More
- Classifieds
- Cars
- Deals
- Real Estate
- Rentals
- Photos
- Find&Save
- Obituaries
- Archives
- Topics
- Blogs
- WP Wine Club

In the News

Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal: Rock-and-roll photos live on

Photographer Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal reflects on documenting the biggest names in rock-and-roll and folk. O’Neal’s photos are on view at the National Press Club through May 4.

5 Seconds

00:00

00:00

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's ‘Déjà vu’ album shoot in Crosby’s backyard before Woodstock

“Stephen Stills came up with the idea to create an image that looked like something from the 1870s, 1880s. We did tin types from the Civil War era. I told them they were going to have to sit still for two minutes.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“David is a very, very deep, powerful, very charismatic guy. . . . He, Gary [Burden] and I would get in a car and go cruising in L.A. and I would just sit in the back and listen to David talk . . . ”

David Crosby at ‘Déjà vu’ shoot

“David is a very, very deep, powerful, very charismatic guy. . . . He, Gary [Burden] and I would get in a car and go cruising in L.A. and I would just sit in the back and listen to David talk . . . ”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“. . . It could be something very commonplace, but he had a way of making something very commonplace into something extraordinary.”

David Crosby at ‘Déjà vu’ shoot

“. . . It could be something very commonplace, but he had a way of making something very commonplace into something extraordinary.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“It was different then, really different. You did a lot of hanging out and in the process the photos started to arrive.”

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young at Peter Tork’s house

“It was different then, really different. You did a lot of hanging out and in the process the photos started to arrive.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“They needed a house and Peter Tork was a good friend. His house was used as a rehearsal studio in the garage. They had everything set up there . . . they lined the walls with Persian carpets. And when they would take a break, they would jump in the pool. Everyone would take their clothes off.”

Neil Young in Peter Tork’s pool between rehearsals

“They needed a house and Peter Tork was a good friend. His house was used as a rehearsal studio in the garage. They had everything set up there . . . they lined the walls with Persian carpets. And when they would take a break, they would jump in the pool. Everyone would take their clothes off.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“I did build relationships with these guys and women and that’s probably what I cherish the most.”

Neil Young listening to playbacks in Buffalo Springfield recording session in September 1967

“I did build relationships with these guys and women and that’s probably what I cherish the most.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“Usually they say you’re part of the original family. I don’t want to be too presumptuous, but I knew these guys well.”

Graham Nash before Woodstock, August 1969

“Usually they say you’re part of the original family. I don’t want to be too presumptuous, but I knew these guys well.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“I used to take it for granted. Now so much time has built such a history to it. I say I was really lucky. It was incredible what I got to do.”

David Crosby with the Byrds at the Whisky a Go Go nightclub in Los Angeles

“I used to take it for granted. Now so much time has built such a history to it. I say I was really lucky. It was incredible what I got to do.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

Joni Mitchell in December 1967 before the release of her first album

“Crosby said, ‘I want you to meet this girl.’ I was back in the Monterey area for a little bit. … I said, ‘Grab your guitar, I’ll take some pictures of you.’ ”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“She said, ‘Would you like to hear my album?’ . . . She sits down and starts playing. I had a friend with me, just me and my friend. Her manager was in corner trying to book a date for her. She starts singing . . . ”

Joni Mitchell

“She said, ‘Would you like to hear my album?’ . . . She sits down and starts playing. I had a friend with me, just me and my friend. Her manager was in corner trying to book a date for her. She starts singing . . . ”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“I started taking a few pictures and I put down the camera. I just had to be here. She sang the whole album. It just destroyed me. It was absolutely wonderful.”

Joni Mitchell deep in thought at Peter Tork’s house, 1969

“I started taking a few pictures and I put down the camera. I just had to be here. She sang the whole album. It just destroyed me. It was absolutely wonderful.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“I'm trying to point out this woman is very, very strong, but she doesn't let you know that. You feel it with her.”

Joni Mitchell and Graham Nash, her boyfriend at the time

“I'm trying to point out this woman is very, very strong, but she doesn't let you know that. You feel it with her.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“The last time I saw her we had a great connection at a Neil Young concert. She was off to the side. She gave me a big hug. We talked for a little bit. It was 20, 25 years ago.”

Joni Mitchell, painting as a hobby on Peter Tork’s patio

“The last time I saw her we had a great connection at a Neil Young concert. She was off to the side. She gave me a big hug. We talked for a little bit. It was 20, 25 years ago.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

The Monterey International Pop Music Festival “started careers for many people.'

Janis Joplin at Monterey International Pop Music Festival

The Monterey International Pop Music Festival “started careers for many people."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“It launched me. It got me in the door to see people so they would see me and hire me to do other things.”

