Henry Diltz

Morrison Hotel Gallery

A founding member of the Modern Folk Quartet (MFQ), Henry Diltz began taking photos while on tour with the group using a Japanese camera that he bought second hand for twenty dollars.

After MFQ disbanded in 1966, Diltz turned his creative instincts toward photography full time. As a resident of the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles in the Sixties and Seventies, Diltz was at the center of one of rock’s most fertile communities. His first professional work was the cover of the album Hums of the Lovin' Spoonful, a record on which he also played clarinet. He would go on to photograph the covers of classic albums like James Taylor's Sweet Baby James, The Doors' Morrison Hotel, and the self-titled Crosby, Stills & Nash album. He was also onstage at Woodstock, capturing photos of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and The Who. Perhaps the most frequent artist in Diltz archive is Neil Young, whom he has photographed extensively throughout the singer’s 50-year career.

Diltz is a co-founder of the Morrison Hotel Gallery, one of the world’s premier fine art music photography galleries, with locations in New York, Los Angeles and Maui. He continues to take photos of musicians today.