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]
He was born Lee Black Childers in Jefferson County, Kentucky,[2] and started to spell his name with three rather than two "e"s as a child.[3] He grew up in Kentucky and attended Kentucky Southern College near Louisville before moving to San Francisco, and, in 1968, to New York City.[4]
He started 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 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 & 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, 11 April 2014. Retrieved 15 April 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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