Thursday, July 9, 2009

The man behind the album covers: Remembering the Artist Tom Wilkes




Elite Hotel (LP 12978, 1975) and
Blue Kentucky Girl
(LP 9615, 1979)
Covers by Tom Wilkes
From the Wade Hall Sound Recordings Collections

The award winning artist, designer and photographer Tom Wilkes passed away last week. He leaves behind a massive catalog of album covers -- work that he did over a career that spanned more than four decades and includes these two covers by Alabama native, Emmylou Harris.

Wilkes made his name as the Art Director for the Monterey International Pop Festival in 1967, creating iconic psychedelic images that forever branded the festival in our memories and our imaginations. He went on to a long and successful career that brought us album covers such as the Flying Burrito Brothers' Gilded Palace of Sin, and Beggars Banquet by the Rolling Stones. His creative genius will be missed, but will surely live on.



Let's celebrate once again Alabama's amazing musical legacy with Emmylou Harris, from the album Elite Hotel -- Together Again.

2 comments:

Kathryn said...

Thanks for this post. I'd seen so much of this artist's work on album covers but never knew his name. What a wonderful body of work to leave behind. Thanks for the Emmylou Harris clip too, brightened up my Friday lunchbreak!

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