MARVIN RINNIG          BIOGRAPHY

 LEGENDARY "SUNSET STRIP" PHOTOGRAPHER, MARVIN RINNIG, WAS BORN IN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA. IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, THE 50'S. COOL CARS AND NO LOS ANGELES TRAFFIC. THE DAWN OF TELEVISION. GOOFY TV SHOWS LIKE "SOUPY SALES" AND "77 SUNSET STRIP". READING "MAD MAGAZINE" AND "BIG DADDY ED ROTH" COMICS, MARVIN SOAKED UP ALL THE KOOKY CULTURE.

    "MY PARENTS WERE DIVORCED WHEN I WAS THREE YEARS OLD. THAT HAS IT'S HARDSHIPS",  MARVIN SAYS. "BUT GROWING UP IN LOS ANGELES WAS GOOD. THERE WAS A LOT OF ENTERTAINMENT AND A LOT OF ART IN MANY FORMS. I LOVED IT ALL FROM AN EARLY AGE. BUT OF COURSE EVERYTHING CHANGED IN 1964. THE BEATLES HIT AMERICA. SO I STARTED TAKING GUITAR LESSONS. THE WHOLE CULTURE WAS CHANGING. BRITISH MUSIC INVADED THE USA. THE STYLE OF CLOTHES, ART, POLITICS, EVERYTHING CHANGED. THE WAR IN VIET NAM ESCALATING. ASSASSINATIONS, RIOTS. IT WAS A HEAVY TIME. I ESCAPED BY DIVING INTO MUSIC. I WON TICKETS FROM B. MITCHELL REED/KRLA TO SEE THE BEATLES AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL. IT WAS GODHEAD. ANOTHER FUN THING WAS THE ANNUAL TEENAGE FAIR. IT WAS EVERY EASTER VACATION FOR 14 DAYS. I FIRST WENT TO THEM IN BURBANK AT PICKWICK AND THEN THEY MOVED TO THE HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM. ALL DAY AND NIGHT BANDS WOULD PLAY ON SEVERAL STAGES. VOX AND FENDER AND REVLON AND OTHER COOL COMPANIES WOULD HAVE BOOTHS AND CONTESTS AND RIDES. LOTS OF PRETTY GIRLS. IT WAS A BIG EVENT EVERY YEAR. HOLLYWOOD ALWAYS DREW ME IN. I LOVED HANGING OUT ON THE SUNSET STRIP IN THE 60'S. PANDORA'S BOX, THE WHISKEY AU GO GO, OR THE CONSPIRACY.  IT WAS SO POP ART AND THE PEOPLE WERE ALL THESE CRAZY HIPPIES."

    "WHEN I WAS AROUND 13 YEARS OLD I FORMED A BAND. WE WERE CALLED THE "KNIGHTS OF TIME". PRETTY FUNNY, HUH? WE DID ALL COVER SONGS: BEATLES, STONES, KINKS. OUR SAXOPHONE PLAYER'S PARENTS HAD A TELEVISION SHOW ON KHJ-CHANNEL 9. SO WE WENT ON THE TV SHOW 3 TIMES. I SANG THE ROLLING STONES VERSION OF  "FORTUNE TELLER". I WAS TERRIFIED BEING ON TV. BUT WHILE WE WERE AT THE STUDIO I GOT TO MEET THE BIGGEST DEEJAY IN TOWN, SAM RIDDLE. HE WAS DOING HIS RADIO SHOW AND WE GOT TO GO INTO THE BOOTH.  OUR BAND PLAYED THE PEP RALLY IN 9TH GRADE. I SANG " SEVEN AND SEVEN IS " BY LOVE. WHILE BEING SCARED ON STAGE IT ALSO FELT KINDA GOOD. CREATING SOMETHING PEOPLE APPRECIATED. WHEN I WAS 15, I MOVED INTO MY DAD'S HOME. IT WAS A BIG CHANGE. HE LIVED IN LAUREL CANYON AT MULHOLLAND DRIVE. IT WAS JUST A MILE DOWN THE HILL TO SUNSET BLVD. I HAD NEW DECADENT FRIENDS WHO WERE INTO EVERYTHING I WAS.

