Rock Stars Don't Smile
A celebrity photographer who has toured with hundreds of famous performers over the past four decades is to share the stories behind his shots.
Danny Clifford has worked with Queen, Oasis, The Rolling Stones, Foo Fighters, Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse, The Who, Beyonce, Iron Maiden, Status Quo, Squeeze, Johnny Cash, Rory Gallagher, Sex Pistols, John Legend, Arctic Monkeys, Paul McCartney, Peter Doherty, The Pogues, Shane MacGowan, Dame Shirley Bassey, Pink Floyd, Elton John, Nelson Mandela, Madness, Leonard Cohen, AC/DC, Frank Sinatra, Tom Petty & many others.
The 66-year-old has described himself as "the most famous photographer that nobody has heard of".
"I've photographed a lot of people and I've been in some ridiculously crazy situations and I thought why don't I talk about it more?" he said.
"I've photographed a lot of people, and I've been in some ridiculously crazy situations, and I thought, why don't I talk about it more?" he said.
Clifford's one-man show, Rock Stars Don't Smile, will be held in Chorleywood, where he and his family lived for around 30 years. He will showcase his work and reveal some of the anecdotes he has collected along the way.
"If you asked someone in the street to name a famous photographer, I'd never come up. People look at the pictures and go, 'I didn't know that was you'," he said.
"So I thought now's the time to say a bit more about myself before I fall off the conveyor belt of life.
"I think they're interesting stories. When you see a photograph it's all well and good looking at them, but if you knew the story of how it happened, who was involved, who said what - I would find it really interesting."
The show's name was inspired by an encounter with Liam Gallagher in 2005.
Another particularly memorable job was photographing Nelson Mandela in the Arctic.
Working with Status Quo was by far the most fun.
Clifford, originally from the East End of London, continued: "John Lennon was one I really wanted to work with.
"I'd love to have photographed Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix, but he died when I was still in short trousers at junior school."
This evening will NOT be a technical photography event but rather a celebration of Danny's extraordinary life behind the lens with musicians from what some people call 'The Golden Age of Music'.
There will be a 'Question & Answer' section during the second half of the event.
Rock Stars Don't Smile will be held at The Chorleywood Memorial Hall, Common Road, Chorleywood. WD3 5LN UK on 1st November 2024
Buy your tickets here: Buy Tickets Here for Nov 1st
