What is the Michael Ochs Archives?

What is the Michael Ochs Archives?

On the 5^th floor of the Getty Images Los Angeles offices, we house about 5 million photographs.

This collection is most famous for telling the story of 20^th Century music from jazz to grunge and everything in between.

Jazz singer Billie Holiday performs at the Club Downbeat in February 1947 in New York City, New York. 

Kurt Cobain. Circa 1993, by Sam Jones

But there is so much more hidden in the files and on Getty Images that you may have never associated with the MOA or thought we had down there.

In fact, there are just about as many images of the most famous &/or infamous people from that era as we have of musicians.

Richard Pryor, Early 1960s, Los Angeles, California

NFL star O.J. Simspson sits with his wife Marguerite (Whitley) Simpson, daughter Arnelle and son Jason during a portrait session on January 8, 1973 in Los Angeles, California.

There are also pioneering early color photographs. 

A general view of of New York Central System's 20th Century Limited, designed by Henry Dreyfuss circa 1938 . (Photo by Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

And so many other random gems. Like for instance a woman on an alligator. 

A woman poses for a portrait while riding an alligator at The Los Angeles Alligator Farm at 3627 Mission Road in the Lincoln Heights area on September 30, 1949 in Los Angeles, California. 

And still more… yet to be discovered.

Here is a NY Times article from 2006 that goes in to further depth. 

And here is a partial list of Wholly Owned Photographers and Magazines with links to highlights from each collection…

Brian McLaughlin: 70’s LA based rock n’ roll photographer. We scanned most of his images before we were bought by Getty and crediting wholly owned photographers. So there is only a small sampling of images credited to him online. But there are several hundred scanned. And multiple thousands of images in the files that contain his life’s work.

Capitol Records: Musicians recording in the Capitol studios from the 40’s to the 60’s.

Country and rockabilly singer Wanda Jackson in the Capitol Records recording studios circa 1960, in Los Angeles, California.

Cyrus Andrews: 60’s English rock n’ roll TV show performances on Ready Steady Go. Stones, The Who, The Kinks, oh my!

 London 1964

Don Paulsen: 60’s NY R&B and rock n’ roll writer and photographer for Hit Parader magazine. Backstage at the Apollo with James Brown, The Temptations, The Supremes! Quiet moments with the Stones at their hotel. Keef (Keith Richards for the unitiated) playing piano.

Soul singer James Brown performs at the Apollo Theatre in New York, New York. (Photo by Don Paulsen/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Earl Leaf: Marilyn, Beach Boys, Sinatra, everybody who was anybody in LA from the 40’s to the 70’s. Cheesecake, models, vintage LA. He visited Chairman Mao as a spy for the OSS. He was at a small party where Bowie played on his 1^st trip to the US, etc! 10’s of thousand of images online (So far!)

A couple in their car on Mulholland Drive overlooking the city at night on June 7 1951 in Los Angeles California. (Photo by Earl Leaf/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)

Ed Feingersh: Quiet, beautiful moments with Marilyn Monroe & Audrey Hepburn

Actress Marilyn Monroe takes the subway in Grand Central Station on March 24, 1955 in New York City, New York. (Photo by Ed Feingersh/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

GIF’s: I (this is Chesne speaking) have been making GIF’s from some of our most iconic sessions. Making this archive of still images also contain footage. This is meant to help bolster our GIF offering from recent events and buttress our entertainment, assignments and sales teams.

Ivan Dmitri: Pioneering and mostly unheralded color photographer who traveled the globe starting in the early 40’s. He wrote several books to showcase his work. ~6,000 images online (So far!)

Players huddle up during a game of women's football circa 1940. (Photo by Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

James Kriegsmann: Studio portraits of mostly musicians with an emphasis on African-American artists. We have 10’s of thousands of his and his son’s gorgeous 8x10” negs on the 5^th floor.

Big Band leader Cab Calloway poses for a portrait circa 1938 in New York City, New York. (Photo by James Kriegsmann/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Jasper Dailey: In the studio with the Wrecking Crew musicians recording with the Beach Boys, Dean Martin, Nancy Sinatra, Glen Campbell. And he was also out at the divey Palomino in North Hollywood with stars before they were famous or just past their prime. Pretty much every night from the early 70’s to the mid 80’s

An exterior view of famed nightclub The Palonino with country star Willie Nelson on the marquee on August 8, 1971 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jasper Dailey/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Jess Rand: Sam Cooke’s manger. Intimate candids and recording studio shots of the crooner in his prime.

