James Taylor, Sweet Baby James, 1969
Henry Diltz Co-Signed Prints
'One day I was sitting in my kitchen in Laurel Canyon and the phone rang and it was Peter Asher, the producer. He said, "Henry, could you come to my house this afternoon and take pictures of James Taylor?"
I'd never met James Taylor before, but I went to Peter's house, walked into the living room and there he was, sitting across the room on the floor quietly fingerpicking 'Oh, Susanna' like a music box. It was magical.
So, we drove over to my friend Cyrus's house; they called it The Farm - it was a kind of musical commune. There was a big post sticking out of the ground by this barn, and he just walked up to it, folded his arms, leaned on it and looked right at me. It just looked so good, it framed up so nicely, but I was only shooting black and white for publicity. I thought I'd better take a colour shot of this, so I got my colour camera and took a few shots. Sure enough, one of them got used for the cover of his album, Sweet Baby James.
You know, very often people ask me, "What's your favourite picture you've ever taken?" I say, "Well, you know I was there for every one of them, they're all sort of a part of my life," but I always think back to that picture of James Taylor leaning on the post. It was just so serene, and it filled the frame. It's one of my favourite portraits I've ever taken.' - Henry Diltz
Edition: 12 numbered prints
Signed by: Henry Diltz and James Taylor
Dimensions: 24" x 36"
Method: Printed on Premium Canson Infinity Arches Aquarelle Rag 310gsm
Frame: Black hardwood with acid-free mount and UV glaze