Born June 17, 1949, in Pomona CA., Edward Curtiss Colver (a third-generation Southern Californian) was named after his 12-times removed great-grandfather, who arrived in the U.S. from Cornwall England in 1635. Edward’s father, Charles, was a forest ranger for 43 years in charge of a 17,000 acre experimental forest. Upon his retirement, Charles was presented with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Award by President George H. W. Bush at the White House. The tallest peak southwest of Mount San Antonio aka Mount Baldy, was named after Charles (Colver Peak) .
Edward is essentially a self taught photographer; his brief formal training occurred during night classes at UCLA, where he studied beginning photography with Eileen Cowin. Largely influenced by Dada and Surrealism, Edward was most impressed in his early years by the art of Southern Californian native Edward Kienholz. In the late 1960′s, Edward’s perspective on life and art was changed by his exposure to composers such as Edgar Varese, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Krzysztof Penderecki, and John Cage.
Three months after he began taking photographs, Edward had his first photo published: an image of performance artist Johanna Went, featured in Bam magazine. Since then he has shot photos for dozens of record labels including EMI, Capitol, and Geffen. His photographs have been featured on more than 500 album covers and include some of the most recognizable and iconic covers of the late 20th century. His work as a rock photographer is well documented in the film American Hardcore.
With the launch of his website in 2000, Edward officially entered the punk fashion world with his line of punk and gothic t-shirts:
To place your order now, click “Shirt Killer” to select from the Official clothing line.
To inquire for licensing email: thepeople@edwardcolver.com.
Edward has been shooting photographs for over 44 years and never ran an ad, never solicited work, never published his phone number and uses funeral sympathy cards with his information stamped on them for “business cards.”