Jim Marshall
February 3, 1936–March 24, 2010

Jim Marshall has been called the most celebrated and prolific photographer of the 20th century and is widely known for his iconic music photography. In death, Jim holds the distinction of being the first and only photographer to be given the Recording Academy's TRUSTEES AWARD, an honorary GRAMMY presented to individuals for nonperformance contributions to the music industry. The award was bestowed on the Jim Marshall estate in 2014 in recognition of Jim's unprecedented chronicling of music history from the 1950s through the early 2000s.

Jim willed his entire estate of more than one million black-and-white and color negatives—which he referred to as his “children”—to his trusted, longtime assistant Amelia Davis. In her own right, Davis is an accomplished and award-winning photographer. She has published three photographic books of her own work and has been included in numerous gallery and juried exhibitions.

Jim Marshall Photography LLC was established with the primary goal to preserve and protect Marshall’s extraordinary legacy as a discerning photojournalist and a pioneer of rock-and-roll photography. The estate is continuing the legacy of Jim Marshall through sales and licensing, exhibitions, publishing and the development of a comprehensive catalog as a reference for the totality of his life's work. The estate is also developing partnerships with a select number of brands to extend the tail of Jim’s work and iconic images for generations to come.

Jim Marshall's photography is available for purchase exclusively at authorized galleries, and Jim Marshall Photography LLC is the sole authority to provide a Certificate of Authenticity & Provenance from the Estate of Jim Marshall.

Obits, Remembrances, Tributes

Jim Marshall signs his iconic Johnny Cash print for Brad Mangin in his San Francisco home on February 11, 2009. (Photo by Grover Sanschagrin)

The voice on the other end of my cell phone had a sense of urgency. My friend Tim Mantoani was calling yesterday afternoon to tell me that his very good friend, legendary rock and roll photographer Jim Marshall died in his sleep Tuesday night in a hotel room in New York City. How could this be? We both had just seen Marshall at the 65th birthday party for Michael Zagaris (The Z-Man) last month in San Francisco. Many thoughts raced through my head. Tim told me to call the Z-Man to find out what had happened.

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Jim Marshall; photo credit: Jim Britt

If you're really lucky, what you do for a living is also what you love to do. Jim Marshall, who died Tuesday at age 74, was really, really lucky.

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Jim Marshall, photo: Scott Sommerdorf, The Chronicle

Legendary rock photographer Jim Marshall, who captured some of the most memorable moments in music - Johnny Cash flipping the bird at San Quentin and Jimi Hendrix burning his guitar at Monterey Pop - died in his sleep Tuesday in a New York hotel. He was 74. The cause of death was not immediately known.

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Jimi Hendrix, Monterey Pop Festival, 1967

Renowned rock and roll photographer Jim Marshall died Wednesday night at age 74. NPR's Felix Contreras has this remembrance.

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Jim Marshall (Photo credit: Scott Sommerdorf, the Chronicle)

Jim Marshall, celebrated in music circles for his iconic, attitude-laced images of Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones and other '60s rock luminaries as well as equally revered portraits of Johnny Cash, Miles Davis, John Coltrane and myriad folk, country, jazz and blues artists, died Wednesday in New York City. He was 74.

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Jim Marshall (Photo credit: Jim Britt)

One of my favorite possessions is Not Fade Away, the book by photographer Jim Marshall. I received it for mybirthday from my brother in 1997 and since then, the hardbound collection of black and white stills has been taken down from the bookshelf once or twice a year. I spend a week or so leafing through Marshall’s candid, intimate photos, rereading his recollections and marveling at the artistry of each shot. There is an effortless quality to Marshall’s photography that is difficult to pull off. He was a master.

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Johnny Cash and June Carter, 1969

Rock-and-roll photographer Jim Marshall died on Tuesday at the age of 74. If you’re not familiar with the man himself, you’ve certainly seen his work: he was an official photographer of the Woodstock Festival, the only photographer allowed backstage at the Beatles’ final concert in 1966,  and he shot more than 500 album covers. Marshall was known to gain intimate access to the musicians, sometimes even going so far as to live with them, in order to create truly vulnerable portraits. He continued to work after the days of psychedelics and electric guitars, and more recently worked with the likes of John Mayer and Ben Harper.  Marshall was scheduled to promote his new book Match Prints this week, written with fellow photographer Timothy White.

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Jimi Hendrix, Monterey Pop Festival, 1967

Bring up 1967’s Monterey International Pop Festival and the first image most of us see in our heads is that of Jimi Hendrix torching his guitar. Mention Johnny Cash performing for inmates at San Quentin State Prison in 1969 and the corresponding visual is always Cash waving a middle-finger salute at the camera. Recall Janis Joplin’s brilliant career, cut short by drugs and alcohol, and you might envision her lounging backstage with a bottle of Southern Comfort in her hand.

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