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 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, and more ….

 Ken Burns featured some of Alan’s photographs in his 2019 “Country Music” documentary film.

“JUNE”, a new movie released in January of 2024, now streaming on Paramount Plus about June Carter Cash features many of Alan’s photographs and video footage.

Currently, he is working on his archives, exhibits, plus two coffee table books of his pictures of Nashville and Johnny Cash.

Alan Messer continues to document and photograph music history.