Goodbye Martin Sharp. One of our myths of the Sixties’ psychedelic art scene just passed away. Martin Sharp’s true icons have indelibly marked the collective imagination of an era, with his posters of Bob Dylan (Sharp was a big fan of Mr D), Donovan, Hendrix, Cream, Van Gogh, the art direction of the controversial underground zine Oz and the cover of Richard Neville‘s Play Power book. Of the psychedelic era he said: “There was a feeling of optimism, the possibility of the world working. That was definitely part of the experience”. A sense of freedom that was quite evident, with bold vitality and originality, in his designs and day-glo colors.

Born in Australia, Sharp moved to London in the mid-Sixties. His Hendrix Explosion poster (inspired by a picture by Linda McCartney) launched him at the top of the alternative art scene of the time. He soon befriended Eric Clapton and got to contribute the lyrics to the song Tales Of Brave Ulysses for Cream‘s Disraeli Gears album whose cover he also designed. Back to Australia in the Seventies, he generally kept a low profile rarely leaving the family home while maintaining his wide circle of friends in the arts world. You can always find a selection of his works at our gallery.

Joni Mitchell turns 70! What a long “Night Ride Home” it’s been since Both Sides Now, Woodstock and Blue! We join in the celebrations with this great photograph of Joni by Guido Harari. It was taken at Joni’s house in Bel Air in 1990. She’s posing sitting on a huge poster of the GAP campaign shot by Herb Ritts, which she had added paint on turning it into her own piece of art. Guido asked Joni to dress up exactly as in the poster shot and she duly obliged, adding a few brushes and striking this unusually insane pose. Later Joni’s then husband Larry Klein pointed out to her and Guido that her fly was, em, open!

Are you in New York City tonight? From 7 to 9pm enjoy a special evening at the PowerHouse Arena wuth a one of a kind exhibition of Joe Alper‘s photographs to celebrate the 50th anniversary of legendary Caffe Lena from Sarasota Springs, home of blues and folk greats, from Bob Dylan to Mississippi John Hurt. Last summer we produced the fantastic Dylan Before Dylan show of Alper’s vastly unseen photographs, including those of a very young Bob Dylan caught by Joe between 1961 and 1965.

This is no Magic, but just Loss, to quote from one of Lou Reed‘s most touching albums. Today we’ve lost a unique artist and a close friend. In sending out our condolences to his family and wife Laurie Anderson, we remember Lou with this intimate portrait by Guido Harari. It was taken in 2002 at the Lingotto, Turin, during the one and only tour by Lou with Laurie.  

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Blowin’ in the Wind, Wall Of Sound Gallery is proud to present, for the first time ever and as a European exclusive, the Dylan Before Dylan exhibition with the historic photography of Joe Alper. Like last year with the Art Kane show, the editing, the restoration of the original negatives as well as the printing have been made at our gallery, in Alba, with the loving supervision of Edward Elbers, manager of the Joe Alper Photo Collection LLC. At last these fabulous images are now available via Wall Of Sound Gallery to collectors and fans everywhere in numbered and stamped editions. Joe Alper’s history as a folk, blues and jazz photographer as well as friend of a very young Bob Dylan, is absolutely unique. Read more about it here. The show also features an impressive selection of Alper’s images of Aretha Franklin, Nina Simone, Muddy Waters, Thelonious Monk, Joan Baez with her sister Mimi and her husband Richard Farina, Pete Seeger, John Coltrane in the recording studio with producer Bob Thiele, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie with Quincy Jones, Ray Charles, Charlie Mingus with Max Roach, Howlin’ Wolf, Joe Zawinul, Mississippi John Hurt and Elizabeth Cotten, Big Joe Williams. A show certainly not to be missed.

Today celebrated Italian singer-songwriter Francesco Guccini paid a visit to our gallery. While in Alba to receive a special award, he took the opportunity to visit our Gaber. E sogno e rido e vivo exhibition. In this photo, squeezed so to speak between Guido Harari (left) and Francesco (right), you can see Edward Elbers, manager of the Joe Alper PHoto Collection LLC. Edward has been spending a week at the gallery to supervise the restoration of Joe Alper’s original negatives as well as the printing operations for the upcoming Dylan Before Dylan exhibition which will open on May 16 and run till July 21. Francesco being a huge Dylan fan, he was delighted to be shown the first print proofs by Edward. Photo by Bruno Murialdo.