MOA

What is the Michael Ochs Archives?

On the 5^th floor of the Getty Images Los Angeles offices, we house about 5 million photographs.

This collection is most famous for telling the story of 20^th Century music from jazz to grunge and everything in between.

Jazz singer Billie Holiday performs at the Club Downbeat in February 1947 in New York City, New York. 

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana in circa 1993. Photo by Sam Jones

But there is so much more hidden in the files and on Getty Images that you may have never associated with the MOA or thought we had down there.

In fact, there are just about as many images of famous &/or infamous artists, celebrities, athletes and entertainers as we have of musicians.

Surrealist artist Salvador Dali poses with his oil paintings at his studio on the 8th floor of the Ziegfeld Theatre in 1943 in New York. 

NFL star O.J. Simspson sits with his wife Marguerite (Whitley) Simpson, daughter Arnelle and son Jason during a portrait session on January 8, 1973 in Los Angeles, California.

There are also pioneering early color photographs. 

A general view of of New York Central System's 20th Century Limited, designed by Henry Dreyfuss circa 1938 . Photo by Ivan Dmitri

And so many other random gems. Like for instance a woman on an alligator. 

A woman poses for a portrait while riding an alligator at The Los Angeles Alligator Farm at 3627 Mission Road in the Lincoln Heights area on September 30, 1949 in Los Angeles, California. 

And still more, yet to be discovered...

Here is a NY Times article from 2006 that that tells a part of the story. 

And here is a partial list of Wholly Owned Photographers and Magazines that are down there in the "dungeon," as we affectionately call it. Click on the names to see a board with highlights from the collections…

Brian McLaughlin: 70’s LA based rock n’ roll photographer. We scanned most of his images before we were bought by Getty. At that point we didn't credit wholly owned photographers because people wouldn't be able to find us. So there is only a small sampling of images credited to him online. But there are several hundred scanned. And multiple thousands of images in the files that contain his life’s work.

Stevie Wonder performing onstage. Photo by Brain D. McLaughlin

Capitol Records:  This collection contains musicians recording in the famous Capitol Records studios in LA from the 40’s to the 60’s including this beautiful color shot of the rockabilly legend Wanda Jackson...

Country and rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson in the Capitol Records recording studios circa 1960, in Los Angeles, California.

Cyrus Andrews: Cyrus shot 60’s English rock n’ roll TV show performances on "Ready Steady Go." The "fabulous" Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks, oh my!

 The Rolling Stones on Ready Steady Go in London, 1964.

Don Paulsen: Don was a really funny character, along with being a rock n’ roll writer & photographer for Hit Parader magazine. To complement his articles, he took photos backstage and onstage at the Apollo with James Brown, The Temptations, The Supremes... And had great access to quiet moments with the Stones at their hotel. Among many other subjects. And this shot of James Brown in full regalia at the height of his powers at the Apollo Theater...

Soul singer James Brown performs at the Apollo Theatre in New York, New York. Photo by Don Paulsen

Earl Leaf: Earl was one-of-a-kind. I have spent so much time around his pictures that I feel like I know him. He was friends with Marilyn Monroe and made pictures of her throughout her life. He goofed around with The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, and everybody who was anybody in LA from the 40’s to the 70’s. He shot a lot of risque Cheesecake models (Pin-ups), and captured vintage LA. He also visited Chairman Mao as a spy for the OSS (the precursor to the CIA). He was at a small house party where Bowie played on his 1^st trip to the US. And so many more stories. We have 10’s of thousand of images online (So far.)

Model, actress and future film producer Joan Bradshaw poses by the Capitol Records building on September 8, 1957 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Earl Leaf

Ed Feingersh: Quiet, beautiful moments with Marilyn Monroe & Audrey Hepburn

Actress Marilyn Monroe takes the subway in Grand Central Station on March 24, 1955 in New York City, New York. Photo by Ed Feingersh

GIF’s: I have been making GIF’s from some of our most iconic sessions. Giving new life, movement, and in fact adding a whole new medium to the archive. Here is one of the punk rock girl band "The Runaways" flipping the bird in their bikinis at the beach... 

