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<\/a><\/p>\nNo – not THAT one! This is MY<\/span> collection of signatures………..<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019m not a big autograph hound, but sometimes, it\u2019s kinda cool to get an important one when the setting is right.<\/span><\/p>\n I witnessed most of these sigs and a couple were sent to me by the artist, so I have no doubt as to their authenticity. Every situation is different, so I\u2019ll explain what I can as I present these chronologically by year-signed.<\/span><\/p>\n (why am I getting hungry?)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1967\/1968<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure of the year, but it\u2019s the first autograph I went after when this situation presented itself.<\/span><\/p>\n I was on 42nd St in Manhattan one evening when I saw a small crowd surrounding someone. I didn\u2019t know who or why, but as I got closer, I heard some of the people mention a name I knew. I don\u2019t think I was ever that close to a celebrity before, so I wanted in.<\/span><\/p>\n The problem was that I didn\u2019t have anything to sign. Wait\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026my little black book (remember them?) was in a rear pocket. I pulled it out, opened it to the inside back cover and thrust my arm into the mob. I started worrying that somebody else would take it or that the celeb would hand it back to the wrong person.<\/span><\/p>\n Someone took it and returned it fairly quickly\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026success!<\/span><\/p>\n I looked at the sig and felt a bit disappointed. I knew him by another name that was famous all over the world, but he had started using a new name recently and that\u2019s what he signed.<\/span><\/p>\n I got over it quickly:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Madison Square Garden, NYC\u00a0 November 28, 1974<\/u><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This was one of the most magical nights of my life. My date and I went to see Elton John and there were rumors of a surprise guest.<\/span><\/p>\n The show was a spectacular first date with someone I had met the day before and dated for 2 years and also turned out to be special guest John Lennon\u2019s last public performance.<\/span><\/p>\n On top of THAT, our 11th-row seats were right next to Yoko Ono! She signed our tickets and confirmed that John was there and would perform.<\/span><\/p>\n We were all standing on our seats, Yoko included, when John came out. I offered my telephoto-lensed camera to her so she could see John better.<\/span><\/p>\n I knew she was an artist, but I couldn’t remember if that included photography, so I asked her a question that led to one of the rarest Beatles collectibles in existence that I am the proud owner of.<\/span><\/p>\n I asked her to take some pictures of John with my camera.<\/span><\/p>\n I also asked her to hold the camera at a 45-degree angle when she took them. There are those wags who suggest that the angle had something to do with her ethnicity, but it was solely to differentiate her shots from mine.<\/span><\/p>\n She later wrote her name and address on a scrap of paper (at the bottom of signed ticket pic) she found on the floor and asked me to send her the pictures.<\/span><\/p>\n As soon as John left the stage, Yoko left her seat and went backstage where they reunited, ending Lennon’s infamous 18-month “Lost Weekend”. So naturally, I tell everyone that I was the last man to be with Yoko before she went back to John Lennon!<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, the pictures didn’t come out well, but this one intrigued me:<\/span><\/p>\n It almost looks like a soul rising out of John 6 years before it really did.<\/span><\/p>\n I wrote to Yoko to tell her how they came out, but never heard from her again.<\/span><\/p>\n Years later, I asked photographer Bob Gruen, who worked extensively with John and Yoko and was in the same agency that I was, to bring a print of the shot to her. He did. I still haven’t heard from her, but I’m happy knowing that she finally has a copy.<\/span><\/p>\n What rarer Beatles collectible is there than a photo of John Lennon’s last public performance taken by Yoko Ono with my camera?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Monmouth Arts Center, Red Bank, NJ May 13, 1977<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I took this picture of Bruce Springsteen at the Bottom Line in 1975 during \u201cKitty\u2019s Back\u201d (as he tried to hide behind Clarence\u2019s back). Two years later, I met Bruce backstage at a show that was supposed to be Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes with Ronnie Spector, who sang with SSJ and the boys on their hit single, \u201cYou Mean So Much To Me Baby\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Unfortunately, Southside was ill, but fortunately, Bruce stood in for him.<\/span><\/p>\n Since I happened to have this small print with me (I had no idea that Bruce was going to be there), I asked him to sign it. It\u2019s the first time my work was signed by the pictured artist.<\/span><\/p>\n You can find the full story on bobleafe.com<\/span><\/a><\/span> by entering 15-091 in the search box.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1977<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I first encountered Billy Squier when he was in Piper in 1977. I had shot their show from up front at NYC\u2019s Palladium and sent some pix to their record company. They liked the end-of-show candid group shot and the band wound up using it as their autographed Christmas card:<\/span><\/p>\n I was told I\u2019d receive a second one – a personalized one – and I did. It says, \u201cDear Chuck and Gary, Thanks for being there.\u201d (right back atcha, guys) Too bad I can\u2019t find it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1977\/1978<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n As some of you know, I used to shoot for mega-promoter John Scher and all his venues (go to this blog\u2019s main page by hitting the red WHOWHATWHY<\/span> link near the top of the page if you want to read about that). John also tour-managed the Grateful Dead on the East Coast and managed other bands as well.<\/span><\/p>\n In early 1977, I shot a band of his called Crossfire that later changed its name to Pierce-Arrow, which was the name of an early-1900s car.