Guitarist in downtown Norman storefront during art walk. (Doug Hill)
[dropcap]P[/dropcap]art of what I’ve done for the past 20 years is write about music in the greater Oklahoma City metropolis, mostly for the Norman Transcript. Both on and off the University of Oklahoma campus, there is a rich — albeit constantly rotating — pool of talent.
For every article about musicians and their music, there really needs to be an accompanying photo. That’s the other part of what I’ve been doing the past two decades. Live-performance photos in particular can often capture a musician’s essence, even though their sound — unless it’s being recorded — has instantly vanished into thin air.
There is a wide variety of musical genres being played in central Oklahoma. You’ll see in these shots classical, hip-hop, folk, indie rock, jazz and blues musicians. You might say music in Oklahoma is kind of like the weather: If you don’t like it, just wait a while, and it will change.
Regardless of genre, photographing people who are passionate about making music is something I never tire of.
Annie Oakley on stage in downtown Norman. (Doug Hill)
Magnificent Bird performing at a Norman Arts Council event behind Opolis in Norman. (Doug Hill)
New Mexico singer-songwriter Jose Antonio Ponce performing at Norman Music Institute. (Doug Hill)
Muskrat Love composer Willis Alan Ramsey headlining a show at Norman Music Institute. (Doug Hill)
OKC’s Culture Cinematic rocking Groovefest at Andrews Park in Norman. (Doug Hill)
Harumph playing their flavor of jazz-Americana at Groovefest in Norman. (Doug Hill)
Unknown combo performing on art walk Friday in Norman. (Doug Hill)
OKC’s Jabee Williams rapping at a Norman Arts Council event in Legacy Park. (Doug Hill)
Dr. Richard Zielinski leading the Norman Philharmonic in Legacy Park. (Doug Hill)
From the Edge concert series organizer Erin Yeaman (cello) and pianist Cynthia Cortright at Mainsite Gallery in Norman. (Doug Hill)
Dr. Jennifer Peck performing Kokopelli at a chamber music concert in Mainsite Gallery in Norman. (Doug Hill)
(Editor’s note: To submit content for NonDoc, simply email editorial@nondoc.com. We accept submissions from across the political spectrum, as well as short fiction, poetry and photos.)
Doug Hill earned a double-major undergraduate degree in English and East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas and a master's in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. He's been a freelance journalist and photographer in central Oklahoma since 1997.
