Elliot Landy (American, b. 1942) Bob Dylan at his Brydcliffe Home, Nashville Skyline Album Cover, Woodstock, New York, 1969 Digital pigment print, printed later 22 x 22 inches (55.9 x 55.9 cm) (image) 27 x 24 inches (sheet) Signed and editioned 5/15 in ink, lower margin recto. Photographer's copyright and print stamp, verso. For a few years, beginning in the late Sixties, Elliott Landy photographed many of the biggest names in what is now referred to as classic rock. His iconic images of Bob Dylan, Van Morrison and The Band are featured on their album covers and his work has appeared on the covers of numerous magazines, including Rolling Stone, LIFE and Saturday Evening Post. He was the official photographer of the 1969 Woodstock Music and Arts Festival. In his book, Woodstock Vision: The Spirit of a Generation, first published in 1994, Landy shares recollections of his friendship and collaboration with many of the biggest music stars of the era, and includes an anecdote on how his photograph became the cover of Bob Dylan's 1969 album, Nashville Skyline: "I moved to Woodstock in 1968. I had fallen in love with the lifestyle there and expected that I would do more work with Dylan and the Band. I used to see Bob occasionally here and there. In early 1969 he called and asked me to take a picture for the back of his new album, Nashville Skyline. He had the front cover already picked out—a picture of the skyline of Nashville, where he had recorded the album. By that time in our relationship, we were kind of friendly... I didn't see him a lot but when we did see each other, there was an ease and a closeness there. When I arrived at his home on Upper Byrdcliffe in Woodstock, he played the album for me and we talked a lot....when the light was right we headed out the door. I picked up my camera bag and led the way. He stopped at the coat rack, almost as a second thought and grabbed a hat. "Do you think we could use this?" I had no idea if it would be good or not, so I told him "take it, and we'll see." We walked around through the woods behind his house looking for a good spot. It had just been raining, we had boots on, and he was carrying this hat. He paused for a moment, apparently inspired, and said, "What about taking one from down there?" pointing to the ground. As I started kneeling, I saw that it was muddy but kept going. "Do you think I should wear this?" he asked, starting to put on his hat, smiling because it was kind of a goof, and he was having fun visualizing himself in this silly-looking traditional hat. "I don't know," I said as I snapped the shutter. It all happened so fast. If I had had any resistance in me, I would have missed the photograph that became the cover of Nashville Skyline." HID12401132022 © 2024 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved www.HA.com/TexasAuctioneerLicenseNotice