Graham Nash is publishing a new book that reflects on his more than fifty years in the public eye. A Life in Focus: The Photography of Graham Nash offers an extensive collection of personal photographs and artistic stills. It arrives November 16, 2021, via Insight Editions. (Titan Books will publish it in the U.K. on Nov. 26.)
From the Sept. 1 announcement: In this curated collection of art and photography from his personal archive, Nash’s life as a musician and artist unfolds in vivid detail. Best known as a founding member of the Hollies and supergroup Crosby, Stills & Nash, Nash developed a love of photography from the time he was a child. Inspired by his father, he began taking pictures at 10 years old and would go on to take his camera with him ever since—on tour with the Hollies and later CSN and CSNY, among friends at Laurel Canyon and abroad.
Many of the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees photographs depict intimate moments with family and friends, among them Joni Mitchell, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Neil Young. This volume presents these images alongside Nash’s own reflections, telling the story behind the pictures and giving insight into his life.
Of his photo of David Crosby, with his eyes closed in 1969, in Hollywood, Nash writes, “When David sleeps, he’s never really sleeping but instead listening to every word. When I took this photo at the Wally Heider Recording Studio… we were listening to the first take of ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’. Whenever we listened to a take, we would concentrate on any mistakes, how the take sounded, how the song was played, how it felt, were there clicks and pops, or was the tambourine too heavy. I’m sure that if a mistake had occurred, David would have immediately opened his eyes and shouted, ‘Wait a second!’ because he rarely sleeps.”
Renowned music photographer Joel Bernstein wrote the foreword.
Nash was inducted into the Rock Hall with Crosby, Stills & Nash and with the Hollies. The Grammy Award winner was also inducted twice into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, as a solo artist and with CSN. His remarkable body of music, began with his contributions to the Hollies and continues to 2016’s This Path Tonight, his most recent solo album. His passionate voice continues to be heard in support of peace and social and environmental justice. The No Nukes/Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) concerts he organized with Jackson Browne and Bonnie Raitt in 1979 remain seminal benefit events.
In recognition for his contributions as a musician and philanthropist, Nash was appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. Nash’s photos have been shown in galleries and museums worldwide, and his photography has drawn honors including the New York Institute of Technology’s Arts & Technology Medal, an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters, and the Hollywood Film Festival’s inaugural Hollywood Visionary Cyber Award.
It’s been a busy year for Nash. In May, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s Déjà Vu received a 50th Anniversary deluxe edition with hours of rare and unreleased studio recordings. In June, he published a children’s book based on his 1970 song, “Our House.” 1971 marks the 50th anniversary of Nash’s solo debut, Songs For Beginners.
Related: Our Album Rewind of Nash’s Songs For Beginners
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