Country Joe & the Fish at Monterey International Pop Music Festival

“It launched me. It got me in the door to see people so they would see me and hire me to do other things.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“That was really literally three days of music, love and flowers. Nothing was that organized.”

Monterey International Pop Music Festival

“That was really literally three days of music, love and flowers. Nothing was that organized.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'They wanted to do something to give rock-and-roll a better name. At that time it didn't have any class or sophistication.'

Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane at Monterey International Pop Music Festival

"They wanted to do something to give rock-and-roll a better name. At that time it didn't have any class or sophistication."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“The pictures that I took there, particularly of David Crosby, launched me. I took pictures backstage and sent them to the manager and got a call. The rest is history.”

Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones at Monterey International Pop Music Festival

“The pictures that I took there, particularly of David Crosby, launched me. I took pictures backstage and sent them to the manager and got a call. The rest is history.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“The stage was 7 feet high. I’m little over 6 feet [tall]. It was awkward to shoot from below the stage because it was hard to see over it. . . ”

Jimi Hendrix before burning his guitar onstage at Monterey International Pop Music Festival

“The stage was 7 feet high. I’m little over 6 feet [tall]. It was awkward to shoot from below the stage because it was hard to see over it. . . ”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“. . . so I found it was easier to just turn to the left. I found more interesting things going on in the crowd.”

Jimi Hendrix in the crowd at the Monterey International Pop Music Festival

“. . . so I found it was easier to just turn to the left. I found more interesting things going on in the crowd.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“When you take a picture of a rock band and 40 years later, people say, 'Oh my God, I love that photo, it's still formidable in their mind.”

Art Garfunkel, center, and Mason Williams, right, at the Monterey International Pop Music Festival

“When you take a picture of a rock band and 40 years later, people say, 'Oh my God, I love that photo, it's still formidable in their mind.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'Just prior to this, I walked into a record shop in Carmel. I was fine arts major fresh out of college.”

From left, Michelle Philllips and Cass Elliot of The Mamas & The Papas at Monterey International Pop Music Festival

"Just prior to this, I walked into a record shop in Carmel. I was fine arts major fresh out of college.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'I picked up album cover of The Mamas and The Papas and looked at it. At that moment I had an epiphany and said. . . '

John Phillips, formerly of The Mamas & the Papas. Solo album photo session in California

"I picked up album cover of The Mamas and The Papas and looked at it. At that moment I had an epiphany and said. . . "

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

''This is what I want to do. This is a canvas to me. A 12-inch canvas.''

John Phillips, formerly of The Mamas & the Papas. Solo album photo session in California

"'This is what I want to do. This is a canvas to me. A 12-inch canvas.'"

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“I hung out, I went to the studio and waited for the moment to take the pic. With the Stones you definitely have to read the moment.”

The Rolling Stones at San Diego Forum on June 13, 1972

“I hung out, I went to the studio and waited for the moment to take the pic. With the Stones you definitely have to read the moment.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“I never really found the moment in the studio, but were very willing for me to take pictures at the concert. The real experience was being on the stage with them.“

The Rolling Stones at San Diego Forum on June 13, 1972

“I never really found the moment in the studio, but were very willing for me to take pictures at the concert. The real experience was being on the stage with them.“

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'B.B. King is a classic Southern gentleman. In 1972, I flew to Las Vegas where he was playing at the Aladdin and took him out into the desert about 45 miles outside of Vegas. I wanted to build the shots around his guitar, named Lucille. He got so relaxed, he took off his shoes and then his shirt and fell asleep on a dry lake bed . . . which became the album cover.'

B. B. King in the desert outside Las Vegas for “Guess Who” album photo shoot

"B.B. King is a classic Southern gentleman. In 1972, I flew to Las Vegas where he was playing at the Aladdin and took him out into the desert about 45 miles outside of Vegas. I wanted to build the shots around his guitar, named Lucille. He got so relaxed, he took off his shoes and then his shirt and fell asleep on a dry lake bed . . . which became the album cover."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'We were shooting on the streets of Venice, Calif., and this little dog came up to Jim and hung out with us.'

Jim Croce on the streets of Venice, Calif.

"We were shooting on the streets of Venice, Calif., and this little dog came up to Jim and hung out with us."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'Jim was one of my favorite musicians to work with. He had a beautiful songwriting talent and humility from the beginning.'

Jim Croce at Pacific Ocean Park in Santa Monica, Calif.

"Jim was one of my favorite musicians to work with. He had a beautiful songwriting talent and humility from the beginning."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'The shot on the beach was taken in Malibu after a huge storm that left tons of driftwood on the shoreline. I felt it made a great backdrop for funky blues band. ‘Goin' Up to Country’ was their hit at the time.'