Sam Cooke, 1959, California, Los Angeles, RCA Recording Studio, Sam Cooke. (Photo by Jess Rand/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Maurice Seymour: Maurice and Seymour Gelman formed in 1929. Gorgeous studio portraits of movie stars

Jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald poses for a portrait circa 1940 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Maurice Seymour/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Michael Montfort: German magazine photographer. Lots of musicians. Arnold Schwarzenegger! We have like 4 drawers of Wolfgang Puck. That’s 3.75 too many!

Jim Morrison, Sept. 1968; Frankfurt, Germany.

Moviepix: Publicity handouts and wholly owned movie sets and stars. 10’s of thousands of images. Made a full edit of our movie files that is now online. But the personality files are relatively untouched. They contain about as many photos as the music files! A lifetime’s 
worth of work ahead right there.

Actor George Clooney poses for a portrait session in May 1985 in Los Angeles, California. 

Pix Collection: A news agency founded by LIFE photographers in 1935. Iconic images of Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, the Kennedys. Many of which Time Life doesn’t have.

President John F. Kennedy reflects the crowd in his Ray Ban sunglasses during the groundbreaking ceremony for the Dan Luis Dam on August 18, 1962 on the Pacheco Pass between Los Banos and Gilroy, California 

Ray Whitten: Another part of the Capitol Records collection that we have the negs to. Young Sinatra, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Peggy Lee, etc.

Singers Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra sing in to a vintage NBC microphone at the piano on February 15, 1946 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Ray Whitten/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Richard Creamer: LA based 70’s rock n’ roll. Ramones, Alice Cooper, Kiss

Tom Petty performs in February 1977 in Los Angeles, California (Photo by Richard Creamer/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Right on Magazine: African American teen magazine from 1972-88. We have the original transparencies. There are thousands of Jackson 5, Run DMC, Public Enemy, LL Cool J, etc!

(Clockwise from bottom left) Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, Terminator X, S1W and Chuck D of the rap group Public Enemy pose for a portrait in a studio. 

Ron Wolfson: Backstage and on stage at American Bandstand in the 80’s.

Comedian Al Franken poses for a portrait session backstage dressed as Mick Jagger at a performance with Tom Davis of the comedy group 'Franken and Davis' at Stockton State University in Galloway Township, New Jersey for a Showtime Special which aired in October 1983. (Photo by Ron Wolfson/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Rona Barrett’s Hollywood: Richard Nairin photos of celebrities out on the town in LA in the early 70’s. Lots of paparazzi stuff. His name was mostly left off as these were mostly scanned pretty Getty acquisition of the collection.

Stephen Paley: NY based photographer who mingled with the stars. In the studio with Aretha Franklin. The Allman Brothers naked in a creek. David Geffen before he was DAVID GEFFEN. Laura Nyro. Anthony Perkins wedding to Berry Berenson where the best man was his dog.

Duane Allman Recording. Photo by Stephen Paley

Suzan Carson: LA based music photographer. 70’s-80’s. Live and portrait sessions. Patti Smith, Blondie, etc.

Pete Townshend of the rock band The Who smashes his Gibson Les Paul while performing at the Forum on November 23, 1973 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Suzan Carson/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Tiger Beat: White American teen pop culture magazine. We have the original transparencies. Not the covers. 10’s of thousands of them. You want the Monkees? We got the Monkees. You want Leif Garrett? We have Leif Garrett coming out of our ears. And other more enduring acts.

Mickey Dolenz catches up on his reading on the set of the television show The Monkees in May 1967 in Los Angeles, California.

William Grimes: The Golden Age of Hollywood – 20’s-40’s A-listers. Found on the street. Ochs bought them for $500! ~1000 images online. They are all edited.

Actress Elizabeth Taylor poses for a candid portrait circa 1947 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by William Grimes/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Wilson Lindsay: Rock stars in Detroit in the 60’s. Smokey Robinson, Motown offices, Jimmy Page, Butterfield Blues Band, Howlin’ Wolf

 Blues singer and harmonica player Howlin' Wolf (born Chester Arthur Burnett, 1910-1976)performs live on stage in Detroit, Michigan circa 1965. Guitarist Hubert Sumlin (1931-2011) plays behind. (Photo by Wilson Lindsay/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Wink Martindale’s Dance Party: TV show on the Pacific Ocean Pier. Johnny Mathis, The Coasters

(L-R) Will 'Dub' Jones, Carl Gardner, Cornell Gunter, and Billy Guy of the doo wop group 'The Coasters' perform on Wink Martindale's TV Dance Party on April 8, 1961.

(This doesn’t even include our hundreds of contributors!)