Dee Lippingwell has she wants to share.
It香蕉视频直播檚 the title of her new, limited-edition book that documents the 17-year history of Merritt Mountain Music Festival, the popular country-music gathering once held in the B.C. Interior town.
A longtime concert photographer based in Surrey, Lippingwell was the festival香蕉视频直播檚 official photographer from 1993 to 2009.
Just published, the 220-page softcover book features her photos of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Randy Travis, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and other country stars, along with shots of festival moments.
香蕉视频直播楳ountain香蕉视频直播� memories: Surrey photog香蕉视频直播檚 book recalls 香蕉视频直播榗razy-ass scene香蕉视频直播� of Merritt music fest.
香蕉视频直播� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
Campground C party zone and more remembered in Dee Lippingwell香蕉视频直播檚 third book.
Lippingwell香蕉视频直播檚 yearly job was to 香蕉视频直播渂asically take photographs of everything on a daily basis,香蕉视频直播� she explains in the book, her third filled with concert photos.
香蕉视频直播淲e looked forward to whatever the festival had in store for us 香蕉视频直播� rain, hail, blistering sun, dust storms, just to name a few,香蕉视频直播� she writes. 香蕉视频直播淏ut we came prepared for everything and were never disappointed at each year香蕉视频直播檚 review, only to start planning for the next year and what would be done different or added. We were a family that included paid and unpaid participants, all of us anxiously awaiting the next Mountainfest.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播� RELATED STORY, from January: .
PICTURED: Dee Lippingwell
The book香蕉视频直播檚 intro, written by former Province entertainment reporter John McLaughlin, chronicles the festival香蕉视频直播檚 infamous Campground C party zone, filled with cowboy hat-wearing guys (香蕉视频直播淐ody香蕉视频直播�) and bikini-clad gals (香蕉视频直播淐rystal香蕉视频直播�), tricked-out bars, pool tables, pools, DIY dance floors and lots of liquor.
香蕉视频直播淭here were a lot of different customers that kept Merritt as a top summer event on their calendars every year, buffing up the RV and making plans to camp with friends,香蕉视频直播� McLaughlin writes. 香蕉视频直播淐ody, Crystal and their many friends and all their cute, pink livers are actually what kept the place going all those years, kept the beer garden full and the party never ending. It was a crazy-ass scene until it wasn香蕉视频直播檛 and, like starlings out the barn door, the kids swarmed off with some new distraction and just didn香蕉视频直播檛 come back.香蕉视频直播�
(Story continues below photo)
PICTURED: Country musician Keith Urban on stage at Merritt Mountain Music Festival in 2002, in a photograph by Surrey香蕉视频直播檚 Dee Lippingwell.
McLaughlin tells the story of the festival香蕉视频直播檚 香蕉视频直播渋gnoble finale香蕉视频直播� in 2009.
香蕉视频直播淎dd in the disaster of a brain boggling backstage cash demand from Kenny Chesney香蕉视频直播檚 people, payable before his sold-out performance, which led to a mad scramble and left all the staff and freelancers, including our own Dee (Lippingwell), unpaid to this day. That left behind plenty of fury and drama, lawsuits flew like scared chickens but in the end, somehow, there was simply no money. Zip. It was amazing to see it go down, but down indeed went Merritt Mountain Music Festival.香蕉视频直播�
Only 250 copies of 香蕉视频直播淢emories From the Mountain香蕉视频直播� are available (for $65 on ), and each book comes signed and numbered.
Lippingwell, 75, photographed the festival with the help of her husband, Paul, and some hired shooters.
Over the years she香蕉视频直播檚 catalogued images of the 3,500 rock, country and pop concerts she香蕉视频直播檚 photographed since her very first, a Pink Floyd gig in Vancouver in 1973.
Lippingwell香蕉视频直播檚 1987 book, 香蕉视频直播淭he Best Seat in the House,香蕉视频直播� was followed in 2012 by the self-published 香蕉视频直播淔irst Three Songs香蕉视频直播� No Flash,香蕉视频直播� a title that referenced the instructions typically given to concert photographers before a show begins.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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