Announcing the 2021 Inductees into the Album Cover Hall of Fame
posted November 24, 2021 by Mike Goldstein, AlbumCoverHallofFame.com
The waiting is over! The research, nominating and final surveys have been completed, and the results have been tallied so, without any further delay, here are the names of the top vote-getters who now make up the 10th Anniversary class of honorees in the 6 major categories as voted on by a world-wide panel of music, art and marketing experts in the area of album cover art & packaging. This list represents the “who’s who” of creative and production talent, including many recognized names of craftspeople working in the worlds of fine art, graphic design and photography.
Since officially launching the site in 2012, we’ve previously enshrined nine classes of Inductees, with the voting panel considering the creative output of all producers active any time since 1960. Dozens of additional biographies were added for consideration by the esteemed panel of writers, curators of galleries (retail and online) that focus on album cover imagery, art/design museum curators and music marketing experts.
While we followed the same process to determine this year’s winners – allowing for the consideration of any talent not previously inducted into the ACHOF six major categories, with the people under consideration are those who BEGAN their careers in the field at any time during the period the ACHOF focuses its attention on (1960 – present) – this year it was decided that we’d reduce the number of winners in each category, therefore making each name selected all the more valuable. As you can figure, this was a very long list, but after a research, nominating and voting process that began in September and ended in mid-November with our final vote (with all voting continuing to be done online to keep the Voting Panel safe and healthy), the ACHOF voters have selected a short list of individuals and companies that very clearly represent the best examples of a large number of talented men, women and teams who’ve cumulatively created and published a huge portfolio of memorable album cover images and record packages.
I’d like to comment on this year’s efforts – Through the ongoing efforts of those who support of this Hall of Fame, we’re able to recognize the contributions of those who have had a significant impact in the ongoing development and advancement of rock and roll album cover-related art direction, illustration, photography and package design, along with the record labels and musical acts who’ve supported great work in the field. I’d also like to note that this year’s voting showcases the great range of package and promo designs for musical acts popular in the many rock and pop music genres we focus our attentions on, showing fans that album cover imagery continues to be an important part of the relationship between musical acts and their buying/listening public of all ages and musical tastes.
I’m happy to report that, while many considered the album cover merely a relic of the music industry as it existed before its shift into the digital arena, the commitment shown by musical acts and their labels to continue to invest in the visual aspects of their products – vinyl records, special edition products, web sites, merchandise, etc. – and to work hard to impress fans with the totality of their creative output is a true testament to the importance of this aspect of the recorded music business.
Inductees have been divided into their respective categories so that fans can get to know each winner individually and within their group of peers. Below, you’ll find a summary of the winners in each category:
Album Cover Photographer Inductees:
Brian Duffy, Laura Levine and Jerry Schatzberg
Brian Duffy – notable album cover credits include – David Bowie – Alladin Sane, Scary Monsters, Lodger, Sound + Vision and Changesbowie; Loka – Fire Shepherds and Passing Place
(b. June, 1933 in London, England; d. May, 2010) Photographer and designer.
More information on this artist is available via his web site/archive at http://www.duffyphotographer.com/biography/
Laura Levine – notable album package credits include – Leo Kottke – That’s What; Various Artists – The Essential American Singers; Stevie Ray Vaughan – Live Alive; The Georgia Satellites – Open All Night; The B-52s – Cosmic Thing; Hall & Oates – The Essential Darryl Hall and John Oates; The Gun Club – Destroy The Country; Richard Thompson – Rumor & Sigh; Sarah Vaughan – The Essential Sarah Vaughan; Alessi – Ark
(b. New York, NY, USA) Photographer and multi-media artist.
More on this artist can be found on her web site at https://www.lauralevine.com
Jerry Schatzberg – Notable album package credits include – Frank Zappa & The Mothers – We’re Only In It For The Money; Sonny & Cher – The Wonderful World of Sonny & Cher; The Rascals – Young Rascals; Bob Dylan – Blonde on Blonde; Aretha Franklin – Aretha Arrives and 3 For 1 Box Set
(b. 1927 in The Bronx, New York) Photographer, film and TV director.
To see more examples of Jerry’s work, please visit his web site at: http://www.jerryschatzberg.com
Album Cover Illustrator Inductees (inc. those specializing in logos and typography):
Richard Amsel, Lou Beach and Overton Lloyd
Richard Amsel – Notable album cover work examples include – Bette Midler – Divine Miss M and Songs For The New Depression; Soundtracks – Hello Dolly and The Sting
(b. December 1947 in Philadelphia, PA, USA; d. November 1985 in New York City, NY, USA). Painter/illustrator.
