Ray Lowry (1944-2008)
Ray Lowry was an English cartoonist, illustrator and satirist, with a highly distinctive style. He contributed to The Guardian, Private Eye, Punch, Tatler and NME, among many other publications.
With the emergence of the underground press in the 1960s his work was published in Oz and International Times, which led to a long and better-paid relationship with the New Musical Express (better known as NME), including a weekly cartoon strip, “Only Rock’n’Roll”. His love of raw rock and roll was the perfect complement to the new punk mentality that emerged in the late 1970s. He saw the Sex Pistols at the Electric Circus in Manchester, on their Anarchy tour, and there met the Clash. He struck up a friendship with the members of the Clash, which led to an invitation to accompany them on their tour of the United States in 1979.
Later that year he designed the iconic sleeve frothier third album, London Calling—its vivid green and pink lettering riffing on the cover design of Elvis Presley’s first LP. The design reflected Ray’s belief that the Clash were as important and authentic as Elvis had once been.
Ray Lowry
Tour artist = War artist
It’s a brilliant concept. A band going on tour wants to capture the intensity of their live shows. The obvious route? Take a photographer. But why just go down the path well-trodden when you can take an artist, armed with sketchbooks, pens and paint, to record impressions ‘in the moment.’
And so it was that Ray Lowry was invited by The Clash to join them on their 1979 Take the Fifth tour of the USA, as their official artist. As the band attempted to plunge into the veins of America, Ray captured the energy and excitement of the time. The ink pen was his weapon of choice, and what ensued from this collaboration of creative minds was a combination of reporting and artistry. During this time, Ray filled several sketchbooks with explosive imagery. Using his unique style, he managed to capture these moments in time. He was a man who understood the true essence of Rock and Roll.
Joe Strummer gave Ray the nickname “War Artist”, likening him to a war correspondent; reporting on the war on people’s psyche by “the only band that matters.”
London Calling
Limited edition ChromaLuxe print
Ray Lowry designed the cover of The Clash’s third album, London Calling, after accompanying them on their US tour in 1979. With London Calling he paid homage to the cover of Elvis Presley’s first album, replicating the green and pink lettering, using Pennie Smith’s photograph of Paul Simonon smashing his bass at New York’s Palladium Theatre on 21 September 1979. In an article in Amateur Photographer, February 2021, Julian Williams, former keeper of the Ray Lowry archive explained: “What Ray recognised within the photograph was Elvis with the open mouth, the closeness of the picture, the black and white…he felt that image captured everything that rock and roll was about. It was a moment, and what Ray saw in Pennie Smith’s photo was the same moment.”
Just 20 limited edition ChromaLuxe prints, made from the original sketch artwork, are being offered to collectors. Each is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed and numbered by Ray Lowry’s son Samuel, who is the custodian of his archive.
Some photographs
The front view of a ChromaLuxe print prior to hanging
A ChromaLuxe print hanging on the wall
