Riffing off of a lyric from Stephen Stills’ song “For What It’s Worth,” “There’s Something Happening Here…On The Sunset Strip 1966” is a series of events and exhibits marking the 50th anniversary of the Sunset Strip riots, and exploring the enduring cultural significance of the music and revolution that united and shaped a generation (www.bit.ly/SunsetStrip66). Presented by the City of West Hollywood through WeHo Arts, the programming kicks off on October 28, 2016 with a special slideshow with iconic rock ‘n roll photographer Henry Diltz. The evening will spotlight and celebrate the performers integral to the Sunset Strip scene and its legendary music-filled clubs in the late ‘60s and ’70s – as well as the extraordinary Laurel Canyon community of artists that existed in the hills just above West Hollywood. Concurrently, “There’s Something Happening Here…,” an exhibition of Diltz’s photographs, will be installed in the West Hollywood Library (and remain on view through May 3, 2017 during regular library hours).
(L) Joni Mitchell in Laurel Canyon by Henry Diltz (R) Buffalo Springfield by Henry Diltz
On Thursday, October 28, Diltz will present a slide show of selections from his work, and recount personal anecdotes about his experiences, and the musicians he both so memorably photographed and befriended. The program runs from 6:30 – 7:45PM in the City of West Hollywood Public Meeting Room/City Council Chambers at West Hollywood Library (625 N. San Vicente Blvd., 90069). The event is free but RSVP/registration is required: www.bit.ly/WeHoArtsDiltz1028. Because high demand is expected, registration may exceed the capacity; registered guests are advised to arrive early to ensure seating. Following the slideshow, there will be a reception on the second floor of the Library to view the exhibition “There’s Something Happening Here…” – RSVP is not required for the reception. Free parking validation will be available for the five-story Public/Park structure adjacent to the Library.
A founding member of the Modern Folk Quartet, Henry Diltz is as much at home as a musician on tour as he is a visual historian of the last four decades of popular music. The rapport he’s developed with his musician friends, along with his down-to-earth-grin and frequent laugh, enables him to capture the candid shots that convey a rare feeling of trust and intimacy with his subjects. For more than 40 years, his work has graced hundreds of album covers and been featured in books, magazines and newspapers. His unique artistic style has produced powerful photographic essays on Woodstock, The Monterey Pop Festival, The Doors, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Jimi Hendrix, and scores of other legendary artists. Still continuing his distinguished career, Henry Diltz is also a partner in, and is exclusively published and represented by, the Morrison Hotel Gallery.
Henry Diltz by Paul Zollo
2017 programming for “There’s Something Happening Here…On The Sunset Strip 1966” begins with “The Rise of Counterculture in West Hollywood: Art, Music, and Poetry,” an event presented by Domenic Priore, author of Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Last Stand in Hollywood (2015 Jawbone Press, London) on Wednesday, February 8, 7PM. The talk will explore that specific moment between1965 and 1966 when West Hollywood absorbed, then advanced the folk music movement that had previously been harbored in Greenwich Village. Bob Dylan came to Ciro’s on the Sunset Strip to help launch The Byrds, which in turn, opened it up for Frank Zappa, Buffalo Springfield, Love, The Doors and others to break from the local scene (City of West Hollywood Public Meeting Room/City Council Chambers, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd.).
Also in February 2017, Rock N’ Roll Billboards on the Sunset Strip will launch, featuring an outdoor exhibition of historic billboards as captured by photographer Robert Landau. They will be on display at 8775 Sunset Boulevard, 90069.
On April 6 at 7PM – in celebration of National Poetry Month as well as the Sunset Strip’s folk heyday of yore– West Hollywood City Poet Laureate Kim Dower will lead the program “As Far as You Can See…Sunset Strip Through the Eyes of Poets.” Poets will read both original work and poems by writers who captured the scene a half century ago for a memorable literary trip up the Sunset Strip (Second floor, West Hollywood Library, 625 N. San Vicente Blvd.).
Photo at the top: graphics, Joanne Shannahoff for WeHo Arts
