Rare Photograph
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The Amazing Story Behind This Photograph
When Mainstream Records signed The Jelly Bean Bandits in 1967 and recorded their one and only album in a 12-hour marathon studio session, the next step in the marketing process was designing an LP jacket. That meant a visual concept and a photography session.
Mainstream Records Inc. boss Bob Shad told us to "dress like your name" (whatever perception we had of what a Jelly Bean Bandit looked like) and directed us to the nearby studios of Charles "Chuck" Stewart. Chuck shot a couple of rolls of film in the studio and then, on an inspired whim, took us out into the streets of midtown Manhattan, dressed in full regalia. We had never dressed like that before and we would never dress like that again, but the image would follow us forever.
Bob Shad selected the final shot that would be used on the LP cover, and that was the only photograph from the sessions that we would ever see, or so we thought.
The advent of the Internet educated us to the fact that we were better known worldwide in 2002 than we ever were in 1967. We used the power of the Internet to track down Chuck Stewart and in doing so learned that he was "...a world-famous photographer whose shots of jazz musicians remain among the finest in the field..." Stewart had taken treasured historic photos of jazz icons like John Coltrane and Eric Dolphy and many others. And, in the course of paying the bills, had also taken photographs of groups like The Jelly Bean Bandits.
We posted inquires on bulletin boards in cyberspace, asking if Chuck was still around, and if he was, how to get in touch with him. Then we waited, but not for long.
An e-mail from a photographers group gave us his New Jersey phone number. On the very first phone call, second ring, he answered the phone. We told him our story and he said in a friendly voice "oh yes, I remember you." Then came the BIG question: were there any street shots of us left from that 1967 session? "Hold on, I'll look" he answered. A short pause and then "I have something here. Let me check it out and get back with you." He took down information on how to get in touch with us and then hung-up.
A few days later this photograph, taken nearly 35 years ago, arrived in the mail, a visual piece of our musical past that we thought no longer existed. So thank you, Chuck Stewart, for being a fine lensman and a true gentlemen and for keeping such great files.
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