Cleveland International Acquires Historic Music Photo Collection for Global Distribution – American Blues Scene

From 1964-1975 Cleveland-centered photographer George Shuba experienced unparalleled obtain to the stars who were revolutionizing well-known new music, thanks to his connections with local media, which includes the nationally syndicated Upbeat Display, a “must” appearance for any music performer of the period.  

Now Cleveland Worldwide Photos, a new division of Cleveland Worldwide Records, has acquired the George Shuba Selection, a treasure trove of far more than 8,000 singular visuals, documenting the countrywide and global artists for whom Cleveland was an critical end on their touring and promotional routes.  At a time when rock tunes had yet to get its very own media infrastructure and committed photographers, no single individual was additional active in the industry of tunes photography during rock’s “golden age” than Shuba, who turned his competencies as a experienced onto this burgeoning scene. 

If a little something was going on, onstage or powering the scenes, Shuba was there, capturing it with his digital camera. Shuba was dubbed “the grandfather of rock ‘n’ roll photography” by the late Jane Scott, Cleveland Plain Seller rock new music writer from the 60s by means of the late 90s.   Photos consist of the Beatles arrival at Hopkins International Airport on September 13, 1964, The Who’s Keith Moon launching his drum kit off the phase at Cleveland’s Community Auditorium, the quite last professional photographs taken of Otis Redding, ahead of his premature demise together with a duet with Mitch Ryder, and illustrations or photos of Simon and Garfunkel’s first-ever Tv appearance documenting their effectiveness on Upbeat. 

The archive encompasses hundreds of title artists such as the Rolling Stones, James Brown, the Yardbirds, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Surprise, Sonny and Cher, B.B. King, the Doors, Smokey Robinson, Dizzy Gillespie, the Monkees, Wilson Pickett and many much more.

Cleveland Worldwide C.E.O. Steve Popovich, Jr. commented, “We’re expanding further than our extended-founded function as a groundbreaking indie report label in which we’ve designed our mark with releases from Meat Loaf, Ellen Foley, Ronnie Spector & the E-Avenue Band, Slim Whitman, Jim Steinman, Frank Yankovic, Joe Grushecky & the Houserockers, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, Jim Steinman, David Allan Coe, Brave Combo, Georgia Satellites, B.J. Thomas and other individuals.  As the new residence for the George Shuba Collection we’re underscoring the point — this time in a visual sense — that Cleveland is the rock ‘n’ roll funds of the earth.”