Gered Mankowitz

Gered Mankowitz was born in London, England, on 3rd August 1946.  The first of four sons of the late author, playwright and film writer Wolf Mankowitz and his wife, the Jungian psychotherapist Ann Mankowitz.

During 1963, Gered met and photographed the singing duo Chad and Jeremy, who had just signed with Ember records.  One of these photos was used as the cover of the duo’s first album, “Yesterday’s Gone”, and Gered found himself working in the music industry at a time when it desperately needed new, mould breaking images.

At the end of 1963 Gered opened his first studio, at 9 Masons Yard in the heart of London’s West End.  On one side was the infamous disco “The Scotch of St.James”, hangout of the pop glitterati of the time, and on the other the art gallery “Indica”, partly financed by The Beatles and where John Lennon met Yoko Ono.

Within a few months Gered had already begun to make a name for himself, and he was approached to photograph Marianne Faithful, who had just had a big hit with “As Tears Go By”.  Working closely with Marianne he got to know her manager and producer Andrew Loog Oldham.

In early 1965, Oldham asked him to photograph the Rolling Stones, who he also managed and produced.  This was a major turning point in Gered’s career, because from this first session came the cover for “Out of Our Heads” (U.S. title “December’s Children”), and as a result he was asked by the Stones to go to America with them on their record breaking 1965 autumn tour.

During this 9 week (48 city) tour of the U.S. Gered photographed the Stones on stage and off, and got particularly close to Keith and Charlie.  There were many adventures as Gered found himself on the road with the greatest Rock band in the world at the peak of their original success.  Gered continued working with the Stones as their ‘official’ photographer, producing photos for albums (“Between the Buttons”;  “Got Live If You Want It”;  “Big Hits”; and several others), press and publicity, taken at home, in the recording studio, on stage and behind the scenes until 1967, when the band broke off with their manager, Oldham.