|
Gerry Beckley: 'If you think of songs like For What it's Worth - those were pivotal moments. "There is something happening here" - this was about more than just chords or lyrics.'
In 1966 Henry Diltz was gigging with The Modern Folk Quartet at The Troubadour. JD Souther recalls, 'I saw almost every songwriter that was in our vein at The Troubadour: James Taylor, Neil Young, Kris Kristofferson, Joni Mitchell. I mean who didn't play there?'
Young musicians mixed, traded ideas, songs and played stints in each other's bands. 'It was a lucky accident that I happened to be in the midst of that,' Henry says, 'I was a musician. I was the same guy who had always been part of the music scene.'
The only difference being that Henry had begun a life-long love affair with photography. Capturing everything that caught his eye, famous friends like David Crosby began to appear in his frames. 'He doesn't say, "Cheese," he does this silly, honking sound and you can't help it, you wind up laughing.'
In October 1966, as Henry was taking pictures of a mural, Neil Young, Stephen Stills and the rest of Buffalo Springfield were finishing a sound-check. Intrigued, they joined Henry and the photographs he took were subsequently published. 'That was the moment I realized I could make a living taking photos - the thing I loved so much.'
Something was, indeed, beginning to happen in southern California, and Henry Diltz was very much a part of it.

Click on any image to enlarge
|