Photographer Henry Diltz Sets ‘Behind the Lens’ 2026 Tour
by Best Classic Bands Staff
Henry Diltz, the legendary photographer who has shot over 250 album covers and was the official photographer at the 1969 Woodstock festival, has announced a Fall 2026 edition of his “Behind the Lens” tour. The lensman will present his slide show and storytelling experience “of the photographs that made music history” for a series of dates along the U.S. west coast in November. (It follows an east coast trek that took place in March.) Tickets are available at his website.
Diltz’s work of such music legends as Eagles, Crosby Stills & Nash, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, America, Linda Ronstadt, Jimi Hendrix, Paul and Linda McCartney, The Monkees and David Cassidy, has appeared in scores of publications. His truly iconic album covers include The Doors’ Morrison Hotel and James Taylor’s Sweet Baby James.
James Taylor at “The Farm,” Dec. 1969 (Photo © Henry Diltz; used with permission)
Diltz’s iconic works are available for purchase at the Morrison Hotel Gallery, which he co-founded.
Diltz, born September 6, 1938, was a founding member of the Modern Folk Quartet. He didn’t pick up a camera until 1966 when he was in his late twenties. “I didn’t go to photography school,” he told Best Classic Bands in a 2020 interview. “I’ve never developed a roll of film in my life.” Not long after he began taking photographs of fellow musicians, his career change began with the serendipitous $100 sale of a single shot of the Buffalo Springfield. A memorable partnership with designer Gary Burden soon followed. And through friendships and a shared brotherhood, he ultimately became an eyewitness to the tremendous evolution of popular music that developed in the Los Angeles neighborhood known as Laurel Canyon.
Linda Ronstadt at her home, Feb. 1968 (Photo © Henry Diltz; used with permission)
Henry Diltz “Behind the Lens” 2026 Tour
Nov 04 – Menlo Park, CA – The Guild Theater
Nov 05 – Mill Valley, CA – Sweetwater Music Hall
Nov 06 – Grass Valley, CA – Center for the Arts
Nov 07 – Santa Cruz, CA – Kuumbwa Jazz Center
Nov 10 – Portland, OR – Alberta Rose Theater
Nov 11 – Seattle, WA – Triple Door
Nov 12 – Bellingham, WA – Mount Baker
2 Comments so far
Jump into a conversationHenry Diltz makes an appearance in the new Spinal Tap II movie, taking a photo of the group on a sofa a la his Crosby Stills & Nash cover.
I’ve seen his presentation, and it is really cool!