Grievous Angels, Trout Masks, And American Beauties

In the early 1970s, Ginny Winn became the first in-house staff photographer for Warner/Reprise Records in Burbank, CA - when its roster included John Cale, Grateful Dead, Van Morrison, Maria Muldaur, Jimmy Webb, The Incredible String Band, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Captain Beefheart, Alice Cooper, Frank Zappa, Bonnie Raitt, Tim Buckley, Arlo Guthrie, and Jackie DeShannon. Led by Mo Ostin and Joe Smith, the label's catalogue was a blend of counterculture icons and Americana (before it had a name). By the late '70s, Ginny had moved into Hollywood imagery, her camera capturing the likes of Carly Simon, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Roz Kelly, Penelope Spheeris, Jodie Foster, and Gloria Swanson. Along the way, Ginny also photographed Bob Marley, Al Green, Maxayn Lewis, Donna Summer, and Alice Coltrane. It was rare for a female photographer to get such access, yet Ginny was not an outsider: she was welcomed into artists' homes, dressing rooms, and private moments