Leee Black Childers (July 24, 1945 – April 6, 2014) was an American photographer, writer and

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

manager, who "recorded the legacy of a theatrical cross over between rock music and gay culture". Born Lee Black Childers in Jefferson County, Kentucky, he started to spell his name with three rather than two "e"s as a child.

Biography

Childers grew up in Kentucky and attended Kentucky Southern College near Louisville, Kentucky, before moving to San Francisco, and later in 1968 to New York City. He began taking photographs of

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

s and was encouraged by

Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...

to work as a photographer, gaining a reputation for his portraits of the artists, musicians and others who passed through

the Factory The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio in New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famed for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities and Warhol's superstar ...

in New York. In the early 1970s, he managed Warhol's stage production, ''

Pork Pork is the culinary name for the meat of the domestic pig (''Sus domesticus''). It is the most commonly consumed meat worldwide, with evidence of pig husbandry dating back to 5000 BCE. Pork is eaten both freshly cooked and preserved; ...

'', directed by Tony Ingrassia at the Roundhouse in London. He was assistant to Warhol at the Factory between 1982 and 1984, and took photographs of visiting celebrities, counter-cultural figures and musicians, particularly of punk rock and

new wave music New wave is a loosely defined music genre that encompasses pop-oriented styles from the late 1970s and the 1980s. It was originally used as a catch-all for the various styles of music that emerged after punk rock, including punk itself. La ...

stars, such as

Ruby Lynn Reyner Ruby Lynn Reyner is an American singer, songwriter, musical playwright and actress known as the star of the Playhouse of the Ridiculous and associated as the leader of the glam rock band Ruby and the Rednecks in New York City. She and her band ...

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

Jayne County Wayne Rogers (born July 13, 1947), better known by her stage name Jayne County is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer whose career has spanned six decades. Under the name Wayne County (inspired by Wayne County, Michigan), ...

and the

Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they were one of the most groundbreaking acts in the history of popular music. They were responsible for ...

. He worked as a tour manager for

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg Jr. (born April 21, 1947), known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer, musician, songwriter and actor. Called the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godfather of Punk", he was the vocalist and lyricist of ...

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with ...

and

Mott the Hoople Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fail ...

among others. In 2012 he published ''Drag Queens, Rent Boys, Pick Pockets, Junkies, Rockstars and Punks'', a collection of some of his photographs and their background which was the subject of exhibitions in London in 2011 and Los Angeles, California, in March 2014. In 2016, Childers's 2010 interview was featured in ''

Danny Says "Danny Says" is a ballad written by Joey Ramone. The song was originally released as the third track on the Ramones' 1980 album, ''End of the Century''. The 2002 Expanded Edition CD of the album includes a demo version of "Danny Says" among the b ...

'' appearing alongside

Danny Fields Danny Fields (born Daniel Feinberg; November 13, 1939) is an American music manager, publicist, journalist and author. As a music industry executive from the 1960s to the 1980s, he was one of the most influential figures in the history of punk r ...

and

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

. Childers died in Los Angeles, California, on April 6, 2014, at the age of 68 from undisclosed causes.

References

External links

Video interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Childers, Leee Black 1945 births 2014 deaths Rock music photographers Andy Warhol Artists from Louisville, Kentucky Writers from Louisville, Kentucky American LGBT photographers