Jill Furmanovsky - The Early Years

Life in London began aged 11, when Jill moved with her family from Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) to London just in time for the start of the swinging sixties. An ardent teenage fan of the Beatles, Furmanovsky would often stand for hours outside Abbey Road Studios, but it was outside Paul McCartney’s house that she and her two friends got their chance. Taken on her Kodak Instamatic, Jill’s first rock shot was born!

In 1971 Jill enrolled at London’s Central School of Art and Design and the following year, whilst on a two-week block course in photography, she had a lucky break when she was offered a job as in-house photographer for premier rock venue, The Rainbow Theatre. From then on she shot live shots and features for the music press of the day of the 1970’s and 80’s, including NME, Melody Maker, Sounds, Smash Hits and The Face…