Leee Black Childers
Leee Black Childers (July 24, 1945 – April 6, 2014) was an American photographer, writer and rock music manager, who "recorded the legacy of a theatrical cross over between rock music and gay culture".[1] Born Lee Black Childers in Jefferson County, Kentucky,[2] he started to spell his name with three rather than two "e"s as a child.[3]
Biography
He grew up in Kentucky and attended Kentucky Southern College near Louisville before moving to San Francisco, and, later, in 1968, to New York City.[4]
He began taking photographs of drag queens, and was encouraged by Andy Warhol to work as a photographer, gaining a reputation for his portraits of the artists, musicians and others who passed through the Factory in New York.[3] In the early 1970s, he managed Warhol's stage production, Pork, directed by Tony Ingrassia at the Roundhouse in London.[1] He was assistant to Warhol at the Factory between 1982–84, and took photographs of visiting celebrities, counter-cultural figures and musicians, particularly of punk rock and new wave music stars, such as Ruby Lynn Reyner, Debbie Harry, Wayne County and The Sex Pistols. He worked as a tour manager for David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Johnny Thunders and others.[5]
In 2012 he published Drag Queens, Rent Boys, Pick Pockets, Junkies, Rockstars and Punks, a collection of some of his photographs and their background which was the subject of an exhibition in London in 2011,[6] and Los Angeles in March 2014.[5]
In 2016, Childers 2010 interview was featured in Danny Says appearing alongside Danny Fields, Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper.
Childers died in Los Angeles, California on April 6, 2014 at the age of 68 from undisclosed causes.[1]
References
- ^ a b c "Leee Black Childers Chronicler of Drag Queens And Punks Dies", Artlyst.com, April 7, 2014; retrieved April 8, 2014
- ^ Kentucky Birth Index, 1911-1999 at Ancestry.com; accessed April 8, 2014.
- ^ a b Bruce Weber, "Leee Black Childers, Portraitist of a Downtown Demimonde, Dies at 68", New York Times, April 11, 2014; retrieved April 15, 2014.
- ^ "Iconic Music Photographer Leee Black Childers Has Died", Factmag.com, April 7, 2014; retrieved April 8, 2014.
- ^ a b Billy Gil, "Amoeba Sponsors Leee Black Childers Photo Exhibit, Has Signed David Bowie, Patti Smith Prints", March 12, 2014; retrieved April 8, 2014
- ^ Andrew Soar, "Leee Black Childers: Drag Queens, Rent Boys, Rockstars and Punks", October 14, 2011; retrieved April 8, 2014
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