Introducing This Year’s ICON Award Winner

California native and New York City resident Roberta Bayley (Iggy Pop, Blondie/Debbie Harry, The Ramones) has been confirmed as the recipient of this year’s ICON award. Arriving in New York in the spring of 1974, Bayley soon began working the door at New York’s legendary punk club, CBGBs. She started photographing the musicians who played there and soon went to work as chief photographer for Punk magazine, which gave the movement its name. She is one of the main photographers to visually chronicle the early punk rock scene, from 1975 through the ‘80s. Among the artists Bayley has photographed are Iggy Pop, the Ramones, Debbie Harry and Blondie, Richard Hell, Elvis Costello, the Sex Pistols, Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers, Ian Dury, Brian Eno, Nick Lowe, The Damned, The Clash, The Dead Boys, X-Ray Spex, Squeeze, and a reunited New York Dolls. Bayley's photographs are featured in countless books and magazines on punk. She co-wrote Patti Smith: An Unauthorized Biography (Simon & Schuster, 1996) and published her own book on Blondie titled Blondie Unseen (Plexus, 2006).

Speaking about receiving this year’s ICON award, Roberta says: “I am very honored to be receiving the Abbey Road ICON award, especially to be in the company of such great photographers as David Bailey, Anton Corbijn and Jill Furmanovsky. This New York punk has come a long way!!”

Blondie, 7th Avenue (1978) and Debbie Harry, HOG 3/4 (1978) / Image credits Roberta Bayley

Joey Ramone, Surf board, Coney Island (1977) / Image credits Roberta Bayley

Clem Burke, Heart of Glass (1978) and Clem Burke, Red Box Philly (1978) / Image credits Roberta Bayley

Ramones Album Cover / Image credits Roberta Bayley