The second and final week of LA DocuWeeks is underway at the Arclight, and LA2DAY's selection for top entertainment value is Rock Prophecies. I got to talk to the documentary's compelling subject.

Meet photographer Robert Knight, whose archive boasts over 200,000 pictures of some 6,000 rock stars and has been more than 40 years in the making. He was the only photographer at the first Jimi Hendrix show he went to and he shot Led Zeppelin before Rolling Stone even cared enough to trash them. Knight's career was not born out of a love for photography, but out of a genuine idolization of rock musicianship. "There's something mystical about the people that produce this [sound], the guitar player is the shaman," he says. Knight didn't play an instrument or write music, so he needed another way in and he found the camera gave him a function in the places he most wanted to be.

He doesn't take pictures of bands he doesn't like and he doesn't take advantage of the musicians he photographs. His sincerity stands out and has helped him build friendships with some of the biggest legends in the business. In 1990, Stevie Ray Vaughn requested Knight for a group photo shoot of him with Eric Clapton and Robert Cray and he was the only photographer allowed at their concert that night, after which Vaughn died in a helicopter crash. Knight refused to exploit the tragedy and didn't release the photos for 2 years.

Nowadays, he regularly grabs breakfast with John Paul Jones, enjoys long chats with Jimmy Page about on topics of parapsychology ("[Page] knows every esoteric text there is, he's a powerhouse of knowledge about the arcane"), visits Jeff Beck whenever his globetrotting lands him in England, and he was just chillin' with Slash in Hollywood when Rock Prophecies director John Chester first met him. It was Knight's profound adoration for his subjects that interested Chester, he wanted to capture the passion of a true fan who had unfettered access to a coveted world but had no desire to be famous himself.

The list of rockers who speak in the film is extensive, names like Steve Vai, Jeff Beck, Slash, Carlos Santana, Robert Cray, Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick), Panic! at the Disco, and Joe Bonamassa. Their respect for Knight is evident and his deep admiration for the musicians he photographs is palpable as well. "It's always interesting when I do a static shot of a guitar player, [to see] what chord they're holding on the guitar," he says in the film. "Steve Vai would hold some impossible chord so that if someone saw the photo, they'd go ‘oh my god what is that chord!' Kenny's got a blues chord. Beck usually has his hand on the vibrato."

These legends' participation in the documentary establish Knight as an esteemed figure in the industry, a position he's begun to use in a new way. He recalls Stevie Ray Vaughn telling him "if anything ever happens to me, you'll know me when you hear me," and he thinks he is hearing Vaughn again now in the blues stylings of Tyler Dow Bryant‘s guitar. Knight first saw the 16 year old prodigy in a youtube video two years ago. The film shows him flying out to Bryant's small Texas hometown to take his picture, bringing him to the NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show in California, and setting up meetings for him with renowned music producers. His enthusiasm for Bryant's talent is unwavering -- "I think if you just meet him, he'll sell himself" he tells people. Today, Bryant is sponsored by Fender, is signed with CAA (Creative Artists Agency) and BMI, and has "record labels chasing him," Knight says proudly. "It's not an egotistical thing, it's just that I wanted to be part of a process, I‘m putting myself back into the bloodstream of music."

The documentary also touches on Knight's role in the career of rock band Sick Puppies, about which he made his first "rock prophecy." He saw them play in Australia six years ago, was blown away, and promptly convinced them to come to America and be made famous. They now have a top 10 song and an album that reached #3 just two weeks after its release.

Knight's now garnering attention for having a prophetic ear, and with the success of the documentary, he's got an inbox full of e-mails from young musicians hoping he'll "hear Stevie" in them too.

Rock Prophecies plays at the ArcLight tonight at 9:30 pm and for the next two days at noon and 5:30 pm.

Story by Chrissy Humphreys.

Photo Credit: Maryanne Bilham