John Scarpati

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John Scarpati
John Scarpati.jpg
John Scarpatji
BornJune 29, 1960
Great Bend, Kansas
NationalityAmerican
Known forPhotographer
Notable work Fishbone
Look What the Cat Dragged In
Hooked
Cherry Pie
One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This
Tight Rope
Folklore and Superstition
Website scarpati.com

John Scarpati (born June 29, 1960) is a professional photographer whose photography has appeared on hundreds of album and CD covers for bands and individual musicians. [1] [2] He is also the owner of Scarpati Studio, a photography studio that does photography and layouts for advertising campaigns, some of which have won national and regional awards. Scarpati has produced two books based on his photography: Cramp, Slash, & Burn: When Punk and Glam Were Twins [3] and Eyes Wide Open. [4] The first major solo art exhibit of Scarpat's work was in 1991 at Midem – Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France. [5] The exhibit was a dye transfer print series. Scarpati's work has also appeared in publications such as the New York Times and Rolling Stone Magazine. [6]

Contents

Because of his extensive photography work with so many bands in Hollywood the 1980s, as well as the production of his book Cramp, Slash, & Burn: When Punk and Glam Were Twins, Alarm Magazine has referred to Scarpati as The Anthropologist of the Sunset Strip. [7]

Career

Music Industry

The majority of Scarpati's photography work has been done in the music industry, having worked on hundreds of album covers and photo shoots across different genres. He got his break at a recording studio in Sherman Oaks, CA where he met Journey lead-singer Steve Perry who was recording his first solo album. [8] Scarpati didn't immediately recognize Perry and recalled later that he was "... driving home (from the recording studio) and ‘When The Lights Go Down’ (Lights by Journey) comes on and I thought, ‘Holy shit, that’s Steve Perry I was just talking to.'" Perry made good on a promise to stop by Scarpati's studio the following day for what originally was intended to be a shot for the inside sleeve of his new album. Ultimately, Scarpati's work became the iconic cover shot for Perry's Street Talk album. [8] Scarpati has since worked with many famous musical artists, such as Rush, Def Leppard, Warrant and Kenny Rogers.

He has also done work for the following employers: Michael Jackson // Sherman Halsey // Planet Pictures // Delicious Vinyl // Dwight Yoakam // Hugh Syme // Fresh Design

Because of his extensive work with the band Fishbone, Scarpati's photos were featured in the documentary Everyday Sunshine. In addition, one of Scarpati's photos of the band was sent to the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture, which also has a collection of artifacts from the band. [9]

Advertising

In his work through his company Scarpati Studio and other advertising firms, Scarpati has worked as a photographer or art director on a number of advertising campaigns for corporate clients. His artistic approach has won a number of awards, including one national ADDY award [10] and two regional ADDY awards. [11]

A partial list of Scarpati's Corporate clients include Bridgestone, Firestone, One Systems, Honda, AKG Microphones, Hunter Fans, Tequila Rose, Vantage Bowling, Fuzion, Paramount Studios, and English Eccentrics. In addition, his cover for the New York Dolls album One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This was used in an iPod Nano advertising campaign. [12]

Books

Scarpati has produced two books based on his photography work. This first, called Eyes Wide Open, is a collection of unusual and artistic images from his work. The Second is called Cramp, Slash, & Burn: When Punk and Glam Were Twins, and focuses on Scarpati's work in the Hollywood music scene in the 1980s.

Eyes Wide Open

The photography artwork in Eyes Wide Open began as an art show exhibit in alternative venues, such as clubs, bars, and hotels. [13] While there may appear to be no obvious cohesive theme to the book, the concept is a collection of fine art prints on a wide array of Substrates. The collection contains a number of artistic examples of the photographer's work and showcases his creativity. [14]

Cramp, Slash, and Burn: When Punk and Glam Were Twins

Cramp, Slash, & Burn: When Punk and Glam Were Twins is a collection of Scarpati’s photos from the Punk and Glam music industry in Hollywood during the 1980s. The photographs have been cleaned and digitized and the original film was wet drum scanned and digitally remastered to produce high quality images. The book is produced in a 12x12 format to mimic the size of traditional album covers. In addition, life size images of memorabilia from the period, including tick stubs, trinkets, and an authentic can of Aquanet from the time period. The text inside the book is written by band members and others who were a part of the scene at the time. The artwork from the book premiered at La Luz de Jesus Galley in Los Angeles [15] and continues to be on display at various venues around the country.

The book won a Mohawk award [16] and earned Scarpati the title "Anthropologist of the Sunset strip from Alarm Magazine, which said, “As a photographer, John Scarpati is well known for his work on album covers, each a dynamic and living piece of art. During the 1980s in Los Angeles, he was the music photographer, an anthropologist of the Sunset Strip, his lens documenting the fashion, sounds, and faces in the era of outrageous musical fashion." [7] The Indie Reader, Culture Catch, and Felt and Wire also praised the accuracy of the book in documenting the era and scene. [16] [17]

Album cover art

Chronological list of John Scarpati's album cover art.

