Alan Messer has photographed musicians for more than five decades.
His career started at sixteen on December 4th, 1967 working from Dezo Hoffmann's London studio as a freelance and as a staff photographer for the Record Mirror pop music magazine.
During the seventies, Alan was the resident Old Grey Whistle Test photographer (BBC TV), toured briefly with Iggy Pop and Deep Purple, and photographed many visiting touring American bands and artists, either in his London studio or on the road.
Excited by America and its music, Alan moved to Nashville in 1978 to open a studio.
An amazing opportunity to photograph the Country Music scene unfolded, as his British style of photography attracted musicians, record companies and legendary artists like, Johnny Cash.
During the 80s, Alan Messer’s career soared as a prolific primary Nashville photographer, often shooting a session or an album cover every day.
Some of those sessions were in his studio or in Austin, Texas with Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, or Joe Ely.
An acclaimed photographer, Alan has hundreds of albums and CD's to his credit, and a Grammy for album packaging photography / design.
Some musicians Alan has photographed include:
John Lennon, George Harrison, Keith Richards, Rolling Stones, Small Faces, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, The Who, Diana Ross, Deep Purple, Elton John, Bill Haley, Bob Marley, Jim Morrison, James Brown, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, George Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earle, Tanya Tucker, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lucinda Williams, Merle Haggard, Bill Monroe, Dwight Yoakam, Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, The Oak Ridge Boys, Billy Strings, Del McCoury, Shawn Camp, and many more.
Ken Burns featured some of Alan’s photographs in his 2019 “Country Music” PBS documentary film.
JUNE, the movie about June Carter Cash, released in January of 2024, features many of Alan’s photographs, plus his video footage.
Recent Exhibits:
KEEPING IT COUNTRY at the Royal Albert Hall in London, May 2024 + 2025
RETRO 50 in Water Valley/ Oxford, Mississippi
Currently, Alan is working on his archives, including two coffee table books of his photographs of Nashville and Johnny Cash.
He just completed an LP design with an eight page book for cult artist, Chuck Leah using his photographs. Plus some new photo sessions.
Alan continues to document and photograph music history.