Canned Heat on Malibu Beach after a winter storm

"The shot on the beach was taken in Malibu after a huge storm that left tons of driftwood on the shoreline. I felt it made a great backdrop for funky blues band. ‘Goin' Up to Country’ was their hit at the time."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

Canned Heat “all had nicknames. So for a billboard concept they each got dressed up in the character of their nickname. Al Wilson was the owl, Larry Taylor was the mole, etc.'

Canned Heat at a 1970 shoot

Canned Heat “all had nicknames. So for a billboard concept they each got dressed up in the character of their nickname. Al Wilson was the owl, Larry Taylor was the mole, etc."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'This photo is from a rehearsal for a skit with Buddy Hackett. He was hilarious with everything he did.'

Buddy Hackett and Cass Elliot on the set of Mama Cass Television Program variety show

"This photo is from a rehearsal for a skit with Buddy Hackett. He was hilarious with everything he did."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

John Denver “had a much bigger strength and much greater depth in him. And he was troubled. I'd go change film and I'd look back at him and he'd be sitting on a rock looking out at the ocean. I don't like to think about it, but that was the same ocean where he died.'

John Denver in Carmel, Calif., 1996

John Denver “had a much bigger strength and much greater depth in him. And he was troubled. I'd go change film and I'd look back at him and he'd be sitting on a rock looking out at the ocean. I don't like to think about it, but that was the same ocean where he died."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“Davy Jones needed publicity photos. I spent time on the Monkees' set to focus mainly on Davy. He was very outgoing to me and the energy on the set was wacky and fun.”

Davy Jones of The Monkees

“Davy Jones needed publicity photos. I spent time on the Monkees' set to focus mainly on Davy. He was very outgoing to me and the energy on the set was wacky and fun.”

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'I loved working with the Grassroots. Their energy on stage was colorful and they had great interaction with the audience. Our photo sessions always had carefree attitude.'

The Grass Roots, 1972

"I loved working with the Grassroots. Their energy on stage was colorful and they had great interaction with the audience. Our photo sessions always had carefree attitude."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'I met Jim Morrison on the set of ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.’ He was quiet and reserved with a small black book for his thoughts always at his side. These shots were taken during the rehearsals.'

Jim Morrison of The Doors rehearsing “Touch Me,” 1968

"I met Jim Morrison on the set of ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.’ He was quiet and reserved with a small black book for his thoughts always at his side. These shots were taken during the rehearsals."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'I didn't stick a camera in someone's face and start shooting. I waited for the moment and started to 'click.' '

Ray Charles on ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour,’ 1968

"I didn't stick a camera in someone's face and start shooting. I waited for the moment and started to 'click.' "

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'I never felt totally connected with John Phillips . . . Sometimes I could really connect with Jim Croce, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Steppenwolf. Sometimes there was an aloofness, a barrier that I just couldn't break through. No, you can't connect with everybody, but that's always my goal.'

John Phillips with one of his pet peacocks, 1969

"I never felt totally connected with John Phillips . . . Sometimes I could really connect with Jim Croce, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Steppenwolf. Sometimes there was an aloofness, a barrier that I just couldn't break through. No, you can't connect with everybody, but that's always my goal."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'You have to read the moment. . . . At that certain moment you have the license to start taking pics and that's when you have the control.'

Shoot for Steppenwolf’s album, ‘Gold: Their Greatest Hits’

"You have to read the moment. . . . At that certain moment you have the license to start taking pics and that's when you have the control."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

'It was just being there . . . and recording it and going into history.'

Shoot for Steppenwolf’s first album, “Steppenwolf”

"It was just being there . . . and recording it and going into history."

Tom Gundelfinger O'Neal / The National Press Club

“If you take an image and couple it with beautiful music, I don’t think people ever forget it.”

Photographer Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal with a print of Joni Mitchell

“If you take an image and couple it with beautiful music, I don’t think people ever forget it.”

Courtesy of Tom Gundelfinger O’Neal

FEATURED PHOTO GALLERIES

epa03708924 Franziska (C) wears a helmet and carries a shield during the recreation of The Battle of the Teutoburg Museum in Bramsche, Germany, 20 May 2013. The everyday life of Romans and the Germanic people is depicted at Museum Park Kalkriese during the Romans and Germanic people days. EPA/Friso Gentsch

Photos of the day

Battle of Teutoburg Forest reenactment, Mars Curiosity rover drilling, massive tornado strikes Moore, Oklahoma and more.

A Burrowing owl tries to perch on a protective rope in a public park in Cooper City, Fla. Monday, May 20, 2013 as rain falls. (AP Photo/J Pat Carter)

Fun and fascinating creatures around the world.

