Chester Simpson “Outtakes”

This weekend Principle Gallery Alexandria will be hosting a two-day exhibition featuring photos of unforgettable Rock & Roll legends captured by local photographer, Chester Simpson. Outtakes: Tales of a Rock & Roll Photographer will be on view Friday, October 15th and Saturday, October 16th only. The show will feature a variety of icons from Mick Jagger to Joan Jett.

Chester Simpson grew up painting, drawing, and taking pictures in a town set in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. In the summer of 1975 he hitchhiked across the US to accept a scholarship at the San Francisco Institute of Art and study photography. In San Francisco, he met two of the major influences on his life, legendary master photographer Ansel Adams, and Jim Marshall, the famous rock-n-roll photographer. While attending school, he assisted photographers to learn the business side of photography and started hanging out and taking photographs in punk rock clubs at night.

Rolling Stone magazine published his first picture in 1977, which kicked off his career as a rock-n-roll photographer shooting for MTV, Warner Bros, MCA, A&M, Capitol, CBS, and Chrysalis Records. He also shot for magazines like Rolling Stone, BAM, NME, Melody Maker, People, Time, Newsweek, Cream, Berkeley Barb, Circus, California, Mother Jones, New West, New York Rocker, Texas Monthly and San Francisco.

After ten years he moved to Washington, DC and became a contract photographer at the Pentagon. While working with the military he was introduced to the USO and became a tour photographer, traveling on 35 USO Tours all over the world with musicians and celebrities who entertained the troops.

Principle Gallery Alexandria will be hosting an Opening Reception tomorrow, Friday, October 15th from 6-9pm and this Saturday, October 16th 1-4pm. Chester will share some amazing stories from his lengthy career. Come join us!

Then in a few weeks, Chester and his photographs will hit the road and head to our sister gallery in Charleston, South Carolina! Outtakes: Tales of a Rock & Roll Photographer will open at Principle Gallery Charleston on Friday, November 5th 5-9pm.

The photographs are for sale and they are framed. All prints are printed on Fine Art Paper using Canon PRO-1000 printer using LUCIA PRO inks with Archival quality lasting over 200 years when stored in a lightproof contain.