Edward Curtiss Colver (born June 17, 1949) is an American photographer, best known for his early punk photographs."Photographer Edward Colver "The Eye of LA Punk"". Edward Colver (official website). Retrieved June 8, 2015."Ed Colver Discography at Discogs:". discogs. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
Overview Colver not only created a visual document of the birth of the hardcore punk in suburban Southern California from late 1978 to mid-1984, but also he greatly helped in defining the photography style and graphic identity of the American hardcore punk movement.
He was active in the Southern California hardcore punk scene during its early development. As he was personally involved in the community at that time, his early work serves as a primary record of the culture and events of that period.
His work was featured extensively in the book American Hardcore: A Tribal History (2001), written by Steven Blush, and in its documentary film version, American Hardcore (2006), directed by Paul Rachman.
Early life and family A third-generation Southern Californian born on June 17, 1949, in Pomona, California, Colver was named after an ancestor who arrived in the United States from Cornwall, England, in 1635. Edward's father, Charles Colver, was a forest ranger for 43 years. Upon his retirement, Charles was presented with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Award by President George H. W. Bush at the White House. The tallest peak southwest of Mount San Antonio aka Mount Baldy, was named Colver Peak after Charles.
Photography Essentially a self-taught photographer, Colver had a brief formal training during night classes at University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied beginning photography with Eileen Cowin. Largely influenced by Dada and Surrealism, Colver was most impressed in his early years by the art of Southern Californian native Edward Kienholz. In the late 1960s, Edward's perspective on life and art was changed by his exposure to composers such as Edgard Varèse, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Krzysztof Penderecki and John Cage.
Three months after he began taking photographs, Colver had his first photograph published: an image of performance artist Johanna Went, featured in BAM magazine. Since then he has shot photographs for dozens of record labels including EMI, Capitol and Geffen. His pictures have been featured on more than 500 album covers and include some of the most recognizable and iconic covers of the punk era.
Selected cover art contributions Year Album title Artist Contribution 1980 Group Sex Circle Jerks front, back cover and inner sleeve photosCircle Jerks, Group Sex, cover art. discogs. Retrieved June 7, 2015. 1981 "Louie Louie" (single) Black Flag front and back cover photosBlack Flag, "Louie Louie", cover art. discogs. Retrieved June 4, 2015. 1981 Damaged Black Flag front cover photo 1981 Danger Zone (EP) China White front cover photo 1981 Let Them Eat Jellybeans! various artists back cover photoVarious artists, Let Them Eat Jellybeans!, cover art. discogs. Retrieved June 4, 2015. 1981 Reagan's In Wasted Youth back cover and insert sheet photosWasted Youth, Reagan's In, cover art. discogs. Retrieved June 2, 2015. 1981 T.S.O.L. (EP) T.S.O.L. front cover photo 1981 Dance with Me T.S.O.L. some inner sleeve photosT.S.O.L., Dance with Me, cover art. discogs. Retrieved June 4, 2015. 1981 Welcome to Reality (EP) Adolescents front cover photoAdolescents, Welcome to Reality, cover art. discogs. Retrieved June 4, 2015. 1982 How Could Hell Be Any Worse? Bad Religion front cover and some insert sheet photosBad Religion, How Could Hell Be Any Worse?, cover art. discogs. Retrieved June 3, 2016. 1983 Mommy's Little Monster Social Distortion back cover photoSocial Distortion, Mommy's Little Monster, cover art. discogs. Retrieved June 2, 2015. 1983 L'amour Lewis front cover photoLewis, L'Amour, cover art. discogs. Retrieved June 15, 2015. 2019 Submit to the Blade The Balboas back cover photo
See also
Punk rock in California
References
Further reading Colver, Edward (2006). Blight at the End of The Funnel. Last Gasp. . Blush, Steven (2001). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Second ed., 2010. Feral House. .
Further viewing Sample, Jack (2012). Contact Print: Edward Colver (documentary). The Film & Television Conservatory of the Orange County School of the Arts. Online at YouTube.
External links
"Pivotal Punk Rock Photographer Edward Colver Visits FIDM’s Graphic Design Portfolio Presentation". Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. Frankel, Ricky; Wisniewski, Kira (November 26, 2014). "Interviews: Edward Colver". Punknews. Dr. Martens (April 2, 2015). "Punks in the Pit: An Interview with Edward Colver". Dr. Martens Blog. Caracola Gallery (October 22, 2006). In the Pit: The photos of Edward Colver (documentary). YouTube. "Photogallery". Edward Colver (official website). "Photography for Album Covers". Edward Colver (official website). Edward Colver, discography. Discogs.