Harold Sherrick visits to talk about his book "A Pigs Tale" which tells the story of one of the most famous bootleg labels, Trade Mark of Quality.
In that hot summer of ’69 two longhaired music freaks created an underground LP record album of unreleased tracks by one of their music gods and put it out on the streets of Los Angeles. No one had ever been crazy enough to do such an audacious thing before. The god’s official record label was not amused but the music fans were thrilled. Were these guys pirates or heroes? It was so much fun the first time, they soon pressed up even more records of forbidden musical fruit. They were on a roll. The following year, in 1970, one of the culprits put The Pig image in a circular logo with the name “Trade Mark of Quality.” TMQ and Pigman were born!
With a cast of outrageous characters, here is the story of Trade Mark of Quality aka TMQ aka The Pig, the first bootleg record label of its kind, spawning many later imitators. From the end of the '60s to the mid '70s, TMQ and Pigman led the way, trotting down a muddy trail, feeding the habits and needs of music addicts around the world. Who were these fellow travelers? Carl? The Greek? Merlin? Hans? Rob Snout? Casper? Sheldon? The Blue Hasslebeast? Ol’ Fred? (Not to mention, The Brooklyn Boys, The Record Suits and The Feds!) What was the connection between TMQ and the Viet Nam war, revolutionaries, guns, pot and the moon landing? It’s all here!
Included inA Pig’s Tale is not only the Trade Mark of Quality and Pigman saga, but reproductions of all the rubber stamped and illustrated album jackets from every genuine TMQ record release, including the earliest releases from ’69 right up to the last titles in 1976. Everything you ever wanted to know about the real TMQ label is here: A complete discography of artists and track listings, sources of recordings, catalog numbers, master tape and record matrix info, colored vinyl pressings, record labels, graphics, photos, vintage news clippings, articles and more, all collected together, at last, in one volume.
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Harold Sherrick was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. Growing up in the turbulent 1960s, he was greatly affected by the politics, the war, and the music of the times. More than anything, the music influenced the direction of his life. Harold grew up listening to Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Bob Dylan. The first concert he attended was The Beatles at Dodger Stadium in 1966, sparking his love for the exciting and passionate energy concerts create.
Harold met the Pigman as a teen and began traveling with him all over the Los Angeles Basin distributing bootlegs, attending the concerts Pigman recorded, and grooving to the music. Around the same time, he picked up the camera and began photographing live concerts, which quickly grew into a passion and a profession. Since then, Harold’s notoriety has grown and his photos have appeared in books and magazines around the world, including Mojo, Guitar Player, and Goldmine. In addition to shooting from the front row of many of the greatest concerts Los Angeles has ever seen, he has also captured the action backstage and taken portraits of some of music’s greatest. His photography includes artists such as Tom Petty, Paul McCartney, Joe Walsh, June Carter Cash, Sheryl Crow, Dave Grohl, The Rolling Stones, Joni Mitchell, Ray Charles, The Bee Gees, U2, and Tori Amos, among other greats.
His first book, entitled Stolen Moments: The Photography of Harold Sherrick, includes many of his most iconic shots. A Pig’s Tale is his second book, but certainly not his last.
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