Capturing the Birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll – The New York Times

Eddie Rocco’s rock ‘n’ roll photos, taken in the 1950s and early 1960s for magazines like Sepia, Hep and Rhythm and Blues, seem to have had one aim: to let the good times roll. Not for him the brooding pose, the soulful gaze, the glimpse into the inner life of the creative artist. His was an aesthetic of action: hips swinging, pipes roaring, fingers popping, taffeta crumpling. Even when his subjects were lying down, as in his shot of the Carolina fireball Esquerita recumbent at a Texas diner (slide 2), they’ve got bounce by the ounce.