One of Rock 'n' Roll's pre-eminent photographers, Joe Sia, passed away on Monday, April 21, 2003 at the age of 57.

Joe Sia's photographs are amongst the most easily identifiable images of Jimi Hendrix and include such popular visual icons like "Foxey Lady," featured on the cover of 1999's Hendrix: Live At The Fillmore East, "Butterfly" that become a hugely popular t-shirt, and "The Shadow" which was featured as cover artwork (and accompanying poster) for 1988's Jimi Hendrix: Live & Unreleased The Radio Show. Joe Sia's photographic contributions were regularly seen in the pages of Experience Hendrix: The Official Jimi Hendrix Magazine during the four year we published the magazine in print form.

Experience Hendrix wishes to express its sincere condolences to Joe's family and many friends. His legacy shall live on through his photos, but his friendship will be greatly missed.

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JOE SIA BIOGRAPHY
(December 12, 1945 - April 21, 2003)

"I just try to capture the moment," says Joe Sia from his home in Connecticut - and for more than 30 years he has done just that. As one of rock 'n roll's preeminent photographers, Joe Sia's reputation for being able to capture the essence of the live performance made his classic rock photographs among the most acknowledged in the world today.

Since his first music shoot of the Grateful Dead in the Summer of '68, Sia has continued to capture live music in a unique style that ensures future generations the ability to not only hear the music but to see it too. "A good photo is more than just a snap-shot," explains Sia. 'The whole essence of the shot lies in being able to seize the passion of the music. It's not just about the guitar - it's the performers face, it's their music and it's how they handle themselves on stage and the way they move around."

It's this simple combination of passion and raw energy that make Joe's photographs so easily identifiable Among his most celebrated images are those of legendary guitarist, Jim Hendrix. Having photographed Hendrix on eight different occasions, Sia's trademark style is arguably represented best by two of his Hendrix photos titled, "The Shadow" and "Foxey Lady." In 1994, Britain's Q magazine selected "The Shadow" as one of the best photographs in rock 'n' roll history; while "Foxey Lady" was recently chosen as the album cover for 1999's celebrated new release "Hendrix: Live At The Fillmore East."

Throughout his professional career, Sia's photographs have been published in more than 120 periodicals worldwide including "Billboard," "Downbeat," "Esquire, "Life," "Newsweek," and "Rolling Stone," home of his first published work (cover photo, Issue #41 - August 1969), featuring Joe Cocker at the Atlantic City Pop Festival. In 1987, famed artist Peter Max included one of Joe Sia's Jimi Hendrix photos in a collage he created for the cover of the June 22, 1987 edition of "'People" magazine [see the cover].

Joe Sia's photos have also been seen on countless album covers (including Eric Clapton's multi-platinum selling and Grammy Award-winning box set, "Eric Clapton - Crossroads," which featured a Ron Wood drawing from one of Joe's photos), television documentaries, advertisements, and consumer merchandise. In 1991, several of his Jim Morrison photographs were used for historical reference and authentication purposes during the production of Oliver Stone's biographic motion picture, "The Doors.' His works have also been included in several hundred books including two of his own, "Woodstock '69: A Photo Essay" (Scholastic, c 1970), which sold more than 250,000 copies and "Eight Days A Week: An Illustrated History of Rock and Roll" (Pomegranate, c 1992), featuring text by Kenneth Best.

Despite having already established a staggering archive featuring more than a quarter of a million photographs from more than 2,000 performances over the past 30 years, Joe Sia continues to shoot to this day. His works are regularly featured in a host of internationally renowned publications including "Experience Hendrix; The Official Jimi Hendrix Magazine," "Guitar," "Guitar Player," "Guitar World," "Maximum Guitar," and several publications based throughout Europe and the Pacific Rim.

One of his latest projects includes his new virtual home on the Internet's World Wide Web at www.joesia.com. Joe's Web site hot only provides visitors the opportunity to take a sneak peak at several prized items from within his archives, he is also making limited edition archival prints of several of his photos available to interested music enthusiasts.

Although musical styles have changed significantly over the past 30 years, one thing remains certain-as long as the music continues to play, Joe will continue shooting the stars that make it happen. And if you happen to see Joe at a concert one night, feel free to ask him the one question that Jimi Hendrix himself once asked him, "Hey Joe, where you goin' with that camera in your hand?"

Courtesy Steven C. Pesant
(originally published 1999 on joesia.com)

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