ANNAPOLIS, MD - MAY 20: The Herndon Monument Climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the United States Naval Academy. The plebes climb to the top of the lard-covered 21 foot high monument and remove the 'dixie cup' hat at the top replacing it with an upperclassman's hat. After completing this, the freshmen are called 'fourth class midshipmen.' This class completed the task in 1 hour 32 minutes and 43 seconds. The hat was placed by Patrick Lien from Orlando. (Photo by Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post)

The Herndon Climb

The Herndon Monument climb is the traditional culmination of plebe year at the U.S. Naval Academy.

This combination of Associated Press photos shows left, a neighborhood in Moore, Okla., in ruins on Tuesday, May 4, 1999, after a tornado flattened many houses and buildings in central Oklahoma, and right, flattened houses in Moore on Monday, May 20, 2013. Monday's powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the region in May 1999. (AP Photo)

Okla. tornado loosely followed path of 1999 twister

Monday’s powerful tornado in suburban Oklahoma City loosely followed the path of a killer twister that slammed the area in May 1999.

Lea Bessinger salvages a picture of Jesus as she and her son Josh Bessinger sort through the rubble of the elder Bessinger's tornado-ravaged home Tuesday, May 21, 2013, in Moore, Okla. A huge tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb Monday, flattening an entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Tornado near Oklahoma City causes more damage

Rescue workers are searching for survivors after a twister carved a long path of destruction in a suburb of Oklahoma City. It was part of the...

FILE - In this undated publicity file photo, members of the Doors, from left, John Densmore, Robbie Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison, pose for a portrait. Manzarek, the keyboardist who was a founding member of The Doors, has died at 74. Publicist Heidi Robinson-Fitzgerald says in a news release that Manzarek died Monday, May 20, 2013, at the RoMed Clinic in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his family. (AP Photo, File)

Ray Manzarek, founding member of the Doors, dies at 74

Manzarek co-founded the Doors after meeting then-poet Jim Morrison in California. The band went on to become one of the most successful rock-and-roll...

US actress Rosario Dawson smiles on May 20, 2013 as she arrives for the screening of the film 'Wara No Tate' (Shield of Straw) presented in Competition at the 66th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. Cannes, one of the world's top film festivals, opened on May 15 and will climax on May 26 with awards selected by a jury headed this year by Hollywood legend Steven Spielberg. AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLIALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

Eye on entertainment

Rosario Dawson, Alec Baldwin, Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Bow Wow, Amy Poehler and more.

A man walks on sulphur and mineral salt formations near Dallol in the Danakil Depression, northern Ethiopia April 22, 2013. The Danakil Depression in Ethiopia is one of the hottest and harshest environments on earth, with an average annual temperature of 94 degrees Fahrenheit (34.4 Celsius). For centuries, merchants have travelled there with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted and shaped into slabs, then loaded onto the animals before being transported back across the desert so that it can be sold around the country. Picture taken April 22, 2013. REUTERS/Siegfried Modola (ETHIOPIA - Tags: BUSINESS SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)

ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 2 OF 30 FOR PACKAGE 'ETHIOPIA'S ANCIENT SALT TRAIL'
SEARCH 'DANAKIL DEPRESSION' FOR ALL

Ethiopia’s salt trail

For centuries, merchants have traveled to Ethiopia’s Danakil Depression with caravans of camels to collect salt from the surface of the vast desert basin. The mineral is extracted...

Back to Previous Gallery

Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions

Loading...

Comments

Add your comment

Read what others are saying About Badges

SuperFan Badge

SuperFan badge holders consistently post smart, timely comments about Washington area sports and teams.

More about badges | Request a badge

Culture Connoisseur Badge

Culture Connoisseurs consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on the arts, lifestyle and entertainment.

More about badges | Request a badge

Fact Checker Badge

Fact Checkers contribute questions, information and facts to The Fact Checker.

More about badges | Request a badge

Washingtologist Badge

Washingtologists consistently post thought-provoking, timely comments on events, communities, and trends in the Washington area.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Writer Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post editor, reporter or producer.

Post Forum Badge

Post Forum members consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on politics, national and international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Weather Watcher Badge

Weather Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on climates and forecasts.

More about badges | Request a badge

World Watcher Badge

World Watchers consistently offer thought-provoking, timely comments on international affairs.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Contributor Badge

This commenter is a Washington Post contributor. Post contributors aren’t staff, but may write articles or columns. In some cases, contributors are sources or experts quoted in a story.

More about badges | Request a badge

Post Recommended

Washington Post reporters or editors recommend this comment or reader post.

You must be logged in to report a comment.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.

All comments are posted in the All Comments tab.

More about badges

Get a badge

To pause and restart automatic updates, click "Live" or "Paused". If paused, you'll be notified of the number of additional comments that have come in.

Comments our editors find particularly useful or relevant are displayed in Top Comments, as are comments by users with these badges: . Replies to those posts appear here, as well as posts by staff writers.