Obit of the Day: Cover ArtistJohn Berg joined Columbia Records in 1961, and over the next quarter-ce
Obit of the Day: Cover ArtistJohn Berg joined Columbia Records in 1961, and over the next quarter-century created some of the most iconic record album covers in the history of music. During his time at Columbia he oversaw the art design of more than 5,000 albums in all genres, earning 24 Grammy Award nominations, and winning five.One of the first designers to use the “gatefold” album covers it allowed him and his artists to design unique packaging for albums. Mr. Berg prided himself on his eye, often referring to his selection of the cover photo for Born To Run, by Bruce Springsteen. While Mr. Springsteen wanted a dour photo of himself (Mr. Berg referred to it as a “John Updike” photo), Mr. Berg searched through hundreds of photos from the cover shoot and found the photo he wanted of Bruce hiding a smile while leaning on the shoulder of saxophonist Clarence Clemons.Mr. Berg worked with several artists and bands. He designed the covers for Bob Dylan’s albums with Columbia earning Grammy nods for his designs of Blonde on Blonde (1966) and Bringing It All Back Home (1965). He would win for his design of Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits (1967), see above. Chicago was another group who worked almost exclusively with Mr. Berg, who even designed the band’s logo. Mr. Berg would once again earn Grammy recognition for his work on several of the band’s albums including Chicago (1970), Chicago VI (1974), Chicago X (1976, for which he won the Grammy, see above), and Chicago XIV (1980). John Berg retired from Columbia in 1985, although he earned his last Grammy nomination in 1987 for his design of The Voice: The Columbia Years, 1943-1952. Mr. Berg, whose work is featured prominenty in 360 Sound: The Columbia Records Story by Sean Wilentz, died on October 11, 2015 at the age of 83.Sources: NY Times, Rolling Stone, and WikipediaImages, all copyright of Columbia Records:Top left, Chicago XIV, Grammy Award-winning design, courtesy of wikimedia.orgTop right, Love Notes (1977), Grammy Award-winning design, courtesy of eil.comMiddle left, Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits, Grammy Award-winning design, courtesy of hamptonsarthub.comMiddle right, The Barbra Streisand Album (1963), Grammy Award-winning design, courtesy of analogicmc.comBottom left, Underground (1968), Grammy Award-winning design, courtesy of londonjazzcollector.wordpress.comBottom right, Born to Run, courtesy of thestudentplaylist.comAlso of interest on Obit of the Day:Clarence Clemons - Saxophonist featured on cover of Born to RunBarry Feinstein - Album cover photographerEiko Ishioka - Grammy Award-winning designer of Miles Davis’ Tutu; costume designer for 2008 Beijing Olympics Bill Johnson - Grammy Award-winning album designer; designed the logo for @rollingstoneJim McCray - Album cover photographerAlex Steinweiss - Album cover artist -- source link
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