YearArtistAlbumRole
1984 Steve Perry Street Talk Photography
1985 Fishbone Fishbone Photography
1985 Tex & The Horseheads Life's So CoolPhotography
1985Various The Enigma Variations Photography
1985 Stryper Soldiers Under Command Photography
1985 Stryper Reason for the SeasonPhotography
1986 T.S.O.L Revenge Photography
1986 Fishbone In Your Face Photography
1986 Poison Look What the Cat Dragged In Photography
1986EyesEyesPhotography
1986 The Unforgiven The UnforgivenPhotography
1987 Bitch (band) The Bitch is Back (album) Photography
1987 Redd Kross Neurotica Photography
1987 Dramarama Box Office Bomb Photography
1988 L.A. Guns L.A. Guns Photography
1988 Kix Blow My Fuse Photography
1988 Social Distortion Prison BoundAlbum Design
1988 Oingo Boingo Boingo Alive Photography
1988Various ArtistsA Town South of Bakersfield, Vol 1Photography
1989 Warrant Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich Photography
1989 Kingdom Come (German band) In Your Face Photography
1989 Michael Monroe Not Fakin' It Photography
1989 Dramarama Stuck in Wonderamaland Photography
1989 Rush Presto Photography
1989 Babylon A. D. Babylon A. D. Photography
1989 Bonfire (band) Point Blank Photography
1989 Fates Warning Perfect Symmetry Photography
1990 Magnum Goodnight L.A. Photography
1990 Rush Chronicles Photography
1990 Warrant Cherry Pie Photography
1990 Hurricane Slave to the Thrill Photography
1990 The Northern Pikes Snow in June Photography
1990 Alias Alias Photography
1990 Blowfly Twisted World of BlowflyPhotography
1990 Electric Angels Electric AngelsPhotography
1990 Social Distortion Social Distortion Photography
1991 Rush Roll the Bones Photography
1991 Great White Hooked Photography
1991 Fates Warning Parallels Photography
1991 Kix Hot Wire Photography
1991 Bad English Backlash Photography
1991The StormThe StormPhotography
1991 Armored Saint Symbol of Salvation Photography
1991 Aldo Nova Blood on the Bricks Photography
1991 Me Phi Me OnePhotography
1991 Dramarama Vinyl Photography
1991 The Scream Let It Scream Photography
1992 Warrant Dog Eat Dog Photography
1992 21 Guns Salute Photography
1993 Dramarama Hi-Fi Sci-Fi Photography
1994 Steve Perry For the Love of Strange Medicine Photography
1995 Bill Miller Raven in the SnowPhotography
1995 Marshall Chapman It's About TimePhotography
1995 Philip Claypool A Circus Leaving TownPhotography
1996 Diamond Rio IV Photography
1996 Dramarama The Best of Dramarama: 18 Big Ones Photography
1996 Warrant The Best of Warrant Photography
1996 Al Anderson Pay Before You PumpPhotography
1996 Jason and the Scorchers Clear Impetuous MorningPhotography
1997 Eddie Rabbitt Beatin’ the Odds Photography
1997 Scorpions Deadly Sting: The Mercury YearsPhotography
1997Rick AltizerBlue Plate SpecialPhotography
1998 Steve Perry Greatest Hits + Five Unreleased Photography
1998 The Thompson Brothers Band Blame It on the DogPhotography
1998 Pam Tillis Every Time Photography
1998 Eddie Rabbitt Songs from Rabbittland Photography
1998 The Insyderz Fight of My Life Photography
1999 Brooks & Dunn Tight Rope Photography
1999 Jetboy Lost and FoundPhotography
2000 The Kentucky Headhunters Songs from the Grass String Ranch Photography
2000 Ray Price Prisoner of LovePhotography
2000 The Sky Kings From Out of the BluePhotography
2001 Rush Chronicles/ Moving PicturesPhotography
2001 Danni Leigh Divide and ConquerPhotography
2002 Oingo Boingo 20th Century Masters – The Millennium CollectionPhotography
2003 Social Distortion Greatest HitsPhotography
2003 Buddy Jewell Buddy Jewell Photography
2003 Jamie Lee Thurston I Just Wanna Do My ThingPhotography
2003 Janis Ian Working Without a NetPhotography
2004 Brad Cotter Patient Man Photography
2004 Restless Heart Still Restless Photography
2004 Lane Turner Wanting MorePhotography
2005 Jo Dee Messina Delicious Surprise Photography
2005 Hank Williams, Jr. That's How They Do It in Dixie Photography
2006 New York Dolls One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This Photography
2006Mechanical BirdsThe Possibility of FlightPhotography
2007 Social Distortion Greatest HitsPhotography
2007HydrogynDeadly PassionsPhotography
2007Randy KohrsOld PhotographPhotography
2007 Clay Walker Fall Photography
2008 De Novo Dahl Move Every Muscle, Make Every SoundPhotography
2008 Black Stone Cherry Folklore and Superstition Photography
2009 Steadlür Steadlür Photography
2009Doyle and DebbiePerforming all their top hits to the very best of their abilityPhotography
2009 Korby Lenker Lovers and FoolsPhotography
2010Randy KohrsQuicksandPhotography
2012Craig MorrisonCraig MorrisonPhotography
2012 Deborah Allen Hear Me NowPhotography
2012FishboneEvery Day SunshinePhotography
2012 Redd Kross Researching The BluesPhoto editing
2012Korby LenkerKorby LenkerPhotography
2014Lee Ann WomackThe Way I’m Livin’Photography

Awards and notable achievements

Gold and Platinum records

Achievements and recognition

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References

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