Celebrity Encounters

It might require a few seconds for the gallery of photos to load. Click on the first photo, then on the arrow at the right edge of each photo to slide through 40-odd photos. Admittedly, most were brief encounters, but some became friends. I met the musicians primarily as a result of doing concert photography and interviews for the books I have written. Others I met backstage at concerts and shows or at classic car events.

There are dozens of other sports stars and musicians I have met over the years. In the days before selfies were ubiquitous, it was much more difficult to get photos with celebrities. There had to be a third person to take the photo, and if you had a good camera they had to be able to operate it correctly (see the blurry photo of me and Bonnie Raitt).

Those encounters not recorded on film include Julia Roberts, Gregory Peck, Eric Clapton, Sheryl Crow, Rosario Dawson, Mike Modano, Brandon Routh, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Patti Griffin, Randy Newman, Buddy Guy, Bob Hope, John Houseman, Iggy Pop, David Lindley, George Martin (the Beatles' producer), Michael Palin (Monty Python), John Sebastian, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Kevin Spacey, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Sir Jackie Stewart, Sir Stirling Moss, Johnny Winter, Brian Setzer and scores of other musicians.

And one more: my childhood friend and fellow Boy Scout, Todd Durham. A screenplay writer, his creations include the Hotel Transylvania movie franchise. I've seen him several times in Los Angeles, but he is notorious for not wanting his picture taken. His was the first smart phone I ever saw. Internet without wires - unbelievable. (Okay, I was a little slow to the party.)