David Bowie and Ronnie Spector.
 
Jim Laspesa is a musician and hardcore rock and roll archivist who has been a source for quite a few of my groovier posts here on Dangerous Minds. Well, Jim has done it again. He’s been sharing some photos on his Facebook page that he came across a few years ago at a swap meet in Pasadena, California. These uncredited photos capture some of rock’s biggest stars at the zenith of their celestial ascent.

A case of somebody (or somebodies) being in the right place at the right time. Amateur, pro? Who knows?
 

Jimmy Page and John Bonham in a bathrobe.
 

 

The Righteous Brothers waiting for an elevator.
 

 

Jimmy Page and Mick Ralphs
 

The Plasmatics
 

 

Jagger and Simon Kirke

Looks like Doug Sahm with Jagger and Kirke

But it’s Chris Blackwell.

The only thing better than these photos, is hmmm’s crazy mini-rant.  Its like a bonus.  DId you blog such a thing Marc?  If so, can we have a link cause now I’m curious.

btw-these photos are mind blowing, I love these photos even when they are nobodies.  There used to be this amazing blog of found photos and now I can’t ‘memba its name.  Anybody?

I am now of the age where I am obsessed with the biographies of rock legends.  Any references would be much appreciated.  The one’s done by Ian Curtis’ and Bowie’s first wives were more about their experience with them than the artists themselves (which I get but….).

And Chris BLACKWELL?!  I never knew what he looked like but am fascinated with his Jamaican luxury boutique hotels.

MAN, keep it coming…just don’t rape me LOL.

Last picture, the guy in the middle looks like a young Robin Williams.

@ El mondo ... too little chest hair

Did Vince Furnier ever look young?

Awww Bonham looks so cute!

These look like the work of the well known and very exhibited Gary Lee Boas.

...aaaaand those might have been purchased directly from him, since he was living in Pasadena at the time making a book with a publishing company called Dilettante Press—I believe Richard Metzger knows him(?).

Check out some of his work here: http://www.deitch.com/projects/sub.php?projId=114

“Very cool vintage photos of rock stars found at a swap meet”

I didn’t know rock stars were so into swap meets back them.

What I like about these is that they are so average looking, like a suburban housewife snapped them with a Kodak 110 instamatic.

I’m guessing the “swap meet” was the flea market at the Rose Bowl.  I’ve never spent time in southern CA but that flea market is/was legendary even on the east coast.  Of course these days flea markets are dead thanks to the internet (and ebay in particular); everyone looks up the value of something before pricing it, so I often hear “well, I saw someone selling one like this on ebay for $150 so that’s what I’m asking.”  If he got these photos recently it’s only because they DO look so *average*, the seller might not have even realized what he had.

I thought it looked like Doug Sahm in the last photo, too.

Drummers in bathrobes tend to look sexy.

These gotta be Gary Lee Boas.