"The Blues in Black and White – The Photography of Kirk West"

MACON, Ga. - April 17, 2017 - PRLog -- Kirk West has launched "The Blues in Black and White" through the crowd-sourcing website Kickstarter.com. "The Blues in Black and White" covers the best of the Blues photography that Mr. West shot while living in Chicago in the late 1970 – 1980s. Not only does it include a multitude of blues greats but it captures the vibrant blues scene in the clubs and in the neighborhoods where this great music was played and appreciated. The list of icons that are included in this book is extensive; Muddy Waters, B. B. King, Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Son Seals, Bobby Blue Bland, Johnny Winter, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lonnie Brooks, Little Milton, Magic Slim, James Cotton, Albert King, Koko Taylor and many others. The book is a 200- page hard cover coffee table book with over 200 photographs. It will be available in the fall of 2017. In it Kirk has captured the essence of the blues whether it is the players, the fans, the music itself and the scene and the neighborhoods and the drama that is the blues.

"Proud and dignified but unpretentious; there's an honesty to Kirk's work and the people he's capturing." --- Derek Trucks

Kirk West is a well-known personality in the rock music scene after spending over 20 years as the "Tour Mystic" for the Allman Brothers Band. However, it all started in 1968 when Kirk left his home in rural Iowa and headed to Chicago to follow his passion for the Blues and the legendary players that made their home there. He immersed himself in the local blues scene and befriended many of the idols that drove him to make the journey to Chicago. Willy Dixon, Bobby Blue Bland, Howlin Wolf, and Junior Wells are just a few of the characters that were around at that time. Kirk got to listen to their music as well as photograph them, and their fans, in the clubs and juke joints on Chicago's Southside.

Mr. West's first photography book, "Les Brers – Kirk West's Photographic Journey with The Brothers" catalogued 40 years of working for, traveling with, and photographing The Allman Brothers Band. The Kickstarter campaign for that book raised just under $95,000 in 2 months and sold over 4000 copies.

The National Blues Museum in St. Louis, MO will be hosting an exhibit of over 200 of Mr. West's portraits of Blues performers and performances from November 2, 2017 through January 31, 2018.

Kirk West is represented by Gallery West, 447 Third Street in Macon, GA where there is an extensive display of all of his music photography.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Kirsten West at (478) 972-1598 or email at KirstenWest@KirkWestPhotography.com.

You can purchase the book here (https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1067190315/the-blues...). You can like and follow "The Blues In Black and White" (https://www.facebook.com/TheBluesInBlackandWhite/), his 1^st book "Les Brers" (https://www.facebook.com/LesBrers/) , Kirk (https://www.facebook.com/Kirk-West-Photography-223217954683669/), and Kirk's photographic gallery Gallery West (https://www.facebook.com/gallerywestmacon/) in Macon, GA on Facebook to get the latest information.