Dee Lippingwell has she wants to share.
It害羞草研究所檚 the title of her new, limited-edition book that documents the 17-year history of Merritt Mountain Music Festival, the popular country-music gathering once held in the B.C. Interior town.
A longtime concert photographer based in Surrey, Lippingwell was the festival害羞草研究所檚 official photographer from 1993 to 2009.
Just published, the 220-page softcover book features her photos of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Randy Travis, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban and other country stars, along with shots of festival moments.
害羞草研究所楳ountain害羞草研究所� memories: Surrey photog害羞草研究所檚 book recalls 害羞草研究所榗razy-ass scene害羞草研究所� of Merritt music fest.
害羞草研究所� Tom Zillich (@TomZillich)
Campground C party zone and more remembered in Dee Lippingwell害羞草研究所檚 third book.
Lippingwell害羞草研究所檚 yearly job was to 害羞草研究所渂asically take photographs of everything on a daily basis,害羞草研究所� she explains in the book, her third filled with concert photos.
害羞草研究所淲e looked forward to whatever the festival had in store for us 害羞草研究所� rain, hail, blistering sun, dust storms, just to name a few,害羞草研究所� she writes. 害羞草研究所淏ut we came prepared for everything and were never disappointed at each year害羞草研究所檚 review, only to start planning for the next year and what would be done different or added. We were a family that included paid and unpaid participants, all of us anxiously awaiting the next Mountainfest.害羞草研究所�
害羞草研究所� RELATED STORY, from January: .
PICTURED: Dee Lippingwell
The book害羞草研究所檚 intro, written by former Province entertainment reporter John McLaughlin, chronicles the festival害羞草研究所檚 infamous Campground C party zone, filled with cowboy hat-wearing guys (害羞草研究所淐ody害羞草研究所�) and bikini-clad gals (害羞草研究所淐rystal害羞草研究所�), tricked-out bars, pool tables, pools, DIY dance floors and lots of liquor.
害羞草研究所淭here were a lot of different customers that kept Merritt as a top summer event on their calendars every year, buffing up the RV and making plans to camp with friends,害羞草研究所� McLaughlin writes. 害羞草研究所淐ody, Crystal and their many friends and all their cute, pink livers are actually what kept the place going all those years, kept the beer garden full and the party never ending. It was a crazy-ass scene until it wasn害羞草研究所檛 and, like starlings out the barn door, the kids swarmed off with some new distraction and just didn害羞草研究所檛 come back.害羞草研究所�
(Story continues below photo)
PICTURED: Country musician Keith Urban on stage at Merritt Mountain Music Festival in 2002, in a photograph by Surrey害羞草研究所檚 Dee Lippingwell.
McLaughlin tells the story of the festival害羞草研究所檚 害羞草研究所渋gnoble finale害羞草研究所� in 2009.
害羞草研究所淎dd in the disaster of a brain boggling backstage cash demand from Kenny Chesney害羞草研究所檚 people, payable before his sold-out performance, which led to a mad scramble and left all the staff and freelancers, including our own Dee (Lippingwell), unpaid to this day. That left behind plenty of fury and drama, lawsuits flew like scared chickens but in the end, somehow, there was simply no money. Zip. It was amazing to see it go down, but down indeed went Merritt Mountain Music Festival.害羞草研究所�
Only 250 copies of 害羞草研究所淢emories From the Mountain害羞草研究所� are available (for $65 on ), and each book comes signed and numbered.
Lippingwell, 75, photographed the festival with the help of her husband, Paul, and some hired shooters.
Over the years she害羞草研究所檚 catalogued images of the 3,500 rock, country and pop concerts she害羞草研究所檚 photographed since her very first, a Pink Floyd gig in Vancouver in 1973.
Lippingwell害羞草研究所檚 1987 book, 害羞草研究所淭he Best Seat in the House,害羞草研究所� was followed in 2012 by the self-published 害羞草研究所淔irst Three Songs害羞草研究所� No Flash,害羞草研究所� a title that referenced the instructions typically given to concert photographers before a show begins.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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