Mick Hutson, celebrated music photographer, died on Thursday, June 1, 2023, aged 58. Mick was known for his work for Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Q and Select magazines, among others, and he shot many of the biggest names in music. His pictures were used on official album releases by Nirvana, AC/DC, Primal Scream, Queens Of The Stone Age, Mike Oldfield, Judas Priest and more.
Mick was born in Newcastle in May 1965. He grew up in Aberdeen, and when he left school went to work on the North Sea oil rigs: 12 hours a day, 14 days on, 14 days off. On LinkedIn he lists his occupation back then as “roughneck”: slang for an unskilled labourer on the drill floor. The Collins dictionary says that a roughneck is someone who is “not gentle or polite and can be violent”. That’s not even close to being a fair description of Mick, who was known for his good humour and charm. In fact he once told Digital Camera World that “the real secret of my photography, if there is one, is charm. Charming the PRs into a few more minutes with the band, charming the artist to let me photograph them somewhere other than the hotel corridor, and charming the tour manager to let me stay that little bit longer in the pit at a gig. It’s all about constant negotiation.”
He left the oil rigs to do a master’s degree in Photography and Film. “But it didn’t count for anything,” he said later – what really mattered was doing the work. He went to work for the famous music photographer David Redfern. “I learned a lot – a huge amount – in the couple of years I was with him,” Mick told Primal magazine.
This story is from the August 2023 edition of Classic Rock.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2023 edition of Classic Rock.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
CREATURES OF HABITS
In the late 80s, FM seemed poised for huge success. By the mid-90s the dream, and the band, was effectively over. Then almost 20 years later a one-off gig offer changed everything...
AHEAD OF THE GAME
Too punk for punk in the late 70s, Oi! elder statesmen in the early 80s, living-legend role models in the early 90s, Cock Sparrer never got credit for what they started. Today, after all these years, they're as strong as they've ever been.
BAD BLOOD AND BURIED HATCHES
After a slow start, by the end of the 70s Canadian trio Triumph were living up to their name. Then came the falling-out, the split, and 20 years of toxicity before they shared a stage again.
REALITY BITES
Chris Goss lit the fuse on the 90s stoner revolution, and worked with bands including Kyuss and QOTSA. Meanwhile, his band Masters Of Reality remain hardly known despite having made some truly great records.
JON BON JOVI
\"There was no Plan B in my life, ever,\" he says. Luckily he didn't need one. He started in covers bands, got the breaks, went on to mastermind one of the biggest and biggest-selling bands of his era, and became one of its biggest rock stars. And there's more - much more...
THE RESURRECTION SHUFFLE
Dio was out, Gillan was gone, Geezer had given up. And Ozzy? Ozzy had declared war... Into the blackness surrounding Black Sabbath came light in the shape of singer Tony Martin, and the next chapter in the band's ever eventful story began.
Chris Spedding
The legendary sideman and session guitarist on a \"naughty\" 70s, discovering the Sex Pistols and being an honorary Beatle.
David Bowie-Absolute Beginners
Taken from an idea through to a finished song in time left over after David Bowie recorded a clandestine demo, it led to a \"functional\" guitarist working with Bowie for the next 10 years.
The Karma Effect
Meet the young classic rock revivalists with a stadium-style approach to shows and songs.
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats
After six years without a new record, they return with one inspired by 70s Italian murder-mystery cinema.
