Gruen credits Ike Turner with starting his career.[3] He first saw Ike & Tina Turner perform at Madison Square Garden during the Rolling Stones' American tour in 1969.[a][4] In 1970, Gruen took photographs of them performing at the Honka Monka nightclub in Queens.[3] He showed Turner the photographs and was invited to photograph them in California. "Ike introduced me to the publicist for their record company who took me to parties and introduced me to more people in the music business," he said.[3] Gruen developed a friendship with the Turners and shot the cover of their 1971 album 'Nuff Said.[3] In 2012, Gruen released Ike & Tina On The Road: 1971–72, a documentary he and his then-wife Nadya filmed of the Turners at their home and on tour.[5][6]
Since 1980, Morrison Hotel Gallery has been the primary representative for Gruen's photography. His work is included in the collections of the National Portrait Gallery in London and the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle.[9]
In 2008, Gruen's Rockers, a 280 photograph installation, exhibited at Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York.[10] From December 2011 to January 2012, the Fahey/Klein Gallery in Los Angeles held an exhibition of Gruen's photographs from his book Rock Seen.[11][12] His photographs have been exhibited at various art galleries and museums internationally, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Brooklyn Museum, Sotheby's S/2 Gallery London, the Morris Museum in New Jersey, Shelburne Museum in Vermont.[13][14][15]
In 2020, Gruen released his memoir Right Place, Right Time: The Life of a Rock & Roll Photographer.[16]
Personal life
Gruen has a son, Kris Gruen, with his former wife Nadya Beck.[17]
Gruen has been married to Elizabeth Gregory Gruen since 1995.[4]
As a humanitarian, Gruen has worked with many local and international charities to raise money in support of their life-affirming missions. A partial list includes: WhyHunger, Her Justice, Tibet House, the Kristen Ann Carrr Fund, the Donaldson Adoption Institute, Save the Music, MusicCares, and Aperture Foundation.[18]
Accolades
Bob's magical photos and brilliantly telling captions together present a kaleidoscope of John Lennon's New York Period. It is beautiful, clear, and truthful. I know. I was there.
—Yoko Ono (John Lennon: The New York Years by Bob Gruen)
In 2004, Gruen was presented with Mojo magazine's prestigious Honours List Award for Classic Image in London.
In 2007, he received the International Society of Photographers Outstanding Achievement Award and the Great Neck Arts Center Artist of Distinction Award.
In 2014, his documentary film Ike & Tina On The Road: 1971–72 won the Living Blues Award for Best BluesDVD of 2013.[20]
For his many charitable contributions, Gruen received the first ever John Lennon Real Love Award at the 32nd Annual John Lennon Tribute Concert in December 2014.[18]