. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- ^ a b Baker, Bob (June 24, 2003). "In the Name of Love". Los Angeles Times. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/350834861.html?dids=350834861:350834861&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ a b c Cromelin, Richard (March 20, 1992). "The Man Behind Rock's Smithsonian". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1992-03-20/entertainment/ca-4305_1_michael-ochs-archives. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ Schumacher, Michael (1996). There But for Fortune: The Life of Phil Ochs. New York: Hyperion. p. 16. ISBN 0-7868-6084-7.
- ^ Eliot, Marc (1989) [1979]. Death of a Rebel: A Biography of Phil Ochs. New York: Franklin Watts. p. 57. ISBN 0-531-15111-5.
- ^ a b Miles, Milo (October 30, 1984). "Photo Finish: Ochs Puts Rock in the Picture". The Boston Phoenix. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XWE1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=7IcFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3736%2C3469960. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- ^ Maslin, Janet (January 20, 1985). "Excesses and Eccentrics". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/20/books/excesses-and-eccentrics.html. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- ^ a b "Getty Images Acquires the Michael Ochs Archives". Getty Images. February 27, 2007. http://company.gettyimages.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=151&isource=corporate_website_ind_press_release. Retrieved May 11, 2010.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (2011-01-04). "Aspiring to Musical Power and Glory". The New York Times: C6. http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/movies/05phil.html. Retrieved 2011-01-08.
- ^ Amy, Goodman (2011-01-06). "Phil Ochs: The Life and Legacy of a Legendary American Folk Singer". Democracy Now!. http://www.democracynow.org/2011/1/6/phil_ochs_the_life_and_legacy. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
- ^ "Phil Ochs: There but for Fortune Press Kit". First Run Features. 2010. http://firstrunfeatures.com/presskits/philochs/philochs_pk.pdf. Retrieved 2011-01-09.
Further reading
- Beets, Greg (March 6, 2009). "Inside Michael Ochs Archives". The Austin Chronicle. http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A751721.
- Ochs, Michael (February 27, 2007). "Introducing the Michael Ochs Archives". Getty Images. http://blog.gettyimages.com/2007/02/27/introducing-the-michael-ochs-archives/.
External links
Categories:- 1943 births
- Adelphi University alumni
- American archivists
- Living people
- Ohio State University alumni
- People from Austin, Texas
- Stock photographers
- Rock music photographers
- American photographers
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
