John Bellisimo
John Bellissimo was a noted entertainment photographer whose work combined photojournalism with a sense of creative craftsmanship. His photographs have appeared in countless magazines, newspapers, books, and albums as well as on televisions worldwide. A native of Brooklyn and a long-time music fanatic, Bellissimo first started shooting photos in 1968 while still in high school, turning professional a year later when he sold his first photographs of The Who at the Village Theater to Changes Magazine, one of the major breeding grounds of rock’n’ roll photographers.
By 1970, at the age of 18, Bellissimo had dropped-out in his Freshman year at the Fashion Institute of Technology to begin his photography career full-time, traveling with bands such as E.L.P., Humble Pie, Ten Years After, and many more. Bellissimo joined the staff of Changes as photo editor, and during that time, he became a fixture of the legendary Fillmore East and Ungano’s on West 72nd Street. He also covered major events of the era such as Woodstock, The Rolling Stones’ Gimme Shelter Tour as a tour photographer for opening act B.B. King and the Concert for Bangladesh. At 21-years-old, he toured domestically and abroad with acts such as Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Humble Pie, Peter Frampton, J. Geils Band, Traffic, King Crimson, and T. Rex, taking photos throughout.
In the years following, his work has been published in publications including Time, Newsweek, People, New York Magazine, Esquire and many more. His photos have also appeared in scores of music publications, major metropolitan daily newspapers and a host of publications throughout Europe, South America and Japan. He shot album covers for the likes of Elvin Bishop, Chaka Khan, Triumph and more. Bellissimo also served as a tour photographer for David Bowie, Yes, Bad Company, Rod Stewart, Jethro Tull, Mott the Hoople, Ten Years After, Cyndi Lauper and others.
Along with his iconic portraits and concert shots, Bellissimo’s photos of lighting designs taken during the disco boom of the late 1970s have been added to the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institute. His work can also be seen in a permanent display at the Museum of Rock Art in Los Angeles. Bellissimo’s photographs have been exhibited and sold by the Zoma/Radius Gallery in Manhattan and have been included in books such as Rock Stars by Timothy White. Bellissimo has also worked with MTV as a major photographic contributor to the channel’s music news. Along with fellow photographer Ebet Roberts, Bellissimo was also the New York representative for the American Music Photographer society (AMPS).
John Bellissimo lived on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, collecting Pez candy dispensers during his frequent travels until his passing on July 1, 1999. Following his unexpected passing just days before his 48th birthday, John’s catalogue of work was locked away in storage, being unearthed now for the first time in over 24-years.
