Like a rolling stone...

The Rolling Stones
photographed by Dominique Tarlé

Dominique Tarlé spent the spring and summer of 1971 in the South of France with the Rolling Stones. The photographer was accepted in a small, constantly changing circle of musicians, friends and family. It was the time when the band left the country for tax reasons and recorded the ‘Exile on Main Street’ record.

Tarlé was let into the inner circle for a brief period and the resulting images document private moments and the creative process like no other.

The Villa Nellcôte on the French Riveria was home to Mick Jagger and his then girlfriend Bianca, Keith Richards und Anita, Wyman, Watts, Marlon, Western legend Gram Parsons and Eric Clapton.

The images capture various experience: a rock ‘n’ roll circus and all its groupies, girlfriends, dogs and kids; an unstructured life made up of hanging out and jamming, which escalated in drug-fuelled escapades in the sun, followed by the nursing hangovers in the distant morning.

Dominique Tarlé was born in Paris, 1948 and discovered photography and music at a young age. Since the French press didn’t show much interest for the music scene at the time, he was drawn to London, where he photographed English bands such as the Stones, The Who, Led Zeppelin and Hendrix. Following his photographic documentation of the Rock and Roll Circus and Hyde Park Free Concert, he began to frequently hang out with the Rolling Stones in 1968.

Mick and Keith

Keith

Mick and Keith

Mick and Keith

Keith playing guitar for family and friends

Keith and Gram Parsons

Mick

I so envy those who get to hung out with rock stars. I need to get myself into the music scene...



Romany

[photos courtesy of gosee.us]