Kramer first encountered Bob Dylan when he watched him perform “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” on The Steve Allen Show in 1964. “The lyrics were startling to me,” he toldin 2016. “They were so poetic. I knew this wasn’t an ordinary event. I knew this guy was special.”
Not long afterward, Kramer called up Dylan’s management firm and arranged a one-hour photoshoot in Woodstock, New York. But the two hit it off, and Kramer wound up working with Dylan for five hours. A couple of weeks later, Kramer brought a selection of the best images to Dylan and Albert Grossman, his manager. “They both walked around the table where I laid the prints out,” Kramer said. “Bob turned to me and said, ‘I’m going to Philadelphia next week.
It was the start of a 12-month odyssey where Kramer shadowed Dylan all across America, just as he was transitioning from a folk singer into a rock star. The photographer was even invited into New York’s Columbia Recording Studios in January 1965 to document the recording of, which marked the first time that Dylan was backed by a rock band. “I had no idea what I was going to hear, and neither did anyone else in the room,” Kramer said. “It was startling.
When the album was finished, Kramer asked Dylan to shoot the album cover. The session took place at Grossman’s home in Bearsville, New York. On the cover, Dylan is seated with a cat on his lap, surrounded by movie magazines, a fallout shelter sign, a copy of Time with Lyndon Johnson on the cover, and several vinyl records, including his previous LP, Another Side of Bob Dylan. Grossman’s wife Sally sits next to him on a couch, wearing a red dress and smoking a cigarette.
Kramer was married to Arline Cunningham for 43 years. She died in 2016. He is survived by his niece and nephews, Ilene Bereck, Brian Bereck, David Kramer, and Ira Kramer.Ethan Hawke Lost the Oscar for 'Training Day' and Denzel Washington Whispered in His Ear That Losing Was Better: 'You Don't Want an Award to Improve Your Status'To help keep your account secure, please log-in again.