A selected record of museum and gallery presentations from Barrie Wentzell's career.
Monographs, catalogues and photography books from the archive.
Documentaries, recorded interviews and television appearances from the archive.
Should’ve Been There presents Barrie Wentzell’s remarkable photographic journey through one of the most transformative decades in music history. Featuring his iconic and candid images of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Elton John and many others, the film introduces the book and the extraordinary archive behind it.
In this intimate interview, Barrie Wentzell reflects on his career photographing rock’s formative years, his photojournalistic approach, and the extraordinary access he had to artists before they became legends. He recalls photographing emerging acts including The Rolling Stones, Genesis and Joe Cocker, and his desire to make viewers feel as though they were there in the room with the musicians.
Beatles, Bowie, Dylan, Mercury and more: rock’n’roll royalty – in pictures
Published 11 November 2025. A retrospective picture feature in which Barrie Wentzell revisits photographs from his decade at Melody Maker, including The Beatles, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant and other defining figures of 1960s and 1970s music.
The Legends: Photographs Capture Rock’s Explosive Decade
Published 24 April 2023. A feature examining Barrie Wentzell as one of the early photographers of rock culture and the access that allowed him to photograph Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and others before and during their rise to international fame.
Leslie Ann Coles Resurrects Melody Maker in New Documentary
Published 18 December 2019. An extended feature on the documentary Melody Makers and Wentzell's central role in it, discussing his archive, negatives and hand-printed darkroom work from his years at Melody Maker.
Get On With the Gig and Have Fun: Iconic Rock-and-Roll Lensman Barrie Wentzell
Published in the December 2015 / January 2016 issue, by Joyce Singer D'Aprile. An extended profile of Wentzell's career and photographic philosophy, tracing his development as an intimate observer of musicians and his work with figures including Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash and Tina Turner.
Melody Maker: The Best Years, 1965–1975, The Photography of Barrie Wentzell
Published 3 October 2012. Time Out marks Wentzell's New York exhibition of forty works from his Melody Maker archive at Morrison Hotel Gallery, documenting artists including Jimi Hendrix, Ray Davies, Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.
Local Character: Rock Photographer Barrie Wentzell Recalls A Life Among Legends
Published 1 December 2009. A profile and interview exploring Wentzell's access to the musicians he photographed, his beginnings with Diana Ross, and his decade documenting rock history for Melody Maker from 1965 to 1975.
