Gary Burden

GRAMMY® winner Gary Burden was a legendary artist praised for conceiving designs for many classic album covers for more than 40 years, shaping the visual element of the music listening experience for artists and listeners alike. He earned five GRAMMY nominations during his career and was awarded the Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package GRAMMY for his contributions to the album design for Neil Young Archives Vol. I (1963-1972) for 2009.

Somehow Burden always found himself at the right place at the right time. In the late 1950s, as a self-described beatnik he hung out in San Francisco's North Beach. He was already a veteran with a storied past when in the early sixties he witnessed Mario Savio's Free Speech Movement and the rise of Rock 'n Roll while studying Architectural Design at U. C. Berkeley. After a disillusioning stint with an architectural firm, Burden designed a house for Mama Cass who took note of his visual orientation and suggested he put his talents into album covers. Shortly thereafter Burden had designed Joni Mitchell's "Blue" cover, albums for Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night and The Mamas and the Papas all of which went gold and platinum. Burden created Crosby, Stills and Nash's first album cover artwork, The Doors' "Morrison Hotel" and four album covers for the Eagles' including "Desperado", several for Jackson Browne, Judee Sill, Laura Nyro, and many others even making a cover for Zydeco artist Clifton Chenier. Neil Young and Burden collaborated on album cover art for more than forty years and became lifelong friends. GRAMMY® winner Gary Burden was a legendary artist praised for conceiving designs for many classic album covers for more than 40 years, shaping the visual element of the music listening experience for artists and listeners alike. He earned five GRAMMY nominations during his career and was awarded the Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package GRAMMY for his contributions to the album design for Neil Young Archives Vol.