Ivan Dmitri: He was a pioneering and mostly unheralded color photographer who traveled the globe starting in the early 40’s. He wrote several books to showcase his work. We have ~6,000 images online (So far.)

Players huddle up during a game of women's football circa 1940. Photo by Ivan Dmitri

James Kriegsmann: New York studio portraits of mostly musicians with an emphasis on African-American artists. We have 10’s of thousands of his and his son’s gorgeous 8x10” negs on the 5^th floor. He shot everyone from the most famous to the most zany. 

When Michael Ochs was cleaning up the archives in order to make it look presentable to Getty Images, he started throwing away boxes full of some of the more strange and unknown figures. Us employees didn't know that he was planning to sell, and couldn't figure out why this man who had made a fortune hoarding photographs other people were throwing out, started tossing images in the dumpster himself. 

In the meantime, NPR did a very entertaining story tracking down the people from the "Dumpster of Forgotten Musicians" that one of Ochs' Venice Beach neighbors had stumbled upon before they were lost forever to the landfill.

Big Band leader Cab Calloway poses for a portrait circa 1938 in New York City, New York. Photo by James Kriegsmann

Jasper Dailey: Jasper had his camera in the studio with the Wrecking Crew musicians recording some of the biggest hits of all time with the Beach Boys, Dean Martin, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny & Cher, and Glen Campbell-- among many others. He also went out to the divey Palomino Night Club in North Hollywood & photographed music stars before they were famous or just past their prime. He was there seemingly every night from the early 70’s to the mid 80’s.

Entertainers Sonny Bono and Cher record in the studio at a Neumann mic in April 1966 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Jasper Dailey.

Jess Rand: Sam Cooke’s manager. We just have a few shots by him. But they are quite stunning and intimate candids of the crooner in his prime.

Sam Cooke, 1959, California, Los Angeles, RCA Recording Studio, Sam Cooke. Photo by Jess Rand

Maurice Seymour: Maurice and Seymour Gelman formed in 1929. Gorgeous studio portraits of movie stars and musicians. 

Sarah Vaughan poses for a portrait circa 1955 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Maurice Seymour

Michael Montfort: German magazine photographer. He shot lots of musicians in their Mulholland mansions overlooking LA. And of course Arnold Schwarzenegger as a young buck. We have like 4 drawers of Wolfgang Puck. That’s 3.75 too many! And this beautiful shot of Jim Morrison taking a little disco nap onstage...

Jim Morrison, Sept. 1968; Frankfurt, Germany.

Moviepix: This is a collection of publicity handouts and wholly owned images of movie sets and movie stars. There are perhaps a million or more images in this collection. I made a full edit of our movie files that is now online. But the personality files are relatively untouched. They contain about as many photos as the music files. That's a lifetime’s worth of work ahead right there. We are slowly making our way through them and finding gems like this handsome young man. Whatever became of him, I wonder...

Actor George Clooney poses for a portrait session in May 1985 in Los Angeles, California. 

Pix Collection: Pix is a news agency that was founded by LIFE photographers in 1935. We have boxes upon boxes of negatives of iconic images of Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, the Kennedys and so much more. Many of which Time Life doesn’t even have. Most of this collection remains untapped...

President John F. Kennedy reflects the crowd in his Ray Ban sunglasses during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Dan Luis Dam on August 18, 1962 on the Pacheco Pass between Los Banos and Gilroy, California. 

Ray Whitten: Another part of the Capitol Records collection that we have the negs to. Young Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, etc.

Singers Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra sing in to a vintage NBC microphone at the piano on February 15, 1946 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Ray Whitten

Richard Creamer: I have heard some hilarious anecdotes about Creamer from his photographer contemporaries. He passed away some time ago, was LA based and shot 70’s rock n’ roll. Like The Ramones, Alice Cooper, Kiss, and this one of a young Tom Petty playing a 12-string electric guitar...

Tom Petty performs in February 1977 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Richard Creamer

Right on Magazine: African American teen magazine from 1972-88. We have the original transparencies. There are thousands of Jackson 5, Run DMC, Public Enemy, LL Cool J and most anyone else you can think of.

(Clockwise from bottom left) Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Terminator X, S1W and Chuck D of the rap group Public Enemy pose for a portrait in the studio.

Ron Wolfson: Backstage and on stage at American Bandstand and other spots in the 80’s.

Comedian Al Franken poses for a portrait session backstage dressed as Mick Jagger at a performance with Tom Davis of the comedy group 'Franken and Davis' at Stockton State University in Galloway Township, New Jersey for a Showtime Special which aired in October 1983. Photo by Ron Wolfson

Rona Barrett’s Hollywood: Richard Nairin photos of celebrities out on the town in LA in the early 70’s. Lots of paparazzi stuff. Lots of famous folks playing golf. His name was mostly left off as these were mostly scanned prior to Getty's acquisition of the collection.

Stephen Paley: NY based photographer who mingled with the stars. He was in the studio with Aretha Franklin. He got the Allman Brothers to stand naked in a creek for a portrait session. David Geffen before he was DAVID GEFFEN crawling around on all fours on a leash being led around by Laura Nyro. And this shot of Laura Nyro recording in the studio with Miles Davis...

Singer/songwriter Laura Nyro records in the studio with Jazz trumpet player Miles Davis on July 16, 1969 in New York City, New York. Photo by Stephen Paley

Suzan Carson: Suzan was an LA based music photographer. 70’s-80’s. She shot both live and portrait sessions of people like Patti Smith, Blondie, and this image of Pete Townshend of "The Who" destroying his Gibson Les Paul guitar...

Pete Townshend of the rock band The Who smashes his Gibson Les Paul while performing at the Forum on November 23, 1973 in Inglewood, California. Photo by Suzan Carson

Tiger Beat: American teen pop culture magazine. Owned by the same company as Right-On Magazine. We have all the original transparencies. Unfortunately we don't have the magazine covers, but there are 10’s of thousands of photos from that collection. You want the Monkees? We got the Monkees. You want Leif Garrett? We have Leif Garrett coming out of our ears. And other more enduring acts.

Mickey Dolenz catches up on his reading on the set of the television show The Monkees in May 1967 in Los Angeles, California.

William Grimes: Grimes shot the Golden Age of Hollywood – 20’s-40’s. A-listers. Someone found this collection in a couple boxes on the street. Ochs bought them for only $500. There are ~1000 images online. They are all edited.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor poses for a candid portrait circa 1947 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by William Grimes

Wilson Lindsay: Wilson snapped pics of rock stars in Detroit in the 60’s. Smokey Robinson in the Motown offices. Jimmy Page when he was still in the Yardbirds, before he joined that little band called Led Zeppelin. The Butterfield Blues Band. And this shot of Howlin’ Wolf doing his thing...

 Blues singer and harmonica player Howlin' Wolf (born Chester Arthur Burnett, 1910-1976) performs live on stage in Detroit, Michigan circa 1965. Guitarist Hubert Sumlin (1931-2011) plays behind. Photo by Wilson Lindsay

Wink Martindale’s Dance Party: This was a TV show shot on the Pacific Ocean Pier in Santa Monica. We have images of Johnny Mathis, The Coasters performing...

(L-R) Will 'Dub' Jones, Carl Gardner, Cornell Gunter, and Billy Guy of the doo-wop group 'The Coasters' perform on Wink Martindale's TV Dance Party on April 8, 1961.

I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour of the Michael Ochs Archives. 

If you ever wanna visit the 5th floor, hit me up.

And remember, this list doesn’t even include our hundreds of contributors!