More information on this artist (and a new film about his life) can be found at this tribute site – www.richardamsel.info and also at www.richardamselmovie.com
Lou Beach – notable album cover credits include – Martini Ranch – Holy Cow; Yellowjackets – Samurai Samba; David Sanborn – Backstreet; Blink 182 – Dude Ranch; X – Burning House of Love; Ray Manzarek – Carmina Burana; The Carpenters – Passage; Neville Brothers – Fiyo on the Bayou; Weather Report – Heavy Weather; Madonna – Everybody; Weird Al Yankovic – Dare to be Stupid
(b. March, 1947 in Gottingen, Germany) Illustrator
More information on this artist is available at http://www.loubeach.com/album-art/
Overton Lloyd – notable album cover credits include – Parliament – Motor Booty Affair; Zapp – Zapp; George Clinton & The P-Funk All Stars – Dope Dogs, The Greatest Funkin’ Hits, T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M, Live and Kickin’ and How Late Do U Have 2 B B 4 U R Absent?; Bill Laswell – Moody’s Mood For Love; Nat King Cole – Re: Generations
(born April 20, 1954 in Detroit, MI, USA). Painter/illustrator and costume designer
More information on this artist is available on his web site at https://www.overtonloyd.com/about
Album Cover Designer Inductees:
Fritz Klaetke, Paula Scher and Tony Wright
Fritz Klaetke – notable album cover credits include – Woody Guthrie – Woody At 100; Rounder Records – Various Artists – O Sister! and O Sister 2, Mississippi John Hurt – Legend, Boozoo Chavis – Down Home on Dog Hill, Corey Harris – Mississippi To Mali, Sleepy LaBeef – I’ll Never Lay My Guitar Down, many more; Smithsonian Folkways Records – Lead Belly – Last Sessions, Various Artists – Friends Of Old Time Music, Jazz: The Smithsonian Anthology and There Is No Eye: Music For Photographs and many more; MB Records – E’Lissa Jones – This Melodie, Dr. Ra – Hip-Hop Remix Vol.1, Antonio Cruz – TC and many others
(Detroit, MI, USA) Designer and graphic artist
For more information on this artist and his firm Visual Dialogue, please visit their website at www.visualdialogue.com
Paula Scher (previously inducted in 2015 in the Art Director category) – Notable album cover work includes – Charles Mingus – Changes One and Changes Two; Brownsville Station – Motor City Connection; Rick Derringer – Derringer; Boston – Boston; Cheap Trick – Cheap Trick, Dream Police, In Color and Heaven Tonight; Muddy Waters – Hard Again and I’m Ready; Bruce Springsteen – Darkness On The Edge Of Town; Bob James – One On One, H, Heads and Touchdown; Johnny Winter – White, Hot & Blue; Johnny & Edgar Winter – Together
(b. October, 1948, Virginia, USA) Designer, illustrator and typographer
More information on this artist is available on her design firm Pentagram’s site at –http://pentagram.com/en/partners/paula-scher.php
Tony Wright (previously inducted in 2017 in the Art Director category) – notable album cover credits include – Traffic – Low Spark of High Heeled Boys and Shootout at The Fantasy Factory; Bob Marley – Natty Dread; Steve Winwood – Arc of A Diver; Black Uhuru – Sensimilla; Gryphon – Raindance; B-52s – High Fidelity; John Martyn – One World; Sly and Robbie – Rhythm Killers; Bob Dylan – Saved; Marianne Faithfull – A Child’s Adventure; Stomu Yamashita’s Go – Live From Paris; Chic – Take It Off; Ian Gillan Band – Scarabus; Gary Windo – Deep Water; Suicide – Suicide; Ramones – Too Tough To Die and Subterranean Jungle
(b. October, 1949 in London, U.K.) Designer, illustrator and art director
More information on this artist is available on his web site at https://www.tonywrightartist.com/
Album Cover Art Director Inductees:
Neville Brody, Philip Smee and Jay Vigon
Neville Brody – Notable album cover credits include – Desmond Dekker – Black and Dekker; The Slits – Return of the Giant Slits; Cabaret Voltaire – Red Mecca, 2X45, Johnny YesNo and The Original Sound of Sheffield 83/87; 23 Skidoo – Seven Songs, The Culling is Coming, Urban Gamelan and Just Like Everybody; Depeche Mode – Singles Box, Vol. 1 ; Throbbing Gristle – Five Albums
(b. April, 1957 in Southgate, London, UK) Designer and graphic artist.
