Photograph by Bob Bonis, copyright 2009 by 2269 Productions, Inc. Josh Wildman
Between 1964 and ‘66, Bob Bonis was the tour manager for both the Rolling Stones‘ first U.S. tour and the Beatles‘ last. He was also, as luck would have it, a serious hobbyist photographer. Hanging out on stage, backstage, at work and at play with two of the biggest bands ever, Bonis took some 3,500 photographs at a critical point in the creative development of both. He snapped the Stones goofing off poolside in Clearwater, Florida, on the day they wrote “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction;” he caught John Lennon backstage in Philadelphia at one of the Beatles’ last concerts before a paying audience.
Most of these photos have never been seen by fans–until now. Bonis’ images from these landmark tours are currently on display at “The British Are Coming!“, a show at the Not Fade Away Gallery in New York. But you don’t have to trek to the Apple to see them. Keep clicking to check out our gallery of candid pics, The Secret History of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles.