Image above: Charles Daniels
CELEBRATION OF LIFE
Join us for a memorial celebration of the life and art of Charles Daniels.
Sunday, April 7, 4 pm to 7 pm
Center for the Arts at the Armory
191 Highland Avenue, Somerville
RSVP: TheMasterBlaster72 [at] gmail [dot] com
Maybe you knew Charles as a neighbor in the ‘Ville, hanging on his porch or a local cafe. Maybe you knew him as the Master Blaster – announcing at the Tea Party or WBCN, cavorting with rock legends on Newbury Street or Harvard Square. Maybe he photographed you dancing, or smoking backstage, or just walking down the street in style. Perhaps you even spotted Charlie in chaps and a cowboy hat astride one of his favorite horses, moseying down the road in Dover, MA. The man knew how to live, and that’s what we are gathering to remember and celebrate. Please join us!
Whether you are able to come in person or not, we have two optional requests:
– Altar of Memories: Please bring an offering – photos, notes, flowers, a memento – anything you think Charles would enjoy. Send a digital file if you can’t attend and we’ll print it out for you
– Record a short memory of Charles on your phone, 30 to 60 seconds maximum. We are not sure yet how we will share these, but so many people have told us stories; we want to preserve these glimpses of Charles’ rich and varied life! Email the recording to TheMasterBlaster72 [at] gmail [dot] com.
Parking limited. Permit parking waived on Sundays. Biking, walking, public transport recommended.
ABOUT CHARLES
Charles Daniels was a much-admired Boston-area photographer and beloved longtime partner of Susan Berstler, founder and director of the Nave Gallery.
Charles lived an incredible life that he told through the lens of his camera. Born in Alabama, he moved to Roxbury as a young boy. At the age of 12 or 13, Charles picked up his first camera and used it to document his day-to-day, capturing the movement and character of the city and people that he knew and loved so well. In the 60s, he began emceeing at rock venues like the Boston Tea Party. His kind, easy and open manner welcomed people to him, and in this time Charles befriended music legends such as Peter Wolf, Rod Stewart, Jimi Hendrix and many more. Whether he was introducing bands, hosting on WBCN-FM or touring with rock groups, Charles’s camera was with him, a constant friend that he turned to to capture the intimate to the mundane moments of a remarkable time.
Working in film, Charles had decades of undeveloped rolls (more than 3,000 to be exact). A grant by the Somerville Arts Council began funding the development of these images and a GoFundMe campaign has enabled the rest of his work to be developed. More that 90,000 images have been able to be produced through the generosity of supporters.
Charles lived an extraordinary life because he was an extraordinary man. He was naturally curious about people and offered friendship to all. He saw beauty in all things. He was kind and gentle and good. He will be missed.
Read The Boston Globe’s tribute to Charles.
Learn more about the GoFundMe campaign to publish Charles’s work.
Read more about Charles:
– The photographer with 60,000 undeveloped images of rock history ‘waiting to come back to life’; The Guardian
– Famed rock band photographer Charles Daniels sits on a treasure trove of undeveloped film; WCVB5
– Hidden inside Boston Photographer’s 3000 rolls of film are unseen photos of 1960s-70s rock gods; The Boston Globe
– Photographer’s 3,200 Undeveloped Film Rolls Hold History of Rock ‘n’ Roll; PetaPixel