Barrie Wentzell spent music’s most important decades as exclusive chief photographer for music publication The Melody Maker. From 1965 until 1975, he photographed many unknown artists who would later become household names.

In 1965, a chance encounter with Diana Ross propelled a young Barrie Wentzell into the world of music photography. The image he made of this yet-to-be global super-star became a riveting front cover of The Melody Maker, England’s most renowned music publication. The image caught the attention of Bob Houston, the assistant editor of The Melody Maker at the time. He contacted Barrie and invited him to be the publication’s exclusive chief photographer.

During his time with the publication, Barrie photographed many talented musicians who went on to become rock ‘n’ roll legends. Celebrated artists such as Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, Count Basie, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez and rock and roll icons such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and countless others all have their place in Barrie Wentzell’s vast archive.