Photographer Bernard James snapped this picture of Ray Charles at the Saratoga Jazz Festival in New York, one among his 150 images of famous musicians he is shopping to collectors. (Photo: Joseph Kellard)

Photographer Finds His Groove Capturing Legendary Musicians

Joseph Kellard April 24, 2023

For years, Bernard James kept his film photographs of legendary musicians, from B.B. King to Aretha Franklin to Miles Davis, in photo albums few ever saw. The North Carolina resident eventually framed these images that he shot at music festivals during the 1980s and ’90s, and some were showcased in group exhibits at libraries on his native Long Island. Now he’s taking more steps to share them with the world.

I reunited my cousin, Lynn, for the first time in many years after she travelled to New York to cheer on the Denver Broncos before they played in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in February.

My Inaugural Year in Review

Joseph Kellard December 31, 2014

This is a first for me, writing a year-end review of my productive activities and accomplishments. It derives from my practice, initiated in 2011, of faithfully keeping a log of three good things that I made happen each day, all 365 of them.