To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of London’s most explosive rock band, Proud Galleries is thrilled to present Fifty Years of The Who. This collection, shot by internationally renowned photographer Colin Jones, chronicles the life of a band regarded as one of the most important British rock groups of all time.

A friendship between Jones and The Who developed while he was photographing the band, which gave him unlimited access to them on the road, backstage and at home. Jones captured the wild on-stage antics of Keith Moon thrashing riotously at his drums, Pete Townshend sitting in front of the guitars he destroyed while performing and John Entwistle at home practising the guitar whilst his mother darns his socks. The intimacy of Jones’ photographs reveal an intriguing personal insight into The Who, hailed as the greatest live band on the planet.

The exhibition shows the youthful exuberance of a band who not only wanted to believe in Rock ‘n’ Roll, but wanted to feel it too. A must-see for fans and photography lovers alike, this unique exhibition sheds new light on one of Britain’s most iconic and most influential bands.

Colin Jones is a renowned British photographer, best known for his images of The Who in London during the Swinging Sixties. With a politically charged social eye, Jones has been described by the Sunday Times as “the George Orwell of British photography”. His range of musician portraits and documentary images are in high demand, auctioned at such reputable establishments as Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

Such dazzling success is a considerable step from his largely underprivileged childhood. Born in 1936 as the son of an East London printer, Colin Jones spent his youth struggling with dyslexia and illiteracy. He was evacuated three times during the Second World War, and thus attended 13 schools before the age of 16. Eventually, after several years of ballet lessons, Jones won a scholarship to the Royal Ballet School, and soon embarked on a career with its touring company.

His first professional encounters with photography occurred after meeting Michael Peto, a photographer for the Observer who regularly toured with the Ballet. Jones subsequently embarked on a six-month trial with the Observer, and so his photography career began. During the following years he focused on journalistic photography, often capturing scenes of depravity in the post-industrial North of England and delinquent Afro- Caribbean youth in London.

Jones is perhaps most famous for the photographs he took of The Who in the 1960s, capturing the decadent hedonism of Swinging London in a period of great social upheaval. Joining them on several tours, he was afforded a privileged view of the rock icons in their private domains as well as in the public eye. Colin Jones has published several critically acclaimed books of his photography, and has been the subject of a series of one-man photography exhibitions.

Proud Camden Gallery
The Horse Hospital, Chalk Farm Road
London NW1 8AH United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0) 20 74823867
info@proudgalleries.co.uk
www.proud.co.uk

Opening hours
Monday - Sunday
From 11am to 5pm

Related images

  1. Colin Jones, Waiting to go on stage, Manchester, 1966, © Colin Jones
  2. Colin Jones, Audience (mods) at ready steady go, Wembley, London, 1966, © Colin Jones
  3. Colin Jones, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend and fan after their gig, Manchester, 1966, © Colin Jones
  4. Colin Jones, Pete Townshend, Buying Shirts at just men off King’s road, London, 1966, © Colin Jones
  5. Colin Jones, The Who, Manchester, 1966, © Colin Jones
  6. Colin Jones, Pete Townshend and Keith Moon buying clothes, Just Men off King’s Road, 1966, © Colin Jones