You’re invited to be a part of producing my new book of photographs documenting legendary musicians: 

INSIDE THE MOMENT: The Blues, Soul, Jazz, Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues Photographs of Joseph A. Rosen — forthcoming from Schiffer Publishing.

Dianne Reeves, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Guy, Irma Thomas

Summary

My photography has always been about honoring the music and the musicians. I was lucky enough to work during the era when many pioneers of these genres were in their prime – from legends like Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, BB King, James Brown, Chuck Berry,  Dizzy Gillespie, and Etta James, to the deep-cut musicians like David “Honeyboy” Edwards, Robert Lockwood Jr., James Carr, Irma Thomas, Clifton Chenier, and Sonny Stitt, to name only a few. Through this project and with your help, we can preserve my unique and valuable archive of music photography so that these images of music legends who shaped entire genres have a chance to live on long into the future. Our goal is to raise sufficient funding to assemble a team of professionals who can accomplish the myriad of tasks associated with digitizing and cataloging my extensive archive, preparing high-quality content for publication in my second book, creating + executing a successful promotional campaign for INSIDE THE MOMENT, and finally, preparing the archive for placement with an appropriate institution.

  Dr. John, Dizzie Gilespie

The Book

INSIDE THE MOMENT: The Blues, Soul, Jazz, Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues Photographs of Joseph A. Rosen is Forthcoming from Schiffer Publishing in Fall 2024/Spring 2025 (exact publication date TBD) and will feature:

• Approximately 125 black and white images of music giants, 8.5 x 11 hardcover.
• Biographical and anecdotal text by Joe Rosen.
• Chapters organized around music genres, with essays providing invaluable insight into the history and traditions of blues, soul, jazz, rock & roll, music of Louisiana, and R&B. 
• Writing from award-winning music producers, historians, writers, and folklorists including Dick Shurman, Scott Barretta, Steve Berkowitz, Ben Sandmel, Doug Curry, Bill Dahl, Lamont J. Pearly, Billy Price, Tony Outhwaite, and Billy Wirths.

Ray Charles

Some of the Artists Featured in INSIDE THE MOMENT:

Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, BB King, Albert King, Albert Collins, Willie Dixon. Big Mama Thornton, Robert Lockwood, Johnny Shines, Homesick James, Henry Townsend, Honeyboy Edwards, Gatemouth Brown, Ike Turner, Hubert Sumlin, Sunnyland Slim, Memphis Slim, Pinetop Perkins, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Buddy Guy, Jr., Wells Magic Slim, Koko Taylor, Louisiana Red, Charlie Musselwhite. Kim Wilson, Jimmy Vaughan, Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, John Hammond, Johnny Copeland, Robert Cray, Son Seals, Fenton Robinson, Lonnie Brooks, Carey Bell, Little Milton, Sam Carr, Othar Turner, George Brock, Cedell Davis, LC Ulmer, Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, R.L. Burnside, Big Jack Johnson, Frank Frost, Willie Foster, Booba Barnes, T-Model Ford, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Lucious Spiller, Solomon Burke, James Brown, Al Green, Ray Charles, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Irma Thomas, Ben E. King, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Clarence Carter, James Carr. JR Walker, Pops Staples, Mavis Staples, Chuck Jackson, Maxine Brown, Jerry Butler, Darlene Love, Maybelle John, Booker T and the MGs, Ann Peebles, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Otis Clay, Bobby Bland, Roy Brown, Charles Brown, Ruth Brown, Laverne Baker, Eddie Vinson, Jimmy Witherspoon, Bill Doggett, Paul Williams, Jimmy McCracklin, Esther Philips, Johnny Otis, Jay Mcneely, Jack Dupree, Nappy Brown Blackwell, Chuck Berry, Hank Ballard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley, Big Joe Turner, Little Richard, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt, George Benson, Stanley Turrentine, Jimmy McGriff, Jack McDuff, Jay McShann, Hank Crawford, David Newman, Jimmy Scott, Al Hibbler, Panama Francis, Illinois Jacquet, Les Paul, Cab Calloway, Chet Baker, Fats Domino, Neville Brothers, Earl King, Snooks Eaglin, Wolfman Washington, Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, Terrance Simein, BooZoo Chavis, Rockin’ Dopsie, Katie Webster, Alan Toussaint, Dr. John, Earl Palmer, Beau Jocque, Dave Bartholomew, AND MORE. To see more photographs by Joe visit josepharosen.com

James Brown, Johnny Winter

What We Need

With close to 50 years of photographs, the number of black and white and color images I’ve amassed is staggering. To be accessible to future generations of scholars, researchers, and music fans, the archive requires the mammoth task of digitization and cataloging —with your support, we can make this happen. Funds raised will allow me to engage a team for the film digitization and the complete cataloging of images of digital origin. 

To successfully create and promote INSIDE THE MOMENT, further professional services are needed for preparing print-ready images, as well as for editorial, clerical, book design, public relations, social media, and other related costs.

Junior Wells, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters

The Impact

As a lifelong fan of blues, soul, jazz, rock, and American Roots genres, the driving motivator throughout my career has always been to honor the music and the musicians. In many ways, preserving my archive and publishing INSIDE THE MOMENT is a legacy project – although I’m still very much active in the music photography world, I am in my 70s.  But, this project isn’t just about my legacy–– it’s about paying tribute to the musical giants of blues and other genres whose work provided the foundation for popular music genres that we enjoy to this day. 

Now that the opportunity to capture many of the “first generation” artists of these genres is long gone, it’s more important than ever to maintain the artifacts so that future generations can learn and understand the full impact of these artists, to really see all the ways it took both a lifetime and a single moment to change music history. 

A portion of all proceeds from INSIDE THE MOMENT book sales will be donated to the Blues Foundation HART Fund and the New Orleans Musicians Assistance Foundation.

Mavis Staples, Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, Muddy Waters

What You’ll Receive 

You do not need to select a perk to contribute to the campaign. If you want to donate without selecting a perk:

• On a computer: click the pink SEE OPTIONS button at the top of this page. A box will open where you can enter an amount. Then click “Continue,” and you will be directed to pay and checkout.
• On a phone: swipe through perks. The last option says “Make a contribution”. Enter an amount, then click “Continue.” You will be directed to pay and checkout.

Should you choose a perk, we have excellent options including:

• Signed copies of INSIDE THE MOMENT*
• Signed copies of my first book BLUES HANDS
• Subscriptions to Blues Music Magazine**
• Special Edition photographs
• Tickets for an Oceanview Cabin for Two on the Legendary R&B Cruise ***
• and more!

SHIPPING is available to the continental US only.

* INSIDE THE MOMENT will not ship until after its release in late 2024 or 2025. If select an incentive tier that includes INSIDE THE MOMENT, we will contact you when it becomes available.

** BLUES MUSIC MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION recipients: please make sure to include your full shipping address and email at checkout. Issues are released quarterly. You will receive a welcome email for opt-in and the next quarterly issue will be shipped directly from the publisher. If you are already a subscriber, you will have issues added to your current subscription.

*** BLUE CRUISE PACKAGE covers lodgings and tickets for two on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise #43 Sea of Cortez, sailing Oct 25-Nov 1, 2025 from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas, Loreto, & La Paz on the Holland America Koningsdam. Other associated costs, including but not limited to on-board taxes, gratuities, and travel to/from San Diego, are not included. Be sure to include your best contact info at checkout so we can arrange details.

 Pinetop Perkins, Tierinii Jackson (Southern Avenue)

Other Ways to Help

If you’re unable to contribute monetarily, you can still support by helping to spread the word about this campaign. Please consider sharing on social media with the links at the top of this page. 

About Joe

Joseph A. Rosen is a freelance photographer based in New York City. In addition to an impressive resume of commercial and editorial photography work, Rosen is perhaps best known for his music photography. Over the course of a career spanning more than four decades, Joe has photographed American music legends such as B.B. King, Cab Calloway, Muddy Waters, James Brown, Fats Domino, and Dizzy Gillespie, to name but a few, and his images have graced dozens of album covers. Today, Joe continues to work with many of the greatest names in music — with a focus on blues, jazz, R&B, soul, Cajun, zydeco, and Americana — as well as major record companies, and music publications. 

A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, Joe’s passion for blues photography began in 1976 with a pilgrimage to see Muddy Waters. Since then, he has gone on to build a highly respected music photography career and photographed many hundreds of musicians. In 2002, The Blues Foundation presented Joe with the prestigious Keeping the Blues Alive in Photography and Art Award, an honor given to artists who have created a body of work that brings the blues to the public and “made a significant contribution to the [blues] world.”

“Big Chief” Monk Boudreaux, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Bettye LaVette

The Blind Boys of Alabama