Adrian Boot

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From the artist's webpage:

Who is Adrian Boot?

Adrian Boot is one of Britain's best-known music photographers. Adrian left university in 1970 and moved to Jamaica to teach physics, returning to Britain to freelance for the NME, Melody Maker, The Times, The Guardian, and The Face. By the mid-1970's, Adrian had become staff photographer for The Melody Maker. Moving on, Adrian has been chief photographer for Live Aid; for Nelson Mandella - Freedom at 70; for Roger Water's The Wall in Berlin; for Greenpeace in the Soviet Union. Adrian has also worked with ORBIS, the flying eye hospital, in Africa; the British Council in Iraq and Jordan; for the Grateful Dead in Egypt; and for Island Records in Jamaica, Colombia, Algeria, Nigeria, and many other parts of the world.

Adrian's books include Babylon on a Thin Wire and Jah Revenge (both with Michael Thomas). With collaborator and friend Chris Salewicz: Bob Marley - Songs of Freedom; Firefly - Noel Coward in Jamaica; Midnights in Moscow - in the USSR with Billy Bragg; Punk - History of a Music Revolution; and Reggae Explosion: The Story of Jamaican Music.

Adrian has worked with Shelly Warren under the partnership of Exhibit-A to design and produce: The Bob Marley Exhibition; The Jimi Hendrix Exhibition; The Punk Exhibition, and lately the ReggaeXplosion exhibition. Adrian has also worked for the EPE organisation at Graceland Memphis on the Elvis Presley photo archive.

Over the last ten years, Adrian has become more involved in the fusion of computer technology, photography, film, DVD, and internet technology, and has worked closely with Palm Pictures on various DVD, internet, film, and CDR projects.

Today, Adrian Boot works with Palm Pictures on various film, video, and photographic projects in Africa and Jamaica, including the ReggaeXplosion gallery in Jamaica.


Adrian's photography archive can be seen at, and licensed from, Urban Image. One of the photos is a 1977 portrait of Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. This portrait served as the inspiration for Shepard's 2001 prints Obey Distort Sid Pink and Obey Distort Sid Red.

Adrian Boot's 1977 Sid Vicious portrait

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