by Rick Landers
Rock Photographer Robert Knight
One of the finest rock photographers of all time, Robert Knight, has joined forces with photographer-artist Maryanne Bilham and photographer Jim Evans to open the Knight Gallery, where his and his cohorts work is displayed at the Las Vegas Hilton. Not that one has to get a ticket to Nevada to gaze at or purchase some of the galleries art. The Knight Gallery has a website that features a series of photos and artwork that dazzles viewers and grabs our attention.
Many of our readers will immediately recognize some of Robert’s photographs of Jeff Beck, Jimmy Hendrix, Eric Clapton, John 5, and other guitar greats. His resume covers a vast territory.
Jeff Beck - Photo credit: Robert Knight
Some of his work dates back to the late ‘60s when he was befriended by folks like Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. And throughout the course of several decades, Robert Knight has documented those who helped write rock ‘n’ roll history including Alice Cooper, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Joni Mitchell, Little Richard, the Rolling Stones, Green Day, the Ramones and countless others. He’s managed the Yardbirds, helped develop the Guitar Center’s Rockwalk and wrote the book, Rock Gods: Forty Years of Rock Photography, with an introduction written by none other than the now legendary, Slash. And Robert’s life story will be shown on PBS in September – Rock Prophecies – We’ll send out a reminder later this summer.
The Knight Gallery offers up the work of two more artists whose work digs deep into the soul of their subjects. The work of photographer Maryanne Bilham can be straight forward or surreal, whether she’s shooting The Go Gos in sacred garb, guitarist John 5 levitated over a pair of his Signature Fender Telecasters or Silk Boudir teasingly playing up an old Marilyn Monroe theme.
Slash - Photo credit: Jim Evans
The third leg of the Knight Gallery’s triptych is Jim Evans. Jim conjures up photographs with bold colors and themes that are at once stark and breathtaking. His quartet of Jimi Hendrix monoprints feature Jimi pushing the limits of his Stratocaster in a splashy spectrum of colors and really, they’re “bold as love”.
We’ve worked with Robert Knight in the past and he’s the consummate professional, focused yet calm and collected. And his work is always exceptional and distinctly his own – an icon of rock photography. If you’re ever in Las Vegas, it looks like the Knight Gallery is a sure bet and one of the better places to drop some coin.
