Local artist Craig Legg creating art book on “History of Birmingham Rock & Roll”

In early 2023, hundreds of music and art fans gathered in East Lake to see local artist Craig Legg unveil his newest art project at East Village Arts. Called “History of Birmingham Rock & Roll,” the exhibit featured 300+ paintings celebrating the history of Birmingham’s rock & roll scene from the 1950s to the present.

Now, Craig Legg and a team of supporters are working to transform the popular art exhibit into a limited-edition book.

The History Of Birmingham Rock & Roll

In 2019, Craig Legg began working on an ambitious new project entitled, “History of Birmingham Rock & Roll.” For over a year, Craig Legg researched local music history and interviewed musicians, deejays and venue owners to help inform the project.

Although the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, “History of Birmingham Rock & Roll” was unveiled to the public on January 28, 2023. Held at East Village Arts, the art exhibit featured over 300 paintings depicting Birmingham’s rock & roll scene, including:

• Venues like The Nick, the BJCC, Boutwell Auditorium, the Alabama Theatre, Legion Field, Rickwood Field, WORKPLAY, Saturn and Sloss Furnaces.
• Artists like Taylor Hicks, Daddy Stovepipe, Clarence “Pinetop” Smith, Bo Bice, Emmylou Harris, Ike Zimmerman, Maria Taylor and many, many more.

“History of Birmingham Rock & Roll” is the eighth collection in Craig Legg’s Trading Card Series; previous collections include “History of Birmingham Jazz” and “Alabama Roots Music”.

“History of Birmingham Rock & Roll” — now, in book form!

Building on the success of the exhibit, Craig Legg is working to transform his 300+-piece art project into a limited-edition book of the same name.

To help bring the vision to reality, Craig Legg and his team have launched a funding campaign on Kickstarter. The Kickstarter campaign is currently just above $6,000 towards its $21,000 goal; the campaign ends on Saturday, May 3.

Did you see “History of Birmingham Rock & Roll” at East Village Arts? Planning to support Craig Legg’s Kickstarter? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!