ROCK & ROLL | Photography by Don Aters

Don Aters was a photographer, storyteller, and renowned documentarian of one of the most turbulent and amazing periods of recent American history, what is known in counterculture terminology as “The 60’s”. The music world he documented is largely immortalized because of his work. 

Aters started his colorful (and black & white) career in the midst of San Francisco’s Haight/ Asbury District in 1966, moving to New York in the late 1960s. For more than four decades, he captured the largest rock icons all the way through the up-and-coming artists. These are the icons of an entire generation, those that made a difference within the parameters of society, as well as music. But it’s how honest, how real the photos are that defines his work.

Aters’ images show the deepest part of the person, their soul. They also tell a story by being in the present moment; nothing flashy, just raw and emotional.