Hope Powell

Hope Powell Photography

One of Music Row's most celebrated and visible photographers for five decades, Hope Powell began her career as a wedding photographer in Greensboro, North Carolina. She photographed actress Jayne Mansfield in Salisbury, North Carolina in the 1960s and soon became her official photographer.

Because she also had an interest in processing photos, she moved to Atlanta in 1968 to work in a photography lab, but soon found herself photographing belly dancers at a nearby club. When that club shut down she began shooting country artists who were playing at Mama's Playroom in Atlanta and over the next couple of years, artists such as Hank Williams Jr., Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn and Faron Young came to know her work. She soon began to work in Nashville as well, often shooting for Showbiz Productions and relocated to Music City in 1970.

In addition to photographing the CMA Awards, DJ Convention, the performing rights organization dinners, numerous syndicated TV shows, including "Hee Haw" and 38 IFCO shows, Hope was the photographer for numerous album covers, including ones for Dolly Parton and Porter Waggoner, but she has photographed everyone from Lucille Ball and George Burns to Jimmy Carter, Richard Nixon, Alex Haley, Amold Palmer, Billy Graham and Mickey Mantel.

Her work is featured in such Time-Life publications as Classic Country and Legends of Classic Country.

1923-2014