Bio
Mar 20, 11:08 PM
Dennis is an accomplished graphic designer specializing in music
related marketing materials & publication design. He has created
album covers, posters, and print ads for Roky Erickson, Frank
Zappa, Johnny “Guitar” Watson, Marty Balin, Denise Williams,
The Blues Project, Barry White, Jesse Winchester, Willie Nile,
The Bobby Fuller Four, Rick James, Muddy Waters, Jimi Hendrix,
Big Brother & The Holding Company, Moby Grape, Paul McCartney,
Jefferson Starship, Paul McCartney, The Velvet Underground,
Joan Baez and many others.
Dennis was born in Detroit in 1946. After graduating from Edsel
Ford High School in 1964 – he worked full time – while attending
evening art classes at the Center For Creative Studies. He was
drafted in September 1965. He was stationed overseas in Sinop,
Turkey. In the spring of 1967, he was sent to the Presidio in San
Francisco. After his discharge, he decided to stay in S.F Bay
area because of the vibrant art and muisc and scene. Dennis
formed a band called “Mercury Vapor,” with guitarists Joe Toschi
& David Green. His musical high point was jamming with BB King
at the Fillmore West in February of 1970.
He returned to Detroit in 1971 where he continued his doing art
and music. In 1976, Dennis recorded his song “Let Go” for the
“Stone Soup” album. On this recording, he was accompanied by
Ted Lucas (of The Spike-Drivers), Bill Long (of The Tidal Waves)
and Mike Waddell. “Stone Soup” was a compilation of 11 Detroit
area singer-songwriters. Dennis worked with Stanley Mouse on
Ted Lucas’ solo album cover design. Also in 1976, he began
working at the Detroit Sun with Gary Grimshaw and John Sinclair.
In 1978 Dennis became the Art Director for Goldmine magazine.
During this time he also began to work with Detroit indie labels
(Spider, IDBI, Tremor, FTM, Maverick, Westbound and others) as
a freelance designer. Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s he did
hundreds of flyers, posters, record sleeves for Detroit groups,
such as, Sonic’s Rendezvous Band, Patti Smith, The Rockets,
The Mutants, Cinecyde, The Romantics, Destroy All Monsters,
Natasha, The Ivories, The Reruns, Flirt, The Torpedos and The
Hysteric Narcotics.
In 1986, started working again with Gary Grimshaw at Creem
magazine. Cambray Publishing (who owned Creem) relocated to
Los Angeles 1987 and Dennis became the Art Director. After
Creem was sold in 1991, Dennis started freelancing fulltime with
labels, such as, Rhino, Bomp, Del-Fi, Vanguard, Priority, Bellmark,
Navarre, Ichiban and Curb. While living in Hollywood, he also
designed posters for The House Of Blues, The Palladium, The
Roxy, The Hollywood Bowl, The Whisky A Go-Go & other venues.
Dennis now lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and continues
to produce illustrations, CD packages, posters and other music
related merchandise. In 2004, he worked with Mark London on
the packaging for Brian Wilson’s SMiLE album. Dennis maintains
a very strong connection to his Detroit roots, which can be seen
in his contemporary concert poster work for artists, such as The
White Stripes, The Dirtbombs, The Detroit Cobras and many others.
Some of his concert poster work appears in “The Art Of Modern
Rock” by Paul Grushkin and Dennis King (Chronicle Books).