More information on this artist is available on his company’s web site at – http://brody-associates.com/
Philip Lloyd-Smee (AKA Phil Smee) – notable album cover credits include – Mike Oldfield – Hergest Ridge and Incantations; Badfinger – The Very Best of Badfinger; The Moody Blues – Days of Future Passed (50th Anniversary); Ten Years After – Ten Years After; Small Faces – From The Beginning; Jethro Tull – Stand Up; T. Rex – Bolan at the Beeb; Eric Clapton – Life In 12 Bars (Soundtrack); Pentangle – Open The Door; Richard Thompson – Across A Crowded Room; Tom Newman – Faerie Symphony & Other Stories; Maria Muldaur – Live In London; The Chocolate Watchband – 44; Love – Out There; Rory Ghallager – Defender; Syd Barret – Opel; The Yardbirds – Little Games
(b. 1950 – U.K.) Designer, music journalist and record collector.
More info on this artist can be found on his LinkedIn page – linkedin.com/in/philip-lloyd-smee-2840668
Jay Vigon – notable album cover credits include – Stevie Wonder – The Invisible Life Of Plants; Bon Jovi – 7800 Degrees Fahrenheit; The Doobie Brothers – Farewell Tour; Fleetwood Mac – Tusk; Quiet Riot – Mental Health and Condition Critical; David Lee Roth – Eat ‘Em And Smile and Crazy From The Heart; Black Sabbath – Live Evil and The Rules Of Hell; Three Dog Night – The Best of Three Dog Night; Lita Ford – Dancin’ On The Edge; Crackin – Crackin; Rose Royce – Jump Street; Billy Thorpe – Stimulation; Dial M – Dial M; Animotion – Strange Behavior
More information on Jay and his work can be found on his web site – http://www.jayvigon.com/portfolio/DesignStudio-Branding-Music.html
Inducted Record Label with a long-standing commitment to great Album Cover imagery:
Factory Records – Manchester, U.K.-based independent record label, founded in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, released many influential records – with scores of memorable covers by a group of designers that included Den Kelly, Mark Farrow, 8VO, Barbara Kruger and Peter Saville – from a roster of musical acts that included A Certain Ratio, the Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Joy Division, New Order and and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark.
Inducted Musical Acts with a long-standing commitment to great Album Cover imagery:
Chicago/CTA and Radiohead
Chicago/CTA – with over 50 albums to their credit, this band’s award-winning imagery and logo designs were originally conceived and created by artist/illustrator Nick Fasciano and designer/art director John Berg. Over the years, a number of talented designers, artists and photographers have contributed to the band’s always-evolving look, including 2019 ACHOF Inductee Larry Vigon, 2019 ACHOF Inductee Ron Coro, “Early Influencer” Reid Miles, Tony Lane and many others.
You’ll find a nice overview to the band’s discography on their web site at https://chicagotheband.com/discography/
Radiohead – most of the band’s 30+ album covers have come to life as the result of an ongoing collaboration between musician Thom Yorke and artist/designer Stanley Donwood, who also happen to share a studio.
A detailed look behind the scenes of this fascinating band can be found on their web site at https://www.radiohead.com/library#amsp
Qualified individuals become eligible for induction 10 years after the publication of their first record album, CD, DVD or digital album cover image. Please note that, over time, some names will be seen in more than one category, as it is that certain individuals serve in more than one role in a project.
Going forward, the ACHOF will continue the yearly voting process (with next year being our 11th anniversary) beginning again in late Summer 2022 to nominate the next class of Inductees representing those whose works were published any time during the period of 1960 – present) by selecting nominees in each of the featured categories for consideration by our voters and those nominees that receive the most total votes in their respective categories will be inducted. Please note that we’re strongly considering the possibility of opening aspects of next year’s voting to the public – we’ll notify fans and the press once any decisions have been made regarding this effort.
To see a list of all of the current inductees to the Album Cover Hall of Fame, please visit – https://albumcoverhalloffame.wordpress.com/achof-nominee-inductee-menu-page/achof-inductee-list-main-page/
Once again, let’s congratulate all of the talented people who’ve been selected for inclusion in this year’s class, and thanks again to all of the members of the Voting Panel who participated this year – this couldn’t be done without your continued support.
This article is Copyrighted 2021 by Mike Goldstein/AlbumCoverHallofFame.com – All rights reserved.
Album Cover Hall of Fame.com 