If, as Rod Stewart famously sang, “Every picture tells a story,” then Dick Waterman has both the pictures and stories of the blues. As an agent and manager in the 1960s, Waterman and his Avalon Productions directed the careers of Son House, Fred McDowell, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James, and nearly every other prewar bluesman still performing. He brought Junior Wells and Buddy Guy out of Chicago, and he met Bonnie Raitt as an 18-year-old college girl and managed her for many years. At the same time, Waterman actively photographed these legends and many others throughout the 1960s. His work chronicling events in Greenwich Village, the Newport Folk Festivals, and many other events is featured in his book, Between Midnight and Day. Those stunning black and white pictures, along with Waterman’s intimate personal recollections of every performer, are part of each lecture he gives. Waterman continues to share space in festival photo pits around the world, and serves as a mentor to every blues lover.