    I LOVED SEEING BANDS. WHETHER IT BE A BATTLE OF THE BANDS AT A LOCAL PARK, OR AT A TV SHOW LIKE "WHERE THE ACTION IS" OR "9TH STREET WEST", OR LLOYD THAXTON. I TOOK A PHOTO CLASS FOR FUN IN 11TH GRADE. I FOUND IT TO BE A GOOD OUTLET FOR MY CREATIVITY. ALL THE IMAGES I HAD IN MY HEAD, I COULD EXPRESS THEM VISUALLY. I HAD TRIED PAINTING WHEN I WAS YOUNGER. BUT I WAS TERRIBLE. I CARRIED MY CAMERA WITH ME WHEREVER I WENT. IT BECAME A PASSION. SO I STARTED TAKING MY CAMERA TO CONCERTS TO CAPTURE MY FAVORITE BANDS. AND MY PHOTO TEACHER LET ME DISPLAY THESE PICTURES IN THE SCHOOL SHOWCASE. I STARTED SELLING MY PRINTS OF LED ZEPPELIN AND JIMI HENDRIX AND WHOEVER ELSE I HAD JUST SHOT. IT'S TOO BAD THAT SOME OF THE EARLIEST CONCERT PICTURES I TOOK, STARTING IN 1970, THE NEGATIVES ARE MIS-PLACED AS OF NOW. I DID FIND A COUPLE OF JIMI HENDRIX SLIDES I TOOK IN JUNE 1969 AT DEVONSHIRE DOWNS "NEWPORT 69". HOWEVER THE QUALITY IS NOT SO GOOD AS THIS IS BEFORE I HAD ANY PHOTO CLASSES. BUT I HAVE POSTED THEM HERE FOR POSTERITY'S SAKE."

    "UPON GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL I DECIDED TO PURSUE SHOOTING CONCERT PHOTOS FOR WORK. I FEEL THAT IF YOU LOVE YOUR WORK, IT'S NOT WORK. SO THE 70'S WAS MAINLY SHOOTING CONCERT PHOTOS, SOME ADVERTISING WORK, SOME MODELING SHOOTS. I WAS HIRED FOR VARIOUS ASSIGNMENTS BY JON BOUTWELL ENTERPRISES. HE DID ALL THE MERCHANDISING FOR KISS, ELTON JOHN, CHEAP TRICK, EWF. THIS OPENED OTHER DOORS, ONE JOB LEADS TO ANOTHER AND ANOTHER. I HAD TO HUSTLE. IT CAN BE FEAST OR FAMINE. I'D SHOOT FOR THE BANDS, OR A RECORD COMPANY, A MAGAZINE, WHATEVER. AFTER AWHILE I REALIZED THERE WERE OTHER THINGS THAT EXCITED ME. I BEGAN MANAGING A BAND IN LATE 1977. I GOT DUMPED WHEN THEY GOT SIGNED TO A RECORD DEAL. I STARTED PRODUCING SOME CONCERTS AT LOCAL COLLEGES. IT WAS A FUN TIME. I MOVED INTO A PENTHOUSE ABOVE THE SUNSET STRIP. I SET UP MY PHOTO STUDIO. AND I STARTED DOING ACTOR'S HEADSHOTS AND PUBLICITY SHOTS FOR BANDS. AND I'M STILL HERE IN THE SAME PLACE FOR ALMOST 30 YEARS. I'VE DONE THE BIGGEST STARS AND THE KID WHO'S RIGHT OFF THE BUS. PEOPLE COME TO HOLLYWOOD FROM AROUND THE WORLD. IT'S ALWAYS INTERESTING TO HEAR  THEIR STORY."

    MARVIN CONTINUES, "PHOTOGRAPHY HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME. THE ROLE OF A PHOTOGRAPHER IS TO CAPTURE HISTORY. TO SAVE A CERTAIN ERA IN A PHOTOGRAPH. I'VE BEEN ABLE TO MEET A LOT OF INTERESTING PEOPLE AND I'VE BEEN PUT INTO SOME CRAZY SITUATIONS TO RECORD SOMEONE'S HISTORY ON FILM... SO I THINK THESE CONCERT PHOTOS SHOULD CARRY US BACK TO A DIFFERENT TIME. WHEN ALL THESE OLD GUITAR WANKERS WERE YOUNG & RELEVANT."    LONG LIVE KEITH RICHARDS

    THERE ARE MANY MORE NEGS AND SLIDES I'M STILL TRYING TO LOCATE. AS I FIND THEM, I WILL POST THEM.                                                                    

THIS WEBSITE IS DEDICATED TO MY DAUGHTERS JAMIE, JENNIFER, AND CHELSEA...