<\/span><\/p>\n This was a very good band with some talented people in it. The one name I knew right off the bat was Doug Lubahn, who\u2019s the answer to a great trivia question: who was The Doors\u2019 bass player? (they never had one onstage, where keyboardist Ray Manzarek worked the bass pedals). But on the studio albums, it was Doug Lubahn.<\/span><\/p>\n He was also in one of my favorite Sixties psychedelic bands, Clear Light (check out “Mr. Blue”). If you ever saw Billy Squier on tour c. 1983, Doug was the lefty bassist.<\/span><\/p>\n The other half of the Pierce-Arrow rhythm section was drummer Bobby Chouinard, who later became the other half of Billy Squier\u2019s rhythm section with Doug.<\/span><\/p>\n The rest of Pierce-Arrow consisted of folk singers, jingle writers and session players. They made two really good albums, but just could not catch fire.<\/span><\/p>\n I found this mounted picture of a Pierce-Arrow car and had the band sign it. Along the left side is \u201cSky Blue Bobby\u201d (with a star) – Chouinard\u2019s signature.<\/span><\/p>\n He died in 1997 of an apparent heart attack at age 43.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1978<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Rory Gallagher was just an absolute wild animal on guitar during his live shows, so I tried to catch him whenever I could. Check out this live version of \u201cShin Kicker\u201d for a taste: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WpkvNekADJE<\/span><\/a> I have no idea where or when I got him to sign this 1978 pic I took at the Bottom Line. He DOES show up on someone else\u2019s signed pic in 1979, but I didn\u2019t have this pic with me\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026I had no idea he would even be at that show.<\/span><\/p>\n The last time I saw him was in 1991 in NJ\u2019s Club Bene. That\u2019s the only place I would have had an opportunity to have him sign this, but I don\u2019t remember meeting him there.<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe…………<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1978<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n During his \u201cDarkness On The Edge Of Town\u201d tour, Bruce Springsteen had a 3-night stand (September 19, 20, 21) at \u201cmy house\u201d – the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, NJ.<\/span><\/p>\n After each show, he would come out in the venue to sign autographs for whoever was still around. Everybody knew that he did that, so a lot of people were there.<\/span><\/p>\n The program for this 3-night stand had a couple of my pix of Bruce in it and that\u2019s the page that both he and Clarence signed, so this is the second instance of Bruce signing my pictures of him.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1979<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Thanks for the great signature, Patti Smith!\u00a0 \ud83d\ude41<\/span><\/p>\n I think she made the same face when she was signing it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1979<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This pic was taken when the Who played 2 nights at the Capitol. I think Pete may have signed it later that year when \u00be of the Who showed up on the Robert Klein Radio Hour.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1979<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n My girlfriend at the time found this being tossed out at a record store in New Haven, CT c.1977. This highly-reflective and shiny Mylar promo piece was signed by Ray Davies when the Kinks played Bergen Community College – where I was a faculty member – in 1979.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1979<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cHow to ruin a perfectly good picture\u201d by Steven Tyler. Well, at least I got a hug and kiss out of the deal.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1979<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n And here\u2019s the other signed picture that Rory Gallagher\u2019s in, but the star of the show is Mitch Ryder. You can see exactly what Mitch wrote via my MR note on the pic.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can see it better in this Photoshop-enhanced image:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1979\/80<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This is a page from People magazine, which ran a shot of mine of Jimmy Buffett, Robert Klein, Peter Tosh and John Oates that I took on the Robert Klein Radio Hour in 1979:<\/span><\/p>\n A closeup of the sig\u2026\u2026.I\u2019m not sure if Klein signed it in \u201979 or \u201980.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1980<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n I took the Abbie Hoffman shot in 1980 on the Robert Klein Radio Hour and had Abbie sign it 4 days later when he was interviewed on WFMU.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1980<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Bette Midler was signing her new book, \u201cA View From A Broad\u201d at B. Dalton on 5th Avenue in NYC. When the crowd thinned out , I slipped her one of the promo sheets and she signed it. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1980<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Bram Tchaikovsky – the man and the band – was doing a lunchtime gig with the Joe Perry Project at CBS Studios that was broadcast over WNEW-FM. He wanted to sign this pic that I had taken earlier that year in Tennessee if he could add a couple of words to it. <\/span><\/p>\n Have at it, Brammer! <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1980<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n OK – this is a little complicated. This is a sandwich image: one B&W negative of the fa\u00e7ade of the Convention Hall\/Paramount Theater complex in Asbury Park that advertised the Hunter-Ronson show at the Paramount AND the Asbury Park Baby Parade (a tradition since 1890) AND another B&W negative of Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson taken at that show. Both pix were taken in 1979.<\/span><\/p>\n One negative sat on top of the other, but the performance one had to sit lower so the guys would clear the sign. That\u2019s why the film\u2019s sprocket holes show up on top. This sandwich was put in the enlarger\u2019s film holder as is and this is the result. I\u2019m not sure why there’s a second Ian Hunter signature on the back.<\/span><\/p>\n I think I got them to sign this when they made an appearance at Looney Tunez Record Store in Wayne, NJ, in 1980. BTW – Looney Tunez was run by guys who would later become Dramarama.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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