BIO

 

Rick Olivier has been photographing the music and culture of New Orleans and South Louisiana since his high school days in the 1970’s. A native of White Castle, Louisiana, his earliest professional achievement was winning two Louisiana Press Association awards for Feature Photography at the age of 16. He moved to New Orleans in 1982 and established himself as an acute observer of the local music scene with photography and writing for Wavelength Magazine, using the nom de plume “rico”.  By 1985 he had branched out into album covers, corporate annuals, advertising, and editorial assignments for national and regional magazines, which he continues to accept.

Olivier’s book, “Zydeco!” (University of Mississippi Press, 1999) won the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities Book Of The Year Award and stands as the definitive pictorial record of Louisiana’s exciting Creole dance music scene.

His music photographs have appeared on more than one hundred LP and CD covers and his portraits have twice graced the cover of the New York Times Magazine. Rick Olivier owns and operates Rick Olivier Photography / City Park Studio out of a former corner grocery store converted into a 1500 square foot studio in Mid-City New Orleans. His music can be heard in the Creole String Beans, a band known for their dedication to golden-era New Orleans r&b and South Louisiana swamp pop.