ABOUT THE LOST NEGATIVES

Lost in storage for nearly 50 years, the negatives for these incredible photos of iconic musicians were discovered this past year in Michael Friedman’s attic. From 1967 through the 1980s, Friedman had the good fortune of working with and befriending dozens of highly respected and legendary musical artists, initially as a publicist, and later as a manager and music producer. Friedman was also an avid photographer, especially during the time he worked with legendary music manager Albert Grossman in New York and Woodstock. Due to his unique access and relationships with the artists, his candid photography was able to capture the essence of that historic period in American folk, rock, and pop music. The photos in this collection were taken between 1969 and 1973 with a Pentax camera and Tri-X Film, but the negatives were lost 45 years ago, before most were ever printed or even seen.

ABOUT MICHAEL FRIEDMAN

Michael Friedman began his career in the music business managing bands while still in college, then as a publicist for The Bee Gees, The Mamas and the Papas, The Turtles, The Hollies, and Glen Campbell. He managed and produced Todd Rundgren’s first band, NAZZ, and then joined Albert Grossman in 1968, working with Bob Dylan, The Band, Janis Joplin, Ritchie Havens, Gordon Lightfoot, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Paul Butterfield, and James Cotton, documenting his experiences along the way with his Pentax camera. He later produced several of the first albums for Grossman’s label, Bearsville Records, in Woodstock.

Friedman managed Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge before joining Arista Records in 1979 as Executive Assistant to Clive Davis, where he created Arista’s video department and produced the first feature-length rock and roll videos for The Kinks and Dionne Warwick before forming his own production company, Empire Records.

In 2018, Friedman’s wife, Donna Vita, discovered photo negatives in their attic of artists he worked with from 1968-1973. They started “The Lost Negatives Project” and have since hosted many events, museum shows, and exhibits, including at the California Heritage Museum and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where the photographs will be archived with the museum. Their book EXPOSED: The Lost Negatives and Untold Stories of Michael Friedman was published in 2023.

Friedman’s other interests included antiques and design. In 1983, he opened Friedman Gallery Antiques and Artafax, a European design store, both in Westport. His book Cowboy Culture: The Last Frontier of American Antiques was published in 1992. Friedman and Vita also created the Ash Creek Saloons in Fairfield and Norwalk, and The Goose American Bistro in Darien.

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