The man behind the lens

NEWTON — Ethan Russell: The Best Seat in the House rolls into The Newton Theatre on Friday, Aug. 14 at 8 p.m.

Multi Grammy-nominated photographer, author and director Ethan Russell is the only photographer to have shot album covers for The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who. In this show, Ethan will bring his rock n’ roll photos and anecdotes to the Newton stage.

In 1968 Ethan Russell was a young American with a Nikon camera living in London and aspiring to become a writer. A few years later he was one of the foremost rock photographers in the world. He is also the author of three books, "Dear Mr. Fantasy, Let It Bleed," "The Rolling Stones 1969 U.S. Tour" and "Ethan Russell: An American Story."

Russell was at Altamont with the Stones, shot the “Let It Be” cover for the Beatles and was on the rooftop for their last concert, took the cover image for “Who’s Next,” and directed the last video with John Lennon the week before he was murdered. His early career coincided with a cultural storm of music, art, politics, civil rights, power, change and evolution that reshaped the world and became the collective story of a generation.

“We trusted Ethan as an artist, which made him invisible to us, and which allowed his photographs to capture our most intimate moments," Mick Jagger said about Ethan’s photography.

“Ethan has taken some of the greatest pictures in rock and roll… maybe the greatest ever,” Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones said.

Aside from The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who, Ethan photographed at various times: Jerry Lee Lewis, Phil Everly, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, the Moody Blues, Traffic, Eric Clapton, John Hiatt, Rickie Lee Jones, and Rosanne Cash, among others. His work on the Who’s Quadrophenia was nominated for a Grammy.

Tickets for Ethan Russell are $29 and may be purchased by visiting www.thenewtontheatre.com or contact the box office at 973-383-3700.

The historic Newton Theatre, located at 234 Spring Street in Newton.