(PR) Rock photographer James Shive is for the first time is making available to the public, via his ShiveArchive.com site, "Series 1" of six limited edition, signed photographic prints of musical icon Bruce Springsteen and the late E Street Band member and saxophonist Clarence "The Big Man" Clemons.Shive, an established professional photographer who during the 1970s and 80s produced thousands of images of rock and roll's most illustrious concerts, over the years has earned a noted reputation as the "go-to photographer for his vast archive of rare early images of Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, including appearances by Springsteen together with Clemons before their meteoric rise to international stardom. Among the Springsteen/Clemons museum-quality prints being offered are concert photographs taken in 1974 in New Jersey at Kean College and at the now-infamous string of eight sold-out shows in 1976 at the Palladium Theater in New York City.
In May 2011, Shive's photograph taken in 1978 of Springsteen and Clemons at The Spectrum, Philadelphia, was featured in a full-page opening memorial to the deceased Clemons in Rolling Stone Magazine. Shive is also an original, longtime contributor to Backstreets Magazine, the publication and online community dedicated to all-things Springsteen. In October 2011, Shive contributed several images that were featured in a welcoming video as well as behind a live musical performance at the "Classic Rock and Roll Party, A Tribute to Clarence Clemons, Benefiting Homesafe," an organization for which Clemons was a spokesperson and host of many events in previous years. Shive's image of Springsteen is also featured on the cover and inside the recent best-selling rock book, "The Light in Darkness."
The ShiveArchive.com, spanning nearly 15 years of pictorial rock and roll history ranging from 1974 up through 1987, is an extensive catalogue of more than 3,000 never-before-seen images that was unveiled for the first time in 25 years for public offering in May 2011. The catalogue includes both black-and-white and color photographs that have been meticulously and digitally restored from original film negatives and slides noting exact dates and locations of each performance. Among some of the artist prints included in the archive are Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Blondie, The Ramones, Linda Ronstadt, Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead, Dan Fogelberg, Warren Zevon and many more. The prints are considered collector's items.
Shive, who early in his career worked primarily as a "pit" photographer at rock concerts, is noted for his photographic style that captured "live portrait style images" of performers during concerts, while also documenting an era in rock and roll history. Shive has contributed hundreds of photographs to numerous prestigious rock and roll and other periodicals including The New York Times, Cream, Circus, Relix, and more. His photographs also have been included in documentaries, including on VH1. Shive is currently working on his first book that will feature photographs and stories "from the stage.
To view or purchase photographs from the collection, go to www.ShiveArchive.com.