From Aretha to Michael: Bruce Talamon on Photographing Black Musical Legends

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2018

⏱️ 23 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

It's Tuesday: Sam talks with photographer Bruce Talamon on capturing famous black musicians in their most intimate moments from their living rooms to the stage. His photos are out in a new book: Bruce W. Talamon. Soul. R&B. Funk. Photographs 1972-1982.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey y'all from NPR, I'm Sam Sanders, it's been a minute.
0:09.4	So there's this picture that I'm obsessed with.
0:12.8	It's got Maurice White, a birthrun than fire.
0:19.7	The photo's in black and white.
0:21.3	Maurice is walking away from the camera.
0:23.6	You see his back and he has this white umbrella he's holding over his head.
0:28.6	He's walking through sand, he's in a desert.
0:31.6	And behind him are three big pyramids, almost larger than life.
0:36.2	They are the pyramids in Egypt.
0:39.4	It is beautiful.
0:40.9	It's one of the most iconic music photos ever.
0:43.8	A man named Bruce Taliman took that picture and a lot of other pictures.
0:48.0	We are talking to Bruce today.
0:50.0	Because if you can name a black musician from the 70s,
0:53.8	chances are Bruce Taliman has photographed them.
0:57.0	Michael Jackson dancing with his brothers on a sound stage.
1:00.3	Paddy LeBelle, feet up on a chair after a long day of press interviews.
1:04.6	Diana Ross, literally crowd surfing in a concert.
1:08.4	Bruce has a new book out with hundreds of his photos.
1:11.1	It is called Bruce W. Taliman, Soul R&B Funk.
1:15.4	Bruce and I talk about some of the stories behind those photos and those artists.
1:19.5	How he got so much access to them and what they're like up close.
	...

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