Lisa S. Johnson: 108 Rock Star Guitars - Lisa Johnson's ground-breaking photographic vision

http://108rockstarguitars.com

Rock Star Guitars From Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Jack White and Many More Featured in Exquisite New Art Book 108 Rock Star Guitars
By Photographer/Author Lisa S. Johnson with Foreword by Les Paul

A Portion of Proceeds To Benefit The Les Paul Foundation
108 Rock Star Guitars by photographer/author Lisa S. Johnson is a collection of stunningly personal and intimate portraits of the cherished guitars owned by the gods of rock. It is a music and fine-art photography aficionado's backstage pass to witness up-close these six-stringed works of art belonging to Les Paul, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Lou Reed, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Nancy Wilson, Bonnie Raitt, Rick Nielsen, Slash, Jack White, Billy Gibbons, Ace Frehley and many others. The book, to be published by Glitterati Incorporated, is offered for pre-order now at www.108RockStarGuitars.com and will be available at booksellers and online everywhere October 8, 2013. (108 Rock Star Guitars SRP: $108, ISBN: 978-0-9832702-5-6). A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Les Paul Foundation.

Jeff Beck

This exquisite, 396-page art book, bound in embossed red leatherette, features 300 images that reveal— through Johnsonʼs signature macrophotography style—the intimate details, etchings, totems, and personal touches that embody the true spirit of the musician and that few—save for their stage crew— have seen from this perspective. Alongside these images, Johnson provides personal anecdotes describing her long quest to photograph these iconic instruments and documents her travels from the backstage hallways of some the worldʼs most famous concert venues, to the artistʼs private homes.

“I remember the first black-and-white pictures Lisa took of my guitars…they were wonderfully evocative,”  

writes the late legendary musician and inventor Les Paul in the bookʼs foreword. 

“I never could have guessed that she would one day produce the extensive, impressive collection of photographs presented here—images unlike any I have ever seen. Lisaʼs passion for her subject is evident on every page of this magnificent book.”

In addition, Glitterati will issue a deluxe, limited edition of 540 signed and numbered copies, packaged in a die-cut collectorʼs box. (SRP: $540, ISBN: 978-0-9891704-0-6). Those books will include a hand-woven, silk chiffon scarf in deep purple, featuring the book cover design. Both editions will include a 16-page booklet, “The Inspiration Behind 108 Rock Star Guitars,” with additional behind-the-scenes photos and stories as well as a guitar pick printed with one of three custom holographic foil designs.

Jimmy Page

108 Rock Star Guitars is the culmination of Johnsonʼs 17-year journey that began when she photographed Les Paulʼs guitar during one of his regular Monday night sets at New Yorkʼs famed Iridium Club. Renowned for his innovations and recognized as one of the pioneers of the solid body electric guitar, he wrote the bookʼs foreword a few months before he passed away in 2009. In his honor and memory, Johnson will donate a portion of the proceeds to The Les Paul Foundation, which supports music education, engineering and innovation as well as medical research.

Johnsonʼs innovative guitar photographs can also be seen in the book Eric Clapton: Six-String Stories, where 47 of her images are featured along with archival photos by acclaimed lensmen Lord Snowden, David Bailey, Terry O'Neill, Dominique Tarle and others.

Keith Richards

As a former technical sales rep for Kodak, Johnson shot extensively, experimenting with processes and every type of film she had in her inventory. In 108 Rock Star Guitars, she showcases a variety of the last film stock ever manufactured for Kodak Professional and the transition to digital, in her gorgeous homage to image and music.

Deluxe Edition 108 Rock Star Guitars

Luxurious, die-cut collector’s box includes padded-leatherette hardcover book signed and numbered by the author, booklet, guitar pick, and exclusively designed, hand-woven silk chiffon scarf.

Regular Edition 108 Rock Star Guitars

Lisa Johnson's ground-breaking photographic vision documents not only some of culture's most important rock star guitars, but also recounts how the instrument itself has become the essential symbol of rock. Her bold use of unusually low depth-of-field photography visually caresses the instrument in the way a skillful musician might - zeroing in on subtle gradations in a guitar's patina or hugging the curves of another's silhouette. Johnson accompanies her images with text cultivated from interviews with the proud guitar owners, revealing the personality of the musician who plays the instrument while her images revere the instrument itself. Johnson provides up-close inspection of guitars, including those of Eric Clapton, Les Paul, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, Rick Nielsen, Brian Setzer, Chrissie Hynde, Ace Frehley, Carlos Santana, Jack White and many others. Here, the guitar is made exotic, sensuous, and evocative - it transforms from an instrument into an artwork.

Includes padded-leatherette hardcover book, 16-page booklet describing inspiration behind project, and black guitar pick printed with one of three holographic foil designs.

The book is available for purchase from the website, http://108rockstarguitars.com/the-book/ or Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Rock-Star-Guitars-Lisa-Johnson/dp/0983270252/

The book itself will be released October 8th, 2013, and features up close photography of 108 different rock stars' guitars. Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, and Jeff Beck are the images provided in the press kit that I linked you to above.