Name a renowned rock band from the 1970s and 1980s, and Oklahoma-based photographer Richard Galbraith took great in-concert photos of them. Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, Black Sabbath, the Sex Pistols, and Kiss were all shot at one point or another by Mr. Galbraith.
In addition to having many of his great photos on display on both his Facebook and Myspace websites, he also issued a book of his best Kiss photos a few years ago, Richard Galbraith Photography Presents Kiss (ordering info and sample pix can be viewed here).
Recently, Richard was brave enough to follow through with the Short-But-Sweet Interview.
UGO: When and how did you become a rock photographer?
RICHARD GALBRAITH: I guess I was around 13 when I shot my first major concert, Bloodrock and Grand Funk Railroad. But sad to say, nothing really turned out and didn't have a clue as to what the settings meant. My father had sent a camera from overseas. My next concert was Alice Cooper and still not great results; I had a Nikon with a fixed 50mm lens so I guess it was a few concerts later I got it figured out. I guess I would really call myself a fan that got to shoot concerts. We lived around 100 miles from Oklahoma City and 120 from Tulsa, so it was not easy getting to shows in the early years.
UGO: Looking back, what were some of your all-time favorite shows that you attended (either as a spectator or as a photographer)?
RICHARD GALBRAITH: So many, but guess the first concerts in life always make a bigger impact. I was always a big Alice Cooper fan, so those early stage shows were great, and later got to see Black Sabbath, which was my #1 band growing up along...with Deep Purple, but did not get to see them until '76. Then seeing Rainbow in '78 and getting to hang out is a very fond memory. So when Ronnie joined Black Sabbath, that was "the best of both worlds," as the say. But can't forget the impact of Kiss in those early days, they took the stage shows up a few notches...
UGO: Who were the coolest bands/artists you've worked with, and who were the biggest jerks...and why?
RICHARD GALBRAITH: Once again so many, but Ronnie Dio has and was always very cool, which you will read from everyone that ever mentions his name. The guys in Starz, Head East, Angel were always nice. I've stayed in touch with Richie Ranno over the years and was back in touch with Bob Daisley in 2006. In '86 I met up with Bill Ward again in LA, and in '97 he offered to come here to Oklahoma to play a benefit concert for a friend that had been shot, free of charge. So I can't say enough good words about Bill and his band and crew for doing that.
I guess the one time that sticks out as a negative was backstage at an Aerosmith show. I was showing Brad Whitford a few shots from the 1974 Ozark Music Festival in Sedalia MO. Steven walks over and said, "We don't have time for that shit." I think the same show a road manager was going off on some girl that brought a bottle into the food room and later a t-shirt guy in the lobby went off on me when he saw my camera case, even though I had my passes on. Just seemed to be a lot of tension with everyone.
UGO: Which band's stage show was the most difficult to shoot back in the day?
RICHARD GALBRAITH: I didn't always have passes, so I shot just as much stuff from the crowd. I remember at Deep Purple in '76 it was standing room on the floor, and we were getting shoved all over the place. Many other shows were shot from standing on seats and getting knocked around - just a part of rock and roll and shooting shows back then.
UGO: Which band or artist do you wish you took pix of but didn't?
RICHARD GALBRAITH: I guess after standing out for three days in freezing wind chills for the Who in Oklahoma City - I would say they are one of the main ones. I think we were third in line and by three days later when the ticket window opened, we had been shoved back a ways, so got crappy tickets. Anyways, the night of the concert the transmission went out on the car, so finally found a ride to Oklahoma City and got to see the last few encore songs. At first, the cops were not going to let us in and then I had to run blocks back to the car and stash the camera - no cameras allowed! But was a great show, short and bittersweet for me though.
UGO: I understand you were friendly with Ronnie James Dio. Care to share a cool memory/story or two?
RICHARD GALBRAITH: Yes, met Ronnie and the guys in '78. Did three shows, and the first night I was in the pit under Ritchie when he smashed his guitar, so I took a direct hit from the flying head stock which gave me a nice cut. I guess I was looking a bit pale when I met with the band after the show, so may have helped a little with getting to hang out. The next night in Oklahoma City, we were at the bar after the show and I was just 21. The bartender gave me a hard time, so I had to run back to the car and get my ID, kind of pissed Ronnie off that the guy was giving me a hard time. Ronnie also had a chipped glass, so kind of got back onto the guy over that. Ronnie, Ritchie, and Bob all got a few photos from me, and I told them they could use them if they wanted for any projects. After buying the Holy Diver LP, I saw three of my shots on the montage inner sleeve, which was cool. And then when I bought Rainbow's Down To Earth, I thought I saw my B&W shot of Ritchie, so had to find the negative and took it out into the darkroom to confirm the shot was a perfect match. So was very nice to have photos on a few record albums back then. I later had a few shots on Richie Ranno's solo EP.
UGO: You've done one photo book thus far, Richard Galbraith Photography Presents Kiss. How was it shooting Kiss live back in the day?
RICHARD GALBRAITH: Well, some shows I had a pass and others just had to wing it from the crowd, or still had a pass that only let you shoot from the crowd. The first time I saw them in '76 it was at a venue in Oklahoma City that has never allowed cameras. And even though we hooked up with some of the kiss crew and gave one a ride to the mall, I was unable to get a photo pass - but did shoot a few days later in Tulsa from the crowd. So over the years it was hit and miss at times. I guess it was on the Hot in the Shade tour, I could not get a pass, along with the 1996 and 2000 tours I last saw. I also had around 17 images in the Kiss World Wide Live fanzine book, which was really nice. I guess I've been in around 18 book projects since 2006, A few by the late Gary Sharpe Young, some of Martin Popoff's and of course your's (Greg Prato), and should have a few in Bob Daisley's new book. Also a few CD reissues and various music magazines.
UGO: How can people check out your photos, and are they for sale?
RICHARD GALBRAITH: I got on Myspace a few years ago but really don't get there as much due to all their changes and the past year or so. I finally got onto Facebook and will post random shots from the past. I really don't sell my photos. I think it's more of an issue of not having higher quality photo labs nearby and being able to see what the finished photo looks like first. I sold a few on Ebay years ago, but did not really pan out for the amount of time it took, and there are so many others with great shots. So for now, just plan to share some online or in future projects that may come up.
