The British music world has lost a pivotal visual historian with the death of Brian Smith, aged 82. A key figure in documenting the 1960s British blues explosion, Smith's photographs of American musical icons graced countless album sleeves, magazines, and reissues, creating the definitive visual record of that revolutionary era.
From Skiffle Fan to Festival Photographer
Smith's passion for music was ignited in 1954 at the Manchester Free Trade Hall. As a schoolboy, he witnessed Lonnie Donegan's skiffle group perform as an interval act for Chris Barber. This experience transformed him into a devoted Donegan fan and laid the foundation for his lifelong love of blues music.
Armed with an Ilford Sportsman camera, he began his photographic journey in earnest at the 1962 American Folk Blues Festival, also held at the Free Trade Hall. That legendary concert, attended by future rock stars like Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, and Jimmy Page, saw Smith capture early images of greats including T Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, and the duo Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee.
Chronicling the Blues Boom
Throughout the 1960s, Smith became the unofficial chronicler of the transatlantic blues and R&B scene. His lens captured a who's who of visiting American artists. His portfolio includes powerful images of Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Richard, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Bo Diddley, Little Walter, and Chuck Berry, among many others.
He became the in-house photographer at Manchester's famed Twisted Wheel club and, in 1964, helped establish R&B Scene magazine. With shrewd foresight, he would secure interviews and backstage passes in advance, quipping that this savvy move "saved me a fortune in tickets."
A Lasting Legacy in Print and Festival Fields
Smith's archive became invaluable during the blues reissue boom of the late 1970s and 1980s. Major labels like MCA, Ace, and JSP Records used his photos for their Chess reissues and new releases. His work features prominently in compilations, including approximately 50 of his shots of Chuck Berry in the comprehensive 2014 16-disc box set by Bear Family records.
He was a constant, camera-laden presence at the blues festivals that flourished across the UK and Europe in subsequent decades. His passion culminated in the publication of his book, Boom Boom, Boom, Boom – American Rhythm & Blues In England 1962–1966, a 176-page volume of photos and stories released early last year.
Born in Prestbury, Cheshire, and raised in Wythenshawe, Manchester, Smith attended Chorlton Grammar School. He worked for the Inland Revenue from 1960 until his retirement in 2007, pursuing his photographic passion alongside his civil service career. He was also a contributor to Blues & Rhythm magazine and a devoted Manchester United fan.
Brian Smith is survived by his wife, Shirley, whom he married in 1968, their four children, Gabrielle, Angela, Anthony, and Peter, and his